affinityband
Member
lol how could you be dissapointed with this album. ive loved opeth for so long and this album is still raping my existence on a daily basis.
Watershed: Are you disapointed with it?
- Thread starter N3M3S1S
- Start date
Kir-ir-Bannog
...no ordinary rabbit
Opeth are a different band now they have Per. All the songs are structured completely differently now and that means creating space and simplifying riffs, so that his efforts are more recognisable.
I dont mind this at all, but Moonlapse said something a couple of months ago that i agree with. This isn't Opeth anymore as such, it's now an experiment of Mikaels, it just happens to have the same band name.
I have to say i crave another album as heavy as BWP. Some people feel very let down by the last two releases, i wonder if it has anything to with with Mikaels promises that each of the last two albums would be extremely "evil". perhaps he is joking when he says these things, i dunno, but i think it disappoints some people, including myself (in a way). Sure its great to have the acoustic and mellower songs, but this element of opeth is becoming more apparent all the time with each release. people miss the metal, the bleak, dark metal and the dark prog understones....the newer stuff is more...colourful?
take for instance, watershed. Heir Apparent is fucking awesome and when i finish listening to the album i always end up expecting more songs on the album in a similar vein, unfortunately it doesnt happen and its a little bit disappointing. I can understand some people being extremely disappointed about this for the same reason.
here are my thoughts on watershed:
coil:
beautfiul song, i really like it, but is it opeth? Sure its slightly harrowing, but where is the bleakness, despair, etc? i dont feel that here. its also over before you've started to really get into it. I also think it should not be the opener. Never the less i do enjoy the song.
Heir Apparent:
Shoud be the opener for sure. Fucking awesome track, acoustic parts remind me of still life in way, in fact so do some of the heavy parts. the ending is incredible and portrays the very essence of what has made opeth so great over the years - a climatic ending
Lotus Eater:
Not too sure about the vocals over the blast beats here, sure its revolutionary for someone to do this, but the way the words are sung over the pacey drums...it doesnt really fit that well. i don't hate it, but ....i can't quite put my finger on why it doesnt work 100% for me, still the death growls after each part are very well done. The rest of the track is flawless and i shall probably end up getting used to the beginning.
Burden:
Again, not an opeth song IMO (even less of an opeth song than coil). Its a scorpions/whitesnake homage track. Although i happen to like it, it sounds just too out of place on an opeth album. fantasic solos at the end by both guitarists i have to say.
Porcelein Heart:
not bad, i suppose - very catchy and quite commercial for opeth. Very formulaic too. Its decent but not a legendary opeth recording here. I could undesrtand if someone said they thought it a bit dull in fact.
Hessian Peel:
What a ridiculous sounding name for a song. The folky riff after the initial nice piece of guitar playing is fucking dreadful. How dd they all decide it sounded good? it grates me every single time i hear that second from last note of the riff. ugh...just aswell it doesnt re-appear, because the rest of the track is pretty damn good with flashes of Mikaels genius. Some really interesting riffs too, reminds me of leper affinity in parts.
Hex Omega:
Awesome. I love this track, another heavy track without death vox (not even needed here IMO). A great way to end the album
I've heard Derelict Herds and apart from some wonderful strings from Per at one point, the rest is awful, just as well it isnt on the album. i have yet to listen to the other two tracks.
I give Watershed 3.5/5, but it may grow on me yet.
I dont mind this at all, but Moonlapse said something a couple of months ago that i agree with. This isn't Opeth anymore as such, it's now an experiment of Mikaels, it just happens to have the same band name.
I have to say i crave another album as heavy as BWP. Some people feel very let down by the last two releases, i wonder if it has anything to with with Mikaels promises that each of the last two albums would be extremely "evil". perhaps he is joking when he says these things, i dunno, but i think it disappoints some people, including myself (in a way). Sure its great to have the acoustic and mellower songs, but this element of opeth is becoming more apparent all the time with each release. people miss the metal, the bleak, dark metal and the dark prog understones....the newer stuff is more...colourful?
take for instance, watershed. Heir Apparent is fucking awesome and when i finish listening to the album i always end up expecting more songs on the album in a similar vein, unfortunately it doesnt happen and its a little bit disappointing. I can understand some people being extremely disappointed about this for the same reason.
here are my thoughts on watershed:
coil:
beautfiul song, i really like it, but is it opeth? Sure its slightly harrowing, but where is the bleakness, despair, etc? i dont feel that here. its also over before you've started to really get into it. I also think it should not be the opener. Never the less i do enjoy the song.
Heir Apparent:
Shoud be the opener for sure. Fucking awesome track, acoustic parts remind me of still life in way, in fact so do some of the heavy parts. the ending is incredible and portrays the very essence of what has made opeth so great over the years - a climatic ending
Lotus Eater:
Not too sure about the vocals over the blast beats here, sure its revolutionary for someone to do this, but the way the words are sung over the pacey drums...it doesnt really fit that well. i don't hate it, but ....i can't quite put my finger on why it doesnt work 100% for me, still the death growls after each part are very well done. The rest of the track is flawless and i shall probably end up getting used to the beginning.
Burden:
Again, not an opeth song IMO (even less of an opeth song than coil). Its a scorpions/whitesnake homage track. Although i happen to like it, it sounds just too out of place on an opeth album. fantasic solos at the end by both guitarists i have to say.
Porcelein Heart:
not bad, i suppose - very catchy and quite commercial for opeth. Very formulaic too. Its decent but not a legendary opeth recording here. I could undesrtand if someone said they thought it a bit dull in fact.
Hessian Peel:
What a ridiculous sounding name for a song. The folky riff after the initial nice piece of guitar playing is fucking dreadful. How dd they all decide it sounded good? it grates me every single time i hear that second from last note of the riff. ugh...just aswell it doesnt re-appear, because the rest of the track is pretty damn good with flashes of Mikaels genius. Some really interesting riffs too, reminds me of leper affinity in parts.
Hex Omega:
Awesome. I love this track, another heavy track without death vox (not even needed here IMO). A great way to end the album
I've heard Derelict Herds and apart from some wonderful strings from Per at one point, the rest is awful, just as well it isnt on the album. i have yet to listen to the other two tracks.
I give Watershed 3.5/5, but it may grow on me yet.
Kir-ir-Bannog
...no ordinary rabbit
I feel the same way, when i'm not struggling the the only very slight disappointment of not hearing as much old style opeth.
Hügelgräber
Hügelgrab-Graber
No.
Ok, Mikael overdoes his clean vocals these days. I mean: ""...when you leave me behihiiind, you'll find that the years passed us byhiii". Sounds a bit cheesy to me. Hex Omega should have been sung by the chick-singer only in my opinion. These are just chick-singer vocals.
The rest is the usual Top-Quality-Opeth. Didn't like every song from the beginning, but that's what i expect. The first listen made me remeber the time i got my first Opeth-album MAYH. Not love at first listen, but it surely sounded interesting, pretty much like the experience Martin Mendez mentions in the bonus material.
Ok, Mikael overdoes his clean vocals these days. I mean: ""...when you leave me behihiiind, you'll find that the years passed us byhiii". Sounds a bit cheesy to me. Hex Omega should have been sung by the chick-singer only in my opinion. These are just chick-singer vocals.
The rest is the usual Top-Quality-Opeth. Didn't like every song from the beginning, but that's what i expect. The first listen made me remeber the time i got my first Opeth-album MAYH. Not love at first listen, but it surely sounded interesting, pretty much like the experience Martin Mendez mentions in the bonus material.
nizzon
f.k.a Qth
I like the album, but Derelict Herds might be one of the most boring songs they have written imo.
I just reversed the part of Hessian Peel where the vocals are normally reversed to hear what he is saying. There was only one part that I could understand and he says "My sweet satan". Oh dear.
Lightbulb Sun
Losing the Skyline....
Pardon me, I'm new and have been inactive for a good week or two. Must have missed the thread.
wow, i agree with pretty much everything you said!! i think the ending of heir apparent is a little weird in that it just... appears... but it's a great heavy song. when i played to my friends (who are heavily into crazy music but not opeth fans) the lotus eater they just started laughing at those clean vocals. i do love the rest of the track though, that funky bit gets me every time. i get nothing out of hessian peel, and for an 11 minute song that's a lotta nothing... hex omega is interesting, and is growing on me, but there's a lotta plodding onepaced stuff throughout the remainder of the disc. it feels like a bit of a slog frankly, from the end of track 3 onwards it's a bit of an effort to listen to, and not in a good way. i'd give it a 5.5 so far. which is a shame because that first track gets me in the mood for something amazing every single time. might just have to put the entire still life disc after it in my play list- it would fit nicely, the moor coming back over the fields to find his love so long parted from, that soft voice ringing in his head!
Salavace
Let's Disco
- May 1, 2008
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zephead2112
Member
I'm amazed to see such different opinions of WS and its contents. All I know is that I just can't stop playing this album and that says it all to me personally. It lived up to all my expectations.
Definitely my album of 2008 and as I'm an old bastard (of 41), I've got lots to compare it to.
I've already said it in another post but the surround version of WS is just the Mutts Nuts (English to "X" translation - the dogs bollocks/the best).
Keith.
Definitely my album of 2008 and as I'm an old bastard (of 41), I've got lots to compare it to.
I've already said it in another post but the surround version of WS is just the Mutts Nuts (English to "X" translation - the dogs bollocks/the best).
Keith.
out of interest, how do you define dark? i haven't picked up much of the lyrics, which are a big part of *darkness* for me, but some of them are pretty meh. the start of lotus eater is pretty damn black though ("liquid is in your throat"?). the music isn't as cold as it used to be, with the keys in it now.
MixGrafix
Dulce Et Decorum Est
Mikael Åkerfeldt;7334555 said:
This reminds me of when TOOL launched Lateralus. Everyone wanted Aenima, but it was simply the evolution of the the band. I hated Lateralus when I first heard it, but after spin after spin it grew to be my favorite album of all time. Kudos to Mike and the boys for heading in a bold new direction. I can't wait to see you back in Detroit in September. Watershed is exactly a reflection of the title, and I thank you for not being stagnate.
Mix
The Don
Member
I've been shitting all over this disc since the first time I spun it. I liked Heir Apparant a lot and The Lotus Eater and Burden a wee bit. I thought the rest was shit.
Alcohol is a real son of a bitch though, and during some late night drinking with friends I find myself wandering back to Watershed, despite my initial disappointment. I've managed to listen to it enough as to where it probably won't grow on me anymore for a while, but I've managed to really start enjoying TLE, Burden, and Hessian Peel. Still can't see the allure in Coil, Porcelain Heart and Hex Omega.
I'm still disappointed but I think with enough cheap vodka this disc may become a winner sooner or later.
Alcohol is a real son of a bitch though, and during some late night drinking with friends I find myself wandering back to Watershed, despite my initial disappointment. I've managed to listen to it enough as to where it probably won't grow on me anymore for a while, but I've managed to really start enjoying TLE, Burden, and Hessian Peel. Still can't see the allure in Coil, Porcelain Heart and Hex Omega.
I'm still disappointed but I think with enough cheap vodka this disc may become a winner sooner or later.
MixGrafix
Dulce Et Decorum Est
Lol, that's like saying with enough beer even that fat fuck over there would do for a good night.
Mikael Åkerfeldt;7334555 said:
No more hallucinogenic drugs for you young man!
And please don't call the ban hammer down on me for that. Just having fun.
baarg
Hal 9000
Some interesting posts here about evil and death and the evolution of Opeth. Almost metaphysical subjects. Too bad they didn't continue.
Thinking about Opeth to me is thinking of evolution, that is not to say that it is good or bad, that is why there are so many differences of opinion, Opeth just is, the property given, is given; thus it is subjective. Mike put it right somewhere and this is why there is no right and wrong when giving opinions. It is all in the eye of the beholder...or the ear of the listener. Opeth is the essence of being for me, it is becoming... again, this has no right and wrong values. Just like we are not really more than ten years old (no, really, we're not. This is a scientific fact) the true evolution of a band perhaps also reflects this fact of nature, we are not the same persons we were so Opeth cannot be the same band it was IF, it did evolve. If it did not, then it is a shark...an AC/DC who does the same thing over and over like someone pointed out there. Again, no rights or wrongs here.
Saying this of course we can still disagree because we all have different beliefs so that is alright. As for me, I really like Watershed, it does seem a good ermm adaptation... Evolution is not linear, and massive changes often result in massive consequences. That I do miss the overall "feel" of earlier records (up to Damnation), well, yes... this is how I feel. There was a sense of something missing that it is present in GR and Watershed... maybe it is colour as someone said up here. Don't know. Saying this though and to a more everyday comment. It is their 9th album!!!!! Most bands are separated by their 9th album or become predictable or lack originality. Look at Metallica. I just can't believe St. Anger comes from the same band that wrote Orion... but again, the guys are different people now. Literally... and their adaptation to the musical environment is quite unsuccesful therefore they will eventually be eaten... hopefully by better adapted animals, like Opeth!
Thinking about Opeth to me is thinking of evolution, that is not to say that it is good or bad, that is why there are so many differences of opinion, Opeth just is, the property given, is given; thus it is subjective. Mike put it right somewhere and this is why there is no right and wrong when giving opinions. It is all in the eye of the beholder...or the ear of the listener. Opeth is the essence of being for me, it is becoming... again, this has no right and wrong values. Just like we are not really more than ten years old (no, really, we're not. This is a scientific fact) the true evolution of a band perhaps also reflects this fact of nature, we are not the same persons we were so Opeth cannot be the same band it was IF, it did evolve. If it did not, then it is a shark...an AC/DC who does the same thing over and over like someone pointed out there. Again, no rights or wrongs here.
Saying this of course we can still disagree because we all have different beliefs so that is alright. As for me, I really like Watershed, it does seem a good ermm adaptation... Evolution is not linear, and massive changes often result in massive consequences. That I do miss the overall "feel" of earlier records (up to Damnation), well, yes... this is how I feel. There was a sense of something missing that it is present in GR and Watershed... maybe it is colour as someone said up here. Don't know. Saying this though and to a more everyday comment. It is their 9th album!!!!! Most bands are separated by their 9th album or become predictable or lack originality. Look at Metallica. I just can't believe St. Anger comes from the same band that wrote Orion... but again, the guys are different people now. Literally... and their adaptation to the musical environment is quite unsuccesful therefore they will eventually be eaten... hopefully by better adapted animals, like Opeth!
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