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Opeth: Watershed
12/05/08 || Euthanatos
As I write this, I am dying. Well, not really dying, but some buttfucking virus is raping my organism, so if this review seems a little insane, you’ll know why. Another good reason for bias is that yes, I’m a huge Opeth fanboy. Opeth is the best thing since sliced cake, Diazepam and satanic music. So there you go.
I’m supposing we’re all familiar with how Opeth once again had changes in its line-up, drummer Martin Lopez and long-time guitar player Peter Lindgren left so that they could grow crops in Sweden. It can’t really be said that Lindgren is missed, but Lopez definitely made his mark with his peculiar style of Latin jazz beats heavily influencing Opeth’s music. Axenrot is a fine drummer, an amazing drummer if you will, and seeing him live proves my point as he emulates any drummer (including Lopez) to perfection. But, naturally, their styles are way different, Axe being 100% death metal. However, he does surprise every now and then with some nice grooves and a jazzy touch (listen to the already popular “The Lotus Eater”). I can’t really say I noticed much of Fredrik Åkesson’s guitar work here, and it’s almost as if Per Wiberg left too, because I hardly took heed of him at all.
The album starts out with “Coil”, which I think is one of the biggest surprises of the record. It’s a totally mellow song and it was ballsy for Opeth to pick this one as the opener for such an expected album. It features amazing vocals from Åkerfeldt and guest vocals by Nathalie Lorichs, whom I had never seen (or heard) before, but she has a great voice (and she looks great too!). Which brings me to another surprise, speaking of vocals; Åkerfeldt continues to improve and show great variety and range. He’s at the top of his game here and has really stretched his abilities to better fulfill Opeth’s haunting music.
“Heir Apparent” is your more typical Opeth song, reminds me of stuff from “Still Life”, brutal moments entwined with soothing passages. The aforementioned “The Lotus Eater” is a spectacular song, blast beats open it up, with clean vocals over them and that just kicks ass. Åkerfeldt’s signature growl also is thrown into the mix, and combined with multiple mood shifts, this is certainly one for the ages. Then comes “Burden”. This is probably the most controversial song on the album, and the reason for that is simple. Either people think it’s the worst one on the entire record, or that it is a singular piece of inspired music which shows Opeth as brilliant as ever. I happen to be in the latter group and I think “Burden” is so moving, I’m not going to dabble much on it, lest I cry like a Japanese school girl being raped by a 10-tentacle monster.
The single (which is something I always find hilarious, the idea of Opeth having a single) “Porcelain Heart” is also a very compelling song, brutally murdered in the music video (being edited and all), but the video is surprisingly good (unlike “The Grand Conjuration), but I digress. Again, various different atmospheres, great acoustic passages, top-notch singing. The last two songs are very interesting and different, “Hessian Peel” and “Hex Omega”. The first one is a mammoth epic, clocking in at over 11 minutes, most of it being acoustic and has this undeniable ethereal feel to it. Closer to the end, growls and metal is unleashed upon the masses. “Hex Omega” sounds a lot like a continuation for “Hessian Peel”, with a kind of progressive touch, spacey vocals and excellent guitar work courtesy from Åkerfeldt and newcomer Fredrik Åkesson.
And before I finish this review, I would like to add that Mendez sounds brilliant and has become an essential part of the band’s music. If he leaves, I will cut my wrists and black my eyes.
So where does this slab of Opeth metal feature in the grand discography of one of the most innovative and recognizable bands in metal today? Well, it’s completely different from “Ghost Reveries” and for some, to my complete bafflement, is actually a good thing. Nevertheless, I found the album to be amazing, nothing like I expected and I was happy to be surprised. It’s good to see that no matter what, Mikael Åkerfeldt will not let Opeth go quietly into the night, repeating itself and becoming a parody of glorious days of before. His music evolves, the new band members give the band their own individual touch and Opeth remains one of the titans of quintessential music.
Even if you hate it at first, here’s a piece of advice from a dying man. Give it time. As with all Opeth albums (and this has been particularly true ever since “Blackwater Park”), it takes time to get the vibe, to immerse yourself in the spirit of “Watershed”. Trust me, at the end of the day, it’s certainly worth it.
The cover: Looks like your typical Opeth/Travis Smith collaboration (although I actually don’t know who drew this) and, as usual, it’s incredibly fitting to the overall mood of the album.
9 yeap, you read that right, out of 10.
- Information
- Released: 2008
- Label: Roadrunner
- Website: www.opeth.com
- Band
- Mikael Åkerfeldt: vocals, guitar
- Fredrik Åkesson: guitar
- Martin Mendez: bass
- Per Wiberg: keyboards
- Martin Axenrot: drums, percussion
- Tracklist
- 01. Coil
- 02. Heir Apparent
- 03. The Lotus Eater
- 04. Burden
- 05. Porcelain Heart
- 06. Hessian Peel
- 07. Hex Omega
