I've just returned from a listening party and my god...My memory is hazy, especially because we only got to listen to it once before Mike and Frederick had to leave but it sure as hell leaves an impression on you. Mid-way through I remember thinking to myself "I think this is going to be my least favourite album
" and in a lot of instances, "interesting...
" but i think it's one of those albums where the first listen really fucking throws you off and then it just..grows. My overall impression of it was based on one track, which I think was the Lotus Eater: a
nightmare, it feels like i'm in a nightmare - but in the best possible sense of the word. In a realistic sense? (A bit like how the song Blackwater Park felt when I woke up with it playing - haunting). The typical Opethian moments ie heavy/light slow/fast just take you from each event in that nightmare..it's hard to explain, but Mike was nodding when I was explaining this, lol. 'Nightmare' might be the wrong word but it's stuck in my head, maybe because at the time I was worried that "this is gunna be my least fave". I'm gunna give up trying to get my analogy right but to me that feeling you have when there's a horrible dream that stays in your head all day was there. He wasn't kidding when he said it was 'eeeevil'. I was quite gutted I couldn't listen to it again but these are just some things i've noted (in my seive-like head):
- a
lot more progressive than usual and a lot more folkier, and if I remmeber correctly, Mike is singing for the most part. It's not so 'foresty' as people have described previous albums, but somehow brighter, in fact in one part I was visualising a maid in a meadow, long grass, daisies
, a Victoriany picture - diffeent to the dark dingy forest. The folky parts really are effective.
- Coil: Nathalie sounds beautiful, even though I didn't think her voice was all that much watching the vids on YouTube. Bearing in mind Opeth's work, this will sound 'new' to you, as with the rest of the album.
- Heir Apparent: You've all heard this song, I can tell you it sounds much better than it does in the Melloboat vid.
-The Lotus Eater: This will be a fucking hit. It's funny because the rhythm of it is stuck in my memory, I keep replaying it but I can't comment further, this might've been one of the songs lots of stops and changes.
-Burden: As the reviews have said, (if I have the right song) there's very much of that Deep Purple influence and at first I didn't think this was anything great but towards the end it was one of those again.
- Porcelain Heart: Yes.
-The last two numbers: what the review I translated said. But definitely, as with PH, Yes.
- I forget which song it was but the blast beats and the clean singing....it left me fucking grinning.
-In terms of heavy, I think the heavier bits are more brutal than your regular Opeth but it's not there constantly. It's as if the differences between the usual heavy/light that we know is a bit more extreme - even in the light parts.
-There are some really cool and techy 'effects' that are on this album, 2 especially but I don't wanna ruin it.
- Violins, flute, lots of mellotrone, organ. The violins and the organ are especially cool. I eve think there was an organ solo.
I'm still trying to get over it, lol. Definitely one that needs some time for you to absorb/digest.
And Mike is so fucking lovely. I wouldn't leave him alone yet he didn't tell me to fuck off.
Btw listening to it in 5.1 SS....THE way to listen to it.
