true but admit this is not good please

Album Rating: 4.5

It's super good and makes me very happy. They're clearly having fun, trying new things with good energy, while making beautiful and exciting music again.

But I 5.0d Heritage so it's not too weird for me to really dig this.

heritage is way better than this lol

Album Rating: 4.5

Agreed!

Album Rating: 3.5

About the thing you said about $$$, they went against most of his own fans taste, everyone by now knows the growl/deathmetal thingy is not there anymore yet again they still get stupid request about going back to the old sound, this from a comercial standpoint was a bad decision, if it were about the money the would stayed with the pre-Heritage sound. This band still makes good music either you like it or not.

Album Rating: 3.7 | Sound Off

I don't know, it might be kind of a trade off. By ditching extreme metal they're catering more to a wider audience who like weird music that just doesn't include metal, while at the same time still keeping most of the loyal audience they've built up for the 15 years before Heritage who are still buying and listening to their stuff. At the end of the day they're gaining more fans and some added mainstream attention. Not to say that that's the reason they're doing it, and it's still a risk in terms of alienating some portion of the original fanbase as they have.

More extreme examples are like those early 2000s bands like AX7 and Linkin Park going from their harder roots to eventually making mainstream hard rock and even pop to gain a whole extra fanbase on top of their old one. AX7 did it like 5 times haha

Album Rating: 3.5

Yeah I can see that but I can't see "mainstream" people listening to this, wider audience yeah, maybe but people looking for something mainstream would listen to trap, R&B, country or plain pop, I would say. Maybe im being nitpicky with the wording , dont take me too serious, im kinda grumpy when people tell me that a band I like (alot) is "selling" themselves when I really think they're just following the path they really like and enjoy doing.

Album Rating: 3.5

Ahh, so yes Stormfart is indeed a troll, easy ‘investigation’ really...

No, this is definitely not the easiest way for Opeth to make money and they most certainly haven’t sold out, if anything they’ve gone against their core fanbase since Watershed. This represents somewhat of a middle ground, but it’s not exactly mainstream and to suggest this is absurd tbh.

Album Rating: 4.5

Word.

Album Rating: 3.7 | Sound Off

valek I definitely think you're right that they are following their path and making music they feel inspired to make. To suggest they're selling out and just following the $ train by not doing the dm anymore is not the case imo. Like you said, they're majorly going against what their core audience wants from them by not making more BWPs and Ghost Reveries clones.

Also when I say "mainstream attention" I just meant they have the potential to gain a wider audience of more like classic and modern rock fans since extreme metal isn't a part of their sound anymore. Not mainstream in the context of like billboard 200 stuff haha

Album Rating: 4.5

Lmao, if Opeth were doing it for the money they would just release an album with growls. Fans would go crazy if they announce that.

Album Rating: 3.7 | Sound Off

At this point yea, now that would be an interesting strategy. Hold off for a decade then drop an album in their classic style and watch the rabid fans eat it up like college students at an all-you-can-eat school jamboree.

Album Rating: 4.0

Lmao if operth sold out a tiny bit more they'd become a flavour at starbuxx amirite

Album Rating: 3.5

Opeth sold out when they started making records, haven't y'all listened to that tool song?

Album Rating: 3.5

When you sell out you don’t melt face because the soul has been thrown to the wolves. The opener on this melts face indeed a large part of the album is a face melter.

Album Rating: 3.5

>Hold off for a decade then drop an album in their classic style and watch the rabid fans eat it up like college students at an all-you-can-eat school jamboree.



Yup I would be in that line. Mostly because they were a lot better during their classic style.



This doesn't mean I'm a disappointed fanboy. If they had broken up after MAYH they would still be in my top 5 of all time. More can only be good, even if it's not really my style.

Album Rating: 4.0

Gave this a couple of additional spins today, and it is definitely the best and most enjoyable album since Watershed without any doubt.

It feels like the band finally found their voice within this style, and they sound extremely confident with their performances and songwriting. This is the first album since Watershed that has been released, that I feel like I wouldn't be disappointed if I caught them live and their live set was comprised mostly of new material. Really enjoying these tracks, and aside from the growls being absent, the spirit and atmosphere of classic Opeth seems to be here.

Album Rating: 4.5

Yeah this is definitely the most Opeth one out of the last four. And agreed with the feeling of confidence too, they sound like they're really enjoying this and their performances are amazing here.



It won't be a surprise that I still prefer Heritage but I'm more than happy with this one and they've restored my faith in a massive way.

Album Rating: 4.0

I don't think that I have listened to Heritage in full since the summer before Pale Communion came out....

I'll definitely be doing that within the next days, though I have very little ambition to revisit Pale Communion or Sorceress.

Album Rating: 4.5

Oh yeah I get that, those two are their worst for sure. Heritage is worth another go I'd say, to me it's even more adventurous and energetic than this one. It has got tonnes of character and personality.