Opeth: Watershed

November 22, 2008 · Posted in Opeth · Comment

Some things just get better with age. Fine wine, good cheese, and Opeth. Opeth is mishmash of a little of everything mixed together with a good dose of death metal. Opeth is one of those bands that everyone can like, even those who hate death metal, love Opeth. Members of my church like them, my wife loves them, and there are several at work that enjoy the fine sound that is Opeth. With each release, they have broken tradition, innovated and improved leaps and bounds and Watershed is no exception. I have to admit, I was quite nervous when Martin Lopez left due to health problems, and I became terrified when Peter Lindgren left, so I was expectant of anything with this release, how was working with Fredrik Åkesson going to change the sound, and who’s this dorky lookin blonde haired guy… The thoughts were running wild. When Watershed hit the shelves I was waiting patiently and when I threw in in and gave it the first listen. I was floored to hear the opener Coil, with it’s Folk like 12 string acoustic and Mikael Åkerfeldt’s ever awesome clean singing, and I was further floored to hear a female take up the vocals, provided by Natalie Lorichs, who I believe is Martin Axenrot’s girlfriend, as this faded and then the discordant Heir Apparent exploded into my ears, a smile appeared on my face for the slower paced intro and perfectly mixed instruments were at their best. I love the brooding, eerie mood the song creates and the track creeps along as if to introduce us to the band members, and provide us with a bit of a sense of a jam session. I really dig the mood change with the outro of the song as well, but my nerves were still at odds, what’s the rest of this going to sound like, I’ve bought albums where the first song or first two were awesome, and everything else sucked. But I was soon to be set at peace. The ever carefree humming Åkerfeldt delivers again explodes into blast beats !! Blast beats with clean vocals, I was impressed, this song moves along quickly and is by far the most brutal on the album, The Lotus Eater set to ease any concern I had with the new members of the band. Åkerfeldt and company still manage to throw in some blues, and a real Emerson, Lake and Palmer meets Yes meets Dream Theater keyboard solo, another first for Opeth. Next we move into the mellow track, Burden, flexing their Progressive Rock muscles this song delivers that well, with well delivered keyboard work, and acoustic work to match. I must admit I am still a tad perplexed about the ever detuning guitar outro, but hey, they were probably bored and it ended up sounding pretty cool anyways. Next comes their first single, Porcelain Heart. A perfectly crafted track, does seem a bit aimed for possible radio play?? But I enjoyed the track, this is where we get familiar with Åkesson’s songwriting and unique, yet ethereal additions to the melody of this track. I really enjoy the breaks into the metal forays, this track is pure Progressive Metal with no corners cut. Hessian Peel is an odd track, it boasts some more acoustic work, though the backwards singing is a bit disturbing and out of place, in my opinion. This track rather abruptly jumps into a hyper keyboard sequence that reminds me of the Evening News or maybe an Emergency Broadcast statement before crashing into the aggressive Death Metal section. I will admit, the Death Metal section is the only part I really enjoy about this song, it’s by far one of my least favorite Opeth songs. Finally we end off the album with Hex Omega and this song is a great album finisher. It’s ethereal, brooding and beautiful all wrapped into one. That main verse riff they play on the guitar is beyond description and the outro, a fitting outro for a near Progressive Metal masterpiece.

Overall the album is a great album, it showcases the steady growth of the sound and system that is Opeth, it does have a bit of a rushed feel to it, but I am generally happy with the ideas Åkesson brings to the table, though I’m not sure if I care for Axenrot’s drums. Sorry man, Lopez left you with some big shoes to fill, nothing personal . I eagerly look forward to their next album, when they’ve had ample time to acquaint themselves as friends and band members and I know it will be something awesome.