It’s bands like Opeth which really hold the future of metal in their grasp. In today’s scene, they are the band that nearly everyone looks up to, everyone respects, and many try to copy. Their approach is very laid back in the way it’s structured, with these long overtures which take in all aspects of what metal is and what it signifies, laying them out for all to see. Whether their songs go anywhere at all, however, is a different story. In their best moments (
Still Life,
Blackwater Park) Opeth actually goes places with their music and really makes you
feel the instruments at work. It’s quite a remarkable feeling actually, when you have an absolutely ferocious verse of all out death metal transcend to, in literally no time at all, a calm acoustic guitar melody coupled with Mikael Akerfeldt’s remarkable singing talent. I will cite what I think is their finest hour, the song “The Drapery Falls”, as a perfect example of this. However, we’re coming up on a decade since
Still Life was released and seven years since
Blackwater Park made its impression, and Opeth still remain nearly the same, for better or worse.
Their follow-up albums
Deliverance,
Damnation, and
Ghost Reveries were widely acclaimed as top-notch metal, but I tend to see things differently. With those albums, I think Opeth really tried to ride the tidal wave of praise that erupted after
Blackwater Park for as long as they could until it caved in. So, in 2008, we have what may (and hopefully will be) the final crest of Opeth’s universal acclaim,
Watershed. This is an album which shows some hints of change from their previous albums, which is indescribably refreshing, but still has the uncomfortable feeling of
Blackwater Park re-hash which hinders the album from being one of Opeth’s best. It’s just something that is there the entire time, lingering somewhere in the song.
What I can say is refreshing and really enjoyable is the guitar playing. We have the finest guitar performance I’ve heard from this band in quite a while, with the middle of “The Lotus Eater” being a perfect example of why Opeth is as highly regarded as it is. There are lots of intriguing riffs, harmonies, and solos that help- not hinder- their sound as a whole. The general atmosphere of the album is one of a heavy depression, sad and bitter but somewhat remorseful, for whatever reason that may be it works out fantastically. The album is heavy, very heavy. A lot of serious drumming and down-tuned, crushing guitars swim around underneath the vocals, which, strangely enough, do a lot more singing (or at least it seems that way) than I remember in previous albums. That’s not a bad thing either, since Akerfeldt has a wonderful voice which compliments the atmosphere well. That’s not to say his voice is always wonderful and welcome. In the bizarre track “Burden” we have him singing harmoniously to add “atmosphere”, I guess, by just going “AhhhhhhhhAhhhhhhhAhhhhh” in a high-pitched singing voice which really turns out to be awkward and obtrusive, taking away the effect of the amazing and sorrowful guitar riffing which follows it. It’s quite distracting because it sort of lingers in your head for the rest of the song, distracting you. We have the same sort of thing show up in “The Lotus Eater”, in which Akerfeldt just hums for about 20 seconds to set the tone, but ends up sounding downright laughable when he blurts out:
Liquid is in your throat
For hopeless delight
However, I can’t really say more on his vocal performance besides those few awkward moments, because it really is a big focal point on the album and is awesome 95% of the time. The real issue I have with the album is in its nature to drag on and on. I’m not sure if anyone else has noticed, but Opeth have a distinct riff they play in the background during the heavier moments of the album which sounds nearly exactly the same every time. It’s just very obnoxious and takes away some of the surprise that comes with Opeth just throwing everything on the table and going all-out, because it can be quite amazing when they do that. The acoustic guitars, too, are masterfully played and are personally my favorite part of the Opeth “experience”. I will say that yes, they do sound like that music your hear at the supermarket sometimes, but generally they are really slow and melancholic, just lifting you up and nearly making you think this album is pure genious, but generally before that point is reached there is something which stops you and blocks you from reaching that point.
It’s hard to put my finger on it now that I’m attempting to describe it, but after listening to
Watershed there is something that bugs me about it. I can give everything praise enough to make this album a 4.5 or so, but there is just that nagging feeling like this is something half-assed (in comparison to what this band is truly capable of) which just takes all that awe right out of me. It may the predictability of what I was about to hear because, let’s face it, you know exactly what is coming when you listen to Opeth. When things calm down, you know that at some point it’s suddenly going to turn into a crushing death metal verse, and vice versa. With the exception of the opening track “Coil”, which was absolutely stunning and beautiful, this is nothing more than just another Opeth album which will surely receive amazing reviews by the countless people who so desperately desire another
Blackwater Park. I want an Opeth album in which they simply amaze me with something new and unheard of, but with their newest album
Watershed, that dream fades soon after the opening track disappears into the past.
Maybe next time, Opeth.
Recommended Tracks
Coil
The Lotus Eater
Hessian Peel
