Review Summary: One of Opeth's most varied releases
In their 15 years in the music industry Sweden's Opeth has covered a vast array of intriguing musical genres and has mastered the ability of jamming them into each album. Each album these men put out always seems to amaze their loyal following while simultaneously drawing in new fans.
The record starts out with what is one of Opeth's most accessible tracks, coil. Coil is a simple yet beautiful acoutstic song with beautifully executed arppegiated acoustic guitar parts, Akerfeldt's signature singing, exceptional clean vocals by a female guest vocalist, and subtle orchestrated parts. Absolutely one of the highlights of this album.
After this Heir Apparent begins. From the first chord you can tell the direction the rest of the album is going in, heavy yet haunting. This is classic opeth, beautiful dissonance, tight drumming(although still nowhere near the level of Lopez), and growls that sound like they're straight from the pits of hell. A tasteful guitar solo and gorgeous acoustic part s begin around 3:30 but are interrupted moments later by another brutal onslaught where these swedes showcase their extreme metal chops.
The album as a whole is extremely consistent all the way through. The Lotus Eater follows the heavy/mellow format like most Opeth songs, it begins with a simple hummed melody followed by a lightening fast drum fill and then intense blasts which is surprisingly coupled with singing instead of growls. The Songs builds and builds throughout the length of the song and i consider this song to be a defining moment in opeth's extensive body of work. The next track, Burden, is a radical departure from the other tracks on this album but it is warmly welcomed. This song shows a heavy influence from 70's prog obviously and is reminiscent of 2003's Damnation(a milestone for the band) . The song is slow, has strummed acoustic work, a subdued drum beast with nice fills here and there, more incredible clean vocals, and (to top it all off) extremely tight lead guitar parts.
The first couple of times i listened to Watershed I wasn't particularly impressed but after repeated listens the beauty of this album was revealed. So what I'm saying is, even if you're not an Opeth fanboy give this album a few listens, you won't be wasting your time. This is actually the album that renewed my interest in this band so it will always have a special place in my heart.
Pros: -Great Vocals
-Touches on a good variety of styles
-Songs are structured perfectly
-Songs don't drag on like Orchid
Cons: -Its not Blackwater Park(just saying)
-Lacking the atmosphere that Ghost Reveries had
Reccomended Tracks:
-Coil
-The Lotus Eater
-Burden(Listen to this immediately)
