The three growl-tracks on WS

[fsgdjv]

I also remember somebody mentioning that a Mike and Garm folk album would be awesome. I almost died thinking about it.

Yes, Garm + Mike = best album ever. That would be insane, no matter what genre it would be. Ihsahn and Garm are friends and Mike cooperated with Ihsahn, so there's almost something close to a connection there

 

[Necropeth]

I have so much respect for Garm. To go from one genre to another completely different one takes some serious balls. He's a genious.

 

[Slayer101]

What about an Ihsahn, Mike, and Garm album? Damn, I think I just fucking wet my pants.

 

[tchocky]

A Mike, Ihsahn and Garm album album sounds quite a bit more appealing that an Mike, Wilson and Portnoy album to me.

 

[RoadKing]

A Mike, Ihsahn and Garm album album sounds quite a bit more appealing that an Mike, Wilson and Portnoy album to me.

Put me down for the exact opposite of that statement. (not that it wouldn't be pretty freakin' sweet as well, though!) A buddy of mine I went to PN '08 with got to interview Mike for a local indie rock mag (lucky fucker! We had to wait on him for almost an hour while he was on the bus, bastard!), and Mike told him that the project with PORN-Toy (rotfl) & Wilson will definitely happen one day, as soon as they can get their schedules together, which probably isn't looking too good for at least another year or so. But it will happen, so there's something to look forward to!

As for the growl-to-sing ratio on WS, I'm totally fine with it. I've never been a huge fan of Cookie Monster vocals, although Mike probably does it better than just about anyone (along with Chuck Billy), and is just about the only guy (along with Chuck) who comes off sounding more menacing than muppet-like with it to me. Most of the time it just sounds silly to my ears. Don't get me wrong, there are a few other bands I really dig that also go with some degree of growl/scream/sing mixture, (Agalloch, Ihsahn to name a couple) but most of the time I'd much rather hear someone really SING.

That said, I'd be willing to bet that the ratio on WS is pretty much about where it will stay for the forseeable future. The music has become more prog-oriented, which lends itself better to more clean vocal passages, but the contrast of really well constructed and performed "growling" and singing has always been one of Opeth's biggest hooks, and I'd be very surprised to hear them drop it altogether, nor would I want them to. Bloodbath seems to have pretty much become Mike's outlet for the seriously brutal stuff, so it's not like you can't still have Mike all-brutal, all-the-time, just not in Opeth.

Opeth remains (and always will) a very "heavy" band overall, though, and they are basically defining and setting the standard for a relatively new and very exciting generation of heavy progressive music. I know I'm pretty stoked about being around to witness it, anyway. Bands like Opeth and Porcupine Tree and a few others are what keeps music worth listening to in a world that has been programmed to crave mediocrity and banal, contrived, lifeless garbage. It's comforting to know that as long as bands like Opeth are around, someone will be raising a defiant middle finger to the face of bland, corporate musical... "product".

 

[Crepuscularia]

It's comforting to know that as long as bands like Opeth are around, someone will be raising a defiant middle finger to the face of bland, corporate musical... "product".

Well, I would argue that the videos for TGC and PH have been nothing but a bland corporate project, but I agree with this statement in general....

 

[Jackehh]

Opeth remains (and always will) a very "heavy" band overall, though, and they are basically defining and setting the standard for a relatively new and very exciting generation of heavy progressive music. I know I'm pretty stoked about being around to witness it, anyway. Bands like Opeth and Porcupine Tree and a few others are what keeps music worth listening to in a world that has been programmed to crave mediocrity and banal, contrived, lifeless garbage. It's comforting to know that as long as bands like Opeth are around, someone will be raising a defiant middle finger to the face of bland, corporate musical... "product".

/THREAD

 

[fsgdjv]

I have so much respect for Garm. To go from one genre to another completely different one takes some serious balls. He's a genious.

I couldn't have said it better myself.

And on topic: I don't really agree, I mean, all those 3 tracks are amazing, but the others are awesome aswell, I'm just excited to see where they are heading with their music.

 

[Necropeth]

That's why being a fan of Opeth is so exciting! Always something new.

 

[Detective Clarence Beauregard]

The growled tracks on Watershed are very good, but I think Burden and Coil stand up to them. I also don't think Lotus Eater flows particularly well, but that's just me. Hessian Peel and Heir Apparent all the way, though. Hex Omega is okay, but Porcelain Heart (aside from the middle quiet part) bores me.

 

[Ninfix]

^
IMO, Porcelain Heart is built upon a VERY good riff(made by mr. Åkesson), but flows incredibly bad for being an Opeth-song.

 

[Eugenics]

3 songs with death vocals, yet only 2 of the songs qualify as ballads. Quite a unique album for Opeth.

 

[BwA Ethereal]

Indeed, I found interesting soon after WS' release that it's Opeth's only album with death vocals not to have them on the majority of tracks. However I don't find this disappointing, even with "The Lotus Eater" being in my opinion the record's only 'death metal' song better than "Burden" and "Hex Omega".

Additionally, I think "Hex Omega" grossly underrated; its opening riff is great, the transition to eerie keys with mystic vocals incredible, and the repeated closing riff staggering. While it's a relatively simple Opeth song structurally, its tone, cohesion, and placement make it seem to me a huge progression for Opeth-- even stylistically unprecedented.

I guess when I listen I find Heir Apparent to be the closest thing to actual death metal that they've written yet? I know most refer to them as Death Metal but IMO "Progressive Metal" is what they seem to fit into and I think most agree. I think Heir Apparent could be the most brutal song they have. Hex is good too, love that song in its simplicity, very easy to listen to but I keep waiting for the growls that don't happen (just like on Porcelin Heart)

 

[BwA Ethereal]

^
IMO, Porcelain Heart is built upon a VERY good riff(made by mr. Åkesson), but flows incredibly bad for being an Opeth-song.

I think it plays off the "waiting for the growls because it seems to be going that way" feeling but doesnt happen. It is an uncomfortable song to listen to becasue it doesnt do what you want it to. That is actually why I like it but I do find it to be a weak spot on the record which is still a mile better than what most bands can do. Most bands would have that song be their epic track (like November rain for GnR) and never get close to it again.

 

[sundance]

the "three growl tracks" + Burden make this album for me. => MOAAAR GROWLZ 4 thee otha trax, but leave Burden as it is.
Well life's no bowl of cherries. Opeth is, like other good bands, making music according to their point of view. Imagine all bands write songs to sellout. So I'm quite happy with WS and I'm picking those songs out of it to which I really want to listen to more. Still I must concede, that WS is very good if you think of the complete thing, not of single songs.

 

[stannar kvar]

I think the whole album is very good and flows very nice but I still feel that there is a wee bit too long between the growls in the second half of the record, but otherwise I don't think the growl/soft-ratio is a problem.

 

[BlueSky]

Although Heir Apparent, and Hessian Peel are easily my two favorite tracks off the cd I'd say the growls have greater impact when used sparingly as they are.

 

[Carta's]

^ The same could be said about clean vocals in an opposite situation.

 

[NobodyImportant]

I'd say that the first four songs are quite possibly my favorite four-song stretch on any Opeth album (though that's a tough call, of course), and they consist of two songs with growls and two without. Burden is such a beautiful song that it's like a climax for me. If I had to pick a single favorite song on the album, it would probably be Burden, but only by a very slight margin.

 

[BwA Ethereal]

Although Heir Apparent, and Hessian Peel are easily my two favorite tracks off the cd I'd say the growls have greater impact when used sparingly as they are.

I agree. Mikael sounds even more ferocious on Heir Apparent after the beautiful vocals on Coil.