Album Rating: 4.5 | Sound Off

Guess we'll have to wait for the album to judge.



I wonder how 'Peth's legacy shall be remembered in the 2020's.

Bring on the new peth

After about 7 listens I can say that I think it's easily better than anything on Heritage.

Album Rating: 4.5 | Sound Off

How Mikael can be responsible for so much debate says a great deal about the man. I think we can all agree there.

Album Rating: 2.0

new song is better then everything from this

Album Rating: 4.5 | Sound Off

Consensus shall never be reached among Opeth fans.

Album Rating: 3.8

Well yeah, but if your definition of consensus is everyone agreeing on everything, then name one band that has ever reached that?

Album Rating: 4.5 | Sound Off

None. Having said that, this is by far one of the site's most polarizing

bands. People can't even agree on what the band's bad songs are.



There are debates with Floyd for instance, but most agree that their

70's era was the best. People argue on Radiohead, but generally agree

that OKC, Kid A and The Bends are great albums. With Led Zeppelin,

most agree that the first 6 are where it's at, they just disagree on which

is best.



But with Opeth, people can't even agree on which era was best.

Album Rating: 3.5

pretty great album



pretty boring at times



not the most original thing in the world



nice atmosphere



hope the new one is better.

Album Rating: 3.8

Fair enough points, danny

Album Rating: 4.5 | Sound Off

Not that there's anything wrong with that man.



But it feels as if Mikael himself wanted it that way.

Album Rating: 5.0

new song is better then everything from this



While I am a fan of the new single, most songs on here are better.

Album Rating: 4.5 | Sound Off

Sput's resident 'Peth junkie hath spoken.

Album Rating: 3.0

"Having said that, this is by far one of the site's most polarizing

bands."



Even though people may not agree which era is their best, until heritage most recognized the band as the ex-libris of progressive metal. There were polarizing albums like deliverance or damnation but even those were only considered inferior in comparison with previous efforts by the band.



And it seems to me that the reason why Heritage (and consequently the current state of the band) is so polarizing is because it seems that the band is so damn obsessed on pursuing to create this 70's progressive sound/atmosphere, which is innovative in comparison to Opeth previous sound, but it is not innovative in itself.

Album Rating: 3.5

new song rocks

Album Rating: 4.0

Some new stuff on the upcoming album from swede rock magazine. cheers to jaded from the opethforum for translating





The album name "Pale Communion" is a cryptic reference to hard times that Mike feels he has fallen upon lately. Mike says

he has been feeling down as of late and the sound on the record is a reflection of that. If he wouldn't have been feeling

down it would have sounded differently.



The album is "exceptionally" dark.



The interviewer claims that Mike stated that "Badminton became my way out of depression" but it didn't record on the

tape that was used for the interview.



Rockfield studios was awesome, everyone had their own room and Jacuzzi.



In the song "Moon above, Sun below", the owner of the studio Kingsley Ward is

babbling stuff.



Mike asked Kingsley if he remembers Judas Priest "Sad wings of Destiny" which was recorded there in 1976, to which he

replied "No." and Mike was like...."damn...".



Mike was boozing pretty hard during the recording of the album.



Mike talks about Candlemass and that a riff in "Moon above, sun below" would appeal to Leffe Edling from Candlemass.

"Leffe will like this", says Mike. And he was right, when he played the track to Leffe he did like it. "Ooooh, what a cool

riff!". Mike thinks many old-school Opeth fans will like it.



Also in "Moon above, sun below" the interviewer asks why the amazing vocals only start 9 minutes in to the song?! This

song is a power metal tune according to Mike.

Album Rating: 4.0

Also,



Apparently there is a similar part in "Voice of Treason" where Mike was hesitant to include at all. Mike says it would sound "too simple to be me" but included them anyway, which the interviewer thinks was a great idea since they sound amazing. Mike says he listened to a band called "Life" and stole some stuff (riffs/vocal line?) for these parts. Mike also says the parts sound like Blind Guardian and Running Wild and the interviewer strongly disagrees. When Mike presented these parts to the band he was like "I apologize for this but I really like it".



Mike feels that the song "River" will become the "most hated" song on the album. The band referred to it as the "Countrysong" during the recording.

"Elysian Woes" is sad ballad, singer/songwriter style.

"Faith in Others" is the Magnum Opus of the record according to the interviewer. A kind of "Stairway to Heaven".



Most people close to Mike think that "Cusp of Eternity" should be the first track on the record.



"Cusp of Eternity" had the working title of "Zep" since it sounded like "Immigrant Song", especially the drums. Mike says it's very "direct" for being an Opeth song. An older metal song, really.



"Voice of Treason" has an odd background. Apparently, Mike wrote a score to a film for a friend using an alias. Mike then "stole" a lot of the music that he wrote and made a song out of it (Voice of Treason). That's why it has a large string section in it the resembles the strings in Deep Purple's "Knocking at your back door".



The article includes a "scoop"! When "Still Life" was re-mastered in 2008, Jens Bogren couldn't find the acoustic guitars on any old tapes and Mike did not have them. So Mike had to re-record all the acoustic guitars for the remastered surround sound version. Mike says "I haven't played these fucking songs since 1999, so I was worried that people would tell the difference".

Album Rating: 3.0

nice sharing thank you baldymort.

Album Rating: 5.0

Ok, now I am fucking stoked as shit.



Thanks, baldy.

Album Rating: 3.5

Mike stated that "Badminton became my way out of depression"