http://www.metalinjection.net/reviews/f ... ack-review

This gave me a boner! Ok, no harsh vocals but that's not quite surprising since Mikael can't hardly scream anymore. Outside of the track by track reviews, I'd like us to discuss what are our expectations concerning this album. I know I have huge ones since even though I like Heritage, it was certainly not as good as their other stuff.



Not quite sure what he means but I'm pretty fucking jealous of that guy right now.

I read that yesterday and I'm so unbelievably impatient for June to come now that I can't stand it. What's even better is that the album comes out in June and I'm going to Hellfest at the end of the month which Opeth will be headlining one of the smaller stages on Sunday I believe, so it's almost a guarantee that they're gonna be doing some new material.

Based on the guy's description, this might be the best album of the year, and Opeth's needed that honor for almost a decade at this point.

Metal Injection/Sucks reviews should be taken with a pinch of salt. That said, I agree about being jealous of him since he's heard it this soon before the release. I'm a selective Opeth fan, so if it's a consistently good record, then that's cool.

^ I like that point of view: "If it's good, that's cool."

Haha yeah, brevity and other things.

aaaa, didn´t like Heritage, I expected a lot more from that album because i LOVE Akerfeldt clean vocals, but the music is boring and the prod is thin and souless (?) But hey, they had Still Life and Blackwater Park, and Damnation and Deliverance, enough to be exited about a new Opeth album!!!

Descriptions have me intrigued but I'm gonna need some samples before I can properly judge. Watershed and Heritage had some really great ideas between them but not the most amazing songwriting holding them together.

I read this this morning. I don't care if there are no growls, as long as the music is heavy and badass then I'm good with it. Some of Opeth's best heavy material was sung through cleanly. Harlequin Forest, for example.

Most over-rated band in the world. Seriously, there area million better bands than Opeth out there.

Not that I agree or disagree, but start naming all million bands with a valid reason why they are better, and not just your personal opinion as that is NOT a valid reason.

Heritage was pretty good. I loved Watershed. I'm hoping this is a return to Watershed-style heaviness with the old school prog leanings of Heritage. Rumored symphonic elements should be interesting.

Then why you spend your time in this thread and not listening to a million better bands!, if you have complains good for you, write them and we will discuss, but just throwing the garbage you wrote withoout any kind of valid argument means nothing

A My Arms Your Hearse point of return would be ideal haha ...or something even darker.

Strange, that is my least favourite album

I liked Heritage, a lot, but I really miss Mikael's harsh vocals. I think they were one of my favourite things about the band. The symphonic elements do sound cool though and I will check it out

I like the albums after My Arms Your Hearse, however though I am getting a little disinterested in bands all going this prog metal type route or softening up their music or becoming more complicated then always necessary. Sometimes I wish the bands I like that did this would just step back a few albums, quite trying to top the last really layered studio album they did and just shoot straight again for a heavy hitting metal album. No need to show off manic skills at scales or studio recording abilities anymore, just make a solid natural album void of every element that a modern studio can embelish into an album.
Although I am not interested in unplugged either... that is even worse. haha

I wrote what I wrote to get a reaction from all you mindless Opeth fanboys, mission accomplished. I love how my choice of words really pissed you off, I find great joy in that.
Seriously, I don't know how anyone can take this band seriously. Prog is boring, and they are a prog band. Opeth are not a metal band. As far as there being a million bands better I stand by that statement, it's a fact, face it!

Wow, I never realized you were such a brainless poster. Get the hell out of these forums if that's honestly the mindset you're bringing to the table.

Well that is, like, your opinion man. I, for one, do not agree with it.

Yeah, I hate this argument. It only applies when it's something actually quantifiable, never ever to be used as criticism. A better example would be something like how many men Conquer's mom has been with in the last year. Then indeed, a million sounds good.

Having an opinion is cool, just don't be a stupid asshole.

I will inevitably check it out, if only to have a frame of reference when my friends are busy fellating this album. I quite like some of Opeth's earlier material, even if I don't listen to it much anymore, they were a gateway band for me and as such I have a sentimental spot for them. I found Heritage extremely boring though, and this is coming from someone who listens to almost as much prog as I do metal. I just don't think their prog sound is interesting enough to stand on its own.

Prog music could in another perspective also be looked at as seriously complex and involved and possibly may require an IQ larger than 20 to follow it's often changing and challenging layers or nuances. Just another perspective of ignorance if the game of ignorance is to be played here that is. That and conquer_all set the very low bar, so may as well play it a little before the mods decide to end it anyways.

Can boring actually be repetition riffs (in many highly acclaimed black metal acts) and as well simultaneously be prog metals changing numerous riff complexity at the same time? Is that possible?


Personal opinion is one thing, stating personal opinion as FACT is another.

I get the impression that Mikael doesn't want to scream anymore, not that he can't. He still can pull off some amazing screams IMO.

I'm not a huge fan of Opeth's discography because the death metal stuff is silly and the mellower moments lack some heart.

But I recognize their qualities and appreciate the moments that are in between. It looks like this album wants to be "heavy" and not "death". That could be right up my alley!

Used to be in to them when I was getting into heavier music, but not so much these days. I think they have a place as a beginners metal/progressive kind of group like Metallica or Pantera, but I just think there's better groups out there. I actually enjoyed Heritage because it was a departure from the tired heavy/acoustic/heavy formula they wore out in 2001.

Do you not see how incredibly stupid this is?!
Do you want us to thank you for allowing us to listen to Opeth? Or do you want us to come to you to get your instructions and blessings for what to listen to next? Or do you just want to get noticed? I read your opinion. I validate your existence.

Will probably give it a listen at some point, but I'm not as excited as I used to be back in the day. The last two albums did very little for me for different reasons, and while there are still excellent musicians in the band, I really miss Martin Lopez and especially Peter Lindgren; you could definitely hear the band's sound changing progressively as the latter got less and less involved in the songwriting, although they still scored excellent albums afterwards (Blackwater Park and Damnation being my favorite post-Still Life releases). At any rate, I don't expect anything to come even close to the magnificence of their first full lengths; I can be satisfied with way less, and I hope I'll be getting that at least.

I will check out this album eventually, but I'm not looking forward to it as much as I would have in the past. I wasn't entirely thrilled with "Heritage." "Damnation" was a stronger release IMO. I miss the days of "Orchid" to "Blackwater Park." Opeth used to write really good albums. We'll see what's in store on the next release.

Damnation was one of my all time favourites. Mourning Rise is probably number one for me

The interviews I've read/seen seem to indicate that this will be along the lines of something I'll enjoy, and I am looking forward to this more than I was Heritage. Not that I had a problem with the basic concept of Heritage, but there was a whole slew of things that made me wary then.

Might want to spell the name of the album correctly then!

Even if I like Heritage, I felt something was deeply missing from the album. It was too laidback and could only be enjoyed by listening to it with headphones since there's so many subtle, quiet elements. I'm perfectly fine with a prog metal album with only clean vocals since Mikael is great at them but, damn, I want some hard rockin' riffs. Songs like Porcelain Heart and Hex Omega from Watershed were fine but it was a transition album for sure. I'm anxious to hear what they can accomplish on the new one.

The danger of ESL exemplified.

Fucking auto correct while I wasn't really paying attention

i've always thought still life and blackwater park are freaking shit-hot, and although i can *kinda* see why people would accuse opeth of being metal-lite (or any other inane term i've heard used to knock them down a peg or two without putting in any real effort), the songwriting on those two albums in particular puts them well and truly ahead of the bell curve. granted, this new album review doesn't mention either of those but it deserves a listen out of respect for akerfeldt's songwriting, imo.

also, pre-release reviews are almost never trustworthy - i've never seen a bad one, and when they name-drop older albums a lot (as this one does) it always sets off my bullshit-o-meter. we'll just have to wait and see, eh?

I dont believe in miracles but that would be AWESOME. My favourite Opeth album, a masterpiece from the very beginning to the end.

One of the main signatures of Opeth's sound has always been the big contrast between the quiet proggy parts and the progressive death metal parts. Now the harsh vocals are gone, can we expect a more flowing approach to the songwriting? As they don't have to do the whole "ending a quiet part with a harsh vocal/guitar outburst and ending a harsh part with just immediately cutting to a quiet acoustic guitar trick" anymore. I hope so, because a heavier, catchier version of Heritage sounds like a great idea. I think Heritage is a good enough album, but I almost never listen to it because it's such a subtle album, and I feel like the only way to really appreciate to it is to really listen to it, meaning I don't want to be doing anything else.

A little late to the punch, but are you a fuckin' moron?

Honestly, Mikael's songwriting is enough to keep me hooked on Opeth, but I do wish they would at least put a little beef on their guitars considering the type of riffs he uses. I love the cold guitar sound during the Blackwater Park and Deliverance albums, but its just too thin for some of the chuggier parts. If only he had more tone like Bathory, where it's gritty enough but it also has muscle. That's just nit-pickery though, cause I do love Opeth's style of music. Just enough wankery to sound professional, but not be annoying about it.

I still like them but Heritage was a snoozefest for me. I really only enjoyed "Slither". But if this album turns out to be anything like the reviewer pointed out then I'm sold.

From the description and the obvious 'pre-fellatio' of the guy who wrote it, I think this will be like a less 70's throwback Heritage. Damnation was good for what it is but there's no need to replicate it. Both Watershed and Heritage were terrible albums with the most disjointed songwriting ever from the band. Heritage was a mediocre attempt at 70's prog rock/metal.

I fucking hate name dropping albums when the music has nothing to do with them. I think this will be the case. I don't see like The Moor-ish songs sung entirely in clean vocals here.

Watershed was good for what it was. I much prefer the heavy songs on that album to the "pre-Heritage" songs on it, but it's not a terrible album by any stretch of the imagination. Neither was Heritage, although that's without a doubt Opeth's weakest album, and not due to the style change. The writing was just really boring and go-nowhere a lot of the time. At least the drumming was phenomenal.