In Cauda Venenum

If I’m being completely honest, this is the most unique Opeth album. I was listening to it and noticing little different things that they hadn’t really done before on their previous records, on top of the fact that they recorded a version of this album entirely in Swedish. For this review, I will be reviewing the English version, though I have heard the Swedish version’s lyrics flow more with the music, so maybe I’ll check that out eventually.

The album incorporates more folk and even some Middle Eastern influences into some of its compositions, and if I had to choose one word to describe the album’s atmosphere it would be ominous. Not haunting like their 2000s albums, but more on the spooky, mysterious side. While there is no growling on the album whatsoever, it doesn’t really bother me as much, as like I mentioned in my review of Sorceress, at this point Opeth has finally figured out how to make this prog rock sound really work, although it looks like they’re going back to death metal with their next album, The Last Will and Testament.

“Garden of Earthly Delights” does a great job setting the tone for the album, and feels quite similar to the first 40 seconds of “Black Sabbath” by Black Sabbath with the rain/footsteps sound effects, accompanied by some Mellotron ambience, with a short spoken word bit by Mikael Akerfeldt’s daughter that appears again throughout the album.

Tracks like “Dignity” and “Heart In Hand” are amazing songs that are a little more on the heavy side than most of Opeth’s previous three albums, and somewhat seem to be slightly pushing back towards their death metal style from which they originated. The album as a whole seems to combine their two eras together, and that it does a great job at. “Next of Kin” incorporates some folk elements as well as some classical music motifs, and “Lovelorn Crime” is a sort of epic piano ballad, which of course Opeth’s always gotta bring the sorrowful element to their albums, which is good to see because the darker themes were really lacking up to this point. “The Garroter” arguably makes the best use of the Middle Eastern folk textures somewhat present on the album, and then we get to the last two tracks.

“Continuum” and “All Things Shall Pass” are the final two tracks on In Cauda Venenum, and both really sound like Opeth is reaching the end of an era. It’s like they did all they needed to do with their progressive rock sound, they experimented with it long enough, and this is the swansong of this era before the return to death metal, evident in the two singles we have heard so far from their new album. Both are great, and there’s not really a single bad song on the album, even if a couple do overstay their welcome a little bit, particularly “Charlatan” and “Universal Truth” both of which seem to meander in the middle and towards the end.

Overall, the album gets an 86% because of some of the songs getting lost sometimes, but with this album, Opeth feels fully restored as a band, as with their last three albums (even on Sorceress, which I liked) they sounded creatively tired. Here, while the music is somewhat typical of Opeth, it also feels different, new, experimental, refreshing, and just like something they haven’t done before. Definitely would recommend to any Opeth fan that’s skeptical about their prog era, as this is definitely the best album from it. While you’re at it, give Sorceress another listen, it’s probably better than you remember.

And so my Opeth journey has come to a close. For now, at least. I am extremely excited to listen to and review The Last Will and Testament, even though it won’t be out until late November.

Like many fans of Opeth, I have never been the biggest fan of their turn towards progressive rock throughout the 2010s. This comes despite my love with old school 70s progressive rock, as well as being a big fan of bands such as Dream Theater and especially Porcupine Tree. The latter's influence can be heavily heard throughout Opeth's albums in the 2000s and 2010s as they turned proggier over time. However, the dark sensibilities and ominous nature of their music felt lost on most of these albums. They felt more like imitations of 70s bands. Needless to say, I was pleasantly surprised when Opeth's 2019 record In Cauda Venenum broke this mold. For the first time, an Opeth record felt like Opeth, despite being so radically different from the works that brought them fame.

First and foremost, I want to make it clear that I am reviewing the Swedish version for this album. I have heard only a few of the English tracks, whereas I have heard the Swedish version in full numerous times. I honestly think Mikael should write in Swedish more often, as the lyrics flow incredibly well together throughout this album. When listening to the English version, particularly on songs such as "Heart in Hand" or "Lovelorn Crime," the lyrics feel oddly paced. However, on their Swedish equivalents ("Hjärtat vet vad handen gör" and "Minnets yta" respectively), the lyrics have a properly rhythmic flow and feel as if they were made for the music.

Mikael's vocal performance on the songs is also a testament to how far his singing voice has come over the years, and how well it has aged with time. "Svekets prins" opens the album with the dichotomy between his softer timbre we're used to from the past few albums, as well as from 2003's Damnation, but the heavier section later on contains more aggression than I expected out of prog-era Opeth.

The album's only failing is in it's latter half. Several of the songs, though well written and engaging, feel somewhat dragged out, like the band was trying to pad for time and fill in more space than needed. This is most notable on "Kontinuerlig drift," which was easily the most forgettable song on the album. There's nothing inherently wrong with it, but the song as a whole drags and doesn't have as much urgency or weight in its tone as previous songs. As a whole, this album is heavily frontloaded. "Hjärtat vet vad handen gör" is easily the highlight and the most like old Opeth, even featuring double-kick drums from Martin Axenrot. However, by frontloading the album with hit after hit, the band ended up overshadowing the later songs.

As Opeth returns now (in 2024) to their death metal roots, I think it's important to appreciate the direction they took. If you had told me that I would have to sit through three average progressive rock albums from Opeth before they put out an excellent addition to the genre, I would've been patient for it. This album deserves to stand alongside the rest of their catalog, not surpassing the heights of their past, but certainly matching it in quality, albeit in a different direction.

The first Opeth’s album in native language came as surprise, their frontman Mikael Åkerfeldt wrote it without announcement. But not everyone was pleased, though one thing is clear with Opeth, they are never afraid to experiment and to search for something new and untested. And like Mikael says – Opeth don’t care about fashion and mainstream, free creative spirit is the main force in their music.

“In Cauda Venenum” is not typical progressive album, it’s full of different styles, and there are even middle-eastern and folk motives. But Opeth never follow “back to extreme roots” tactic, so no growls again (yes, a lot of fans still patiently wait for return of extreme vocals). But the album is heavy with a bit of darkness, not too mournful like their “metal era” releases, but every song is complete and harmonic. Even for Opeth there are some experimental surprises in music (for instance heavy “The Garroter” or folk-inspired “Dignity”). Heaviness of sound is due to well-coordinated guitar work, guitar riffs are dense and strong, and most part of material is based on these riffs. There are plenty of keyboards, and keyboards shape this typical atmosphere of progressive and art rock of 1970s, but despite it, the classical guitar work is closer to metal genre than to rock of past times. There are long classical solos throughout the album, and these solos Opeth’s guitarist Fredrik Åkesson plays with masterful technicality. Beautiful acoustic passages create moody and melancholic aura, but there’s no big contrast between acoustic and technical jazzy moments opposed to traditional heavy material.

The arrangements are almost orchestral, it’s not symphonic progressive metal, but this moment is definitely close. There are two versions of the album – with Swedish and English languages. Swedish sounds more intimate (at first Mikael wrote the lyrics in native language), but if the listener can’t comprehend this language, better to dive into English version of the album to grasp the musical concept, and contemporary lyrics about 21st century actual problems as well. There’s no common theme to connect the songs, every lyric has its own story. Songs are relatively long, but not for progressive rock genre, so there’s no reason for boredom to stop the record in the middle.

The music is so typical for Opeth, but in the same time so fresh and experimental. “In Cauda Venenum” is brave continuation of previous Opeth’s records, because with every new record Opeth add something unique and new. And the album again was released on the band’s own music label Moderbolaget, so the musicians can truly express themselves and not to adjust to big label’s demands. So long live the creative spirit of true and pure music.

Opeth's latest "imagining", their 13th album, maintains the progressive rock/proto-metal aesthetic laid down across their previous releases. Sadly, it addresses none of the faults present in Heritage through Sorceress, and Opeth continue to meander through the dull landscape of distorted prog riffs that weren't particularly innovative when they were new, some 40-50 years ago. What has really been missing from their releases is not the death metal style they abandoned following the release of 2008's troubled Watershed, but rather any trace of novelty or innovation. Their music has become regressive rather than progressive, dragging rather than soaring, and stale rather than fresh.

With that said, this album starts out relatively strongly. Opener Livets Trädgård/Garden of Earthly Delights warms up with an ominous electronic drone. This is a genuinely new element, and one that actually works really well. An atmosphere of pleasingly imminent doom and sorry prevails throughout the brief intro track. Sadly, this is where the innovation ends. The next track Svekets Prins/Dignity, breaks the tension with an opening fanfare nothing short of sigh-worthy. What is probably an interesting and masterfully delivered speech by former Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme is drowned out by a noodling, dull hard rock riff of the sort we've become used to from this era of Opeth. This trend sadly continues throughout the record. Hjärtat Vet vad Handen Gör/Heart in Hand does little to lift the overwhelming sense of complacency that sets in from the first strains of the second track; Charlatan sounds like a leftover that couldn't make it onto Heritage; and album closer Allting Tar Slut/All Things Shall Pass trudges its way to a woefully inadequate finale.

Despite such a damning overview, the album is not without its highlights. The production - which I and a lot of fans were worried about after the apparently unmastered(!) Sorceress - is great, and the mix fits the sound perfectly. The vocals are submerged in the music without being crushed and rise above it without being overbearing. The overall musicianship on the record is stellar. Opeth show themselves once again to be one of the most talented and technically proficient bands in the metal scene. Unfortunately, with this skill seems to come a complete lack of that intangible but essential ghost, "feeling". Banemannen/The Garroter is a fine example of this, and even seems to promise with its opening section to break new ground for a band that had been spinning its wheels for the last ten years. Sadly, after a promisingly sinister and emotive start, a painfully weak vocal line and lack of musical progression drags the song into a jazzy doldrum from which it never succeeds in rising.

It pains me to say that by far the weakest technical element on the record is Mikael Åkerfeldt's vocals. For a man who had not only one of the most savage harsh voices in the entire metal scene, but also one of the most lilting and distinctive cleans, the performance here is truly terrible. Inadvisable falsettos precede whining melodies that, even on the Swedish version (by far the better vocal performance of the two), fail to lift above the trundling, simplistic riffs.

In a sense worse than any of this mediocrity, however, are the questions raised by Åkerfeldt's comments and attitude surrounding this release. Ever since the release of Heritage, he and the band have been very outspoken about their need for creative freedom, arguing that they are simply making the music that they want to make, regardless of the fans' reactions. For all my dislike of their current musical direction, this is a position that I think is absolutely worthy of respect, and I will steadfastly defend Opeth's right to put out what I consider to be weak albums to their hearts' content, as long as it is really what they consider to be creative. In a recent interview with Nuclear Blast, Åkerfeldt even argued that the band simply doesn't care for what is currently in "fashion", but makes whatever music they want regardless, not caring what appeals to a mainstream audience.

This admirable expression of artistic freedom is, however, called into question by the decision to release an English version alongside the Swedish. Releasing an album in the Åkerfeldt's native language seems to me to be a perfect example of just the "unfashionable" creative control in which the band vocally takes pride. Why, then, translate an album which, according the Åkerfeldt, is far more personal than any of his previous "black metal nonsense" (a self-applied label to which I heartily object) and is therefore going to be necessarily better expressed in his native tongue, into English? The answer seems to be accessibility - not that the Swedish version doesn't hold up, but that an audience might skip over a record because of a language barrier.

But what audience is meant here? Skipping a release for any reason is highly out of character for Opeth's hardcore fans, or for the fans of any metal band. Enslaved built an international fanbase on albums written predominantly in Norwegian. Alcest write mostly in French, Drudkh in Ukranian. If international fans can latch onto these bands, surely they'll have no problem listening to an Opeth album written in Swedish. It seems like the English version is entirely unnecessary (a point made only more puissant by the decidedly weaker vocal delivery on that version) - unless of course Opeth is really going out of its way to appeal to a mainstream audience. People who aren't already fans of the band or the genre might indeed be more likely to be put off by a language barrier - certainly I would be less likely to get into rap or hip-hop via an album that wasn't in English, for example. This whole attitude is completely at odds with Opeth's repeated assertion that they simply make the music that is in their hearts.

This sort of thing really makes me sad. The band has clearly compromised on the language of the album, responding either to some sort of perceived pressure from fans not wanting to listen to something not in English, or to the financial pressure of a non-English album being less likely to sell as well. Art that is made with this kind of thinking in mind has its place, for sure, and it is wrong to begrudge any band financial success. But the place for that kind of attitude is surely not with a band that claims to have such honesty and integrity in its creative expression. Honestly, even this kind of thing being a possibility calls into question a number of musical decisions Opeth have made. With extreme metal decidedly less "fashionable" than mediocre prog rock, were the band just responding to some kind of pressure to appeal to the mainstream by changing their sound so radically with Heritage?

I would honestly like to think not. I would like to give Opeth the benefit of the doubt and believe that they really do enjoy recording the same old tired, Uriah Heep-reject riffs that they've been churning out since 2011. I would much rather believe that the band that once redefined the progressive metal scene - and indeed the progressive music scene as a whole - is happier having abandoned is unique, inimitable style in favour of music that wouldn't have been fresh or original to the masterful 70s prog bands it attempts to copy. They have every right to do that, and I have every right to absolutely hate it.

In summary, this record is a dull, possibly artistically compromised mess that slogs unmemorably from an interesting opener to a tired, drawn out conclusion. From the overwhelmingly positive fan reaction, I can only assume that the few left who dislike the new direction are either keeping their heads down or have stopped passing comment on each new, disappointing release. Certainly, there is nothing here to appeal to fans of the older, more dynamic and exciting Opeth. With that said, I wholeheartedly recommend this album to any fans of the last three albums, and I genuinely hope it is enjoyed.

Opeth's thirteenth album opens with an awkward but full detailed intro reminiscent of Tangerine Dream. Closer to electronic and synth, the first two proper songs ("Svekets Prins", "Hjärtat Vet vad Handen Gör") show material really similar to their previous opus Sorceress with one sinple difference: Mike's vocals. The Swedish language seem to fit in a more intimate way and his (clean) vocal ranges have clearly improved. While we could same the same about the production (done by Mikael himself) being similar to Sorceress, the following tracks show a cleaner, less muddier sound, maybe due to the different composition approach. With loads of small details, there's a lot of details that shine specially in the quiet and isolated parts, with a stunning tuning in every main instrument and a sublime recording of piano, mellotron and strings.

Starting in "De Närmaste Sörjande" we get to notice one of the new elements introduced in ICV: The keyboards and orchestrations are present in almost every song providing a background as opposed to being added as a external element. Two bass guitars (no actual guitar here!) are used in "Charlatan", where we get to revisit Rush's trademark riff that was also used in the classic outro to "Deliverance". This is one of the progiest tunes in the record, with multiple effects in the vocals.

A Spanish guitar followed by a short piano intro that seems to come straight from Jan Johanson's Jazz på Svenska opens "Banemannen", a jazzy, obscure and mean tune completely driven by the two Martins: Méndez in the bass and Axenrot at the drums. Ripping-off Camel once again, the track ends with a funny outro where Mikael mimics the chats of their classic "Migration". Fredrik Åkesson, main guitar, does a killer job with some of the most complex solos in Opeth's discography, with "Minnets Yta" and "Kontinuerlig Drift" as absolute highlights of the album.

"Allting Tar Slut" closes the album as what we can call Opeth's version of Carmina Burana. After a short piano intro, powerful drums reverberate in a slow song full details and a really cool production. A blend of influences using acoustics reminiscent of the Still Life and Blackwater Park era and a vocal line closer to contemporary Swedish rock. The dark tune "Marrow of the Earth" from Heritage gets his reprise as orchestral background while the song evolves in a beautiful second part that represents the acceptance of the inevitable end.

I've been an Opeth fan since I got to listen to Blackwater Park short after it came out. I've embraced their discography but since they decided to follow the "prog prath" I felt something was missing. After In Cauda Venenum everything seems to fit, it all makes sense: Heritage was an exploration of the classic progressive rock Åkerfeldt have been worshiping since forever, a proof to himself writing and publishing a prog record. A leap of faith. Pale Communion brought back key elements from their "classic" sound, and Sorceress a stronger, heavier sound. ICV is the culmination of a band's journey, a record that combines the classic Opeth sound (growls apart) and a lot of influences from classic prog bands, Swedish sound and even jazz.

Even if Opeth’s thirteenth full-length album hadn’t been recorded in both English and Swedish, it would still be among their most ambitious efforts to date. Coming off the playful heavy psych stylings of 2016’s Sorceress, In Cauda Venenum takes the band’s signature prog in a decidedly more theatrical direction. The hour-plus runtime is the lengthiest since their death metal days and the music is some of their heaviest in about as long, though you’ll have to keep looking if you’re still holding out for any death growls.

Opeth are no strangers to grandiosity and have a couple concept albums to their name, but they’ve never sounded as cinematic as they do on here. This is established right away with the extended ambiance of the opening “Garden of Earthly Delights” and fleshed out with the spoken segments placed throughout. These elements can seem a little superfluous at times, especially as a non-Swedish speaker, but they reinforce a sense of direction and throw in shades of mystery.

It's also hard to remember a time when their musicianship and overall dynamic sounded this bombastic. Much of this has to do with Dave Stewart's swelling orchestrations emboldening the atmospheric organs and pianos, but the guitars also throw in some of their heaviest riffs in over a decade along with the usual acoustics and proggy leads. The drums also continue to show off the jazzy flair that has become synonymous with this era and the vocal performance is quite dramatic regardless of your lingual preference.

Seeing how my personal appreciation of Opeth’s recent works depends heavily on the songwriting quality, it’s great to see this album deliver some great tracks. The structures are as haphazard as ever, but a sense of purpose and engaging melodies keep the songs from reaching that 'cobbled together' feeling that I often associate with Mikael Akerfeldt's songwriting method. This is perhaps best demonstrated by “Lovelorn Crime” and “Charlatan” as the former’s Watershed-era balladry transitions into the latter’s crunchy swagger quite nicely. “Heart in Hand” and “Universal Truth” also make for exhilarating highlights and I like the slinky jazz character of “The Garroter.”

That said, an hour runtime can make for a bloated experience overall even if the songs themselves are efficient. The opening segment does a good job of setting up the album’s atmosphere, but the instrumental introduction on “Dignity” can make it seem rather redundant. The last two tracks could've also been cut though neither is bad by any means.

Overall, In Cauda Venenum is the most focused that Opeth has sounded since 2005’s Ghost Reveries. It’s easy to dismiss the framework as superficial and I do find myself wondering if I’d appreciate this album as much if the English version was all we had to work with, but there is no denying how much these elements strengthen the band’s songwriting. Some listeners will never be convinced by Opeth’s prog rock era but the songs here are engaging enough for me to take notice. At the very least, it’s nice to know that Pale Communion wasn’t a fluke.

Highlights:
“Hjartat Vet Va Handen Gor/Heart in Hand”
“MInnets Yta/Lovelorn Crime”
“Charlatan”
“Ingen Sanning Ar Allas/Universal Truth”
“Banemannen/The Garroter”

Final Grade: A-

Originally published at http://psychicshorts.blogspot.com

Opeth's 13th record develops on Opeth's new style of music, with the album having that prog-rock influence of "new path", while being more experimental and borrowing much more elements from the older Opeth sound, overall creating an album that sounds extremely unique and different, making this listen surprisingly different than any other Opeth listen.

The good:

Mikael Akerfeldt shows off his songwriting abilities with this album by creating interesting melodies and rhythms, and writing each section of the song to flow seamlessly with the next. Opeth also used lots of samples from film and speeches, which has never been done in any Opeth record prior to ICV, which adds an interesting touch to the album, and creates a very nostalgic atmosphere, as all of the samples are old, which in my opinion makes the album a much better listen as it adds color to the album. This album is also very noticeably more technical than other albums, which I think is perfect, as it makes the listen more unexpected, and also creates a beautiful contrast with the more mellow sections. I'll also comment on the tone of the instruments, which I find exceptional in the record, as the guitars have that signature "prog" overdrive tone, while also switching to a brutal distorted tone at times, and the keyboards are definitely more enjoyable in this record, as instead of having an organ play every chorus imaginable as could be heard on Sorceress, this album incorporates a lot more synths and orchestral tones.

The bad:

Some of the clean sections of the album feel so drawn out and long, that they get boring to listen to after a while, and it doesn't help that some of them have boring and generic melodies. The album also starts to feel a bit repetitive towards the end, again making it feel a bit drawn out. Also, the approach Opeth took with the "atmospheric" intro is questionable, as it sounds like filler, and potentially just Opeth going too far with experimentation and them just trying anything new.

In conclusion, since the album is an interesting listen due to the new approach on songwriting and composition, and a more atmospheric approach, I found the album an enjoyable listen, however, due to some parts feeling boring, uninspired, and repetitive, I only give this album 80/100. I highly recommend you give this album a chance with heavy tracks such as "Charlatan" and more mellow tracks like "Lovelorn Crime", and I can honestly go on to say this is one of the much better "newpeth" albums.

I usually start my reviews with somes storytelling piece about how I discovered a band and how it impacted me or changed me. This makes my reviews really long and, coupled with my tiresome ranting, result in a painful reading. I was going to stop with this method... but this is an Opeth review, and I own EVERYTHING to this band: so, here we go again!

Let me try to keep it "simple". I started listening to Opeth in Autumn 2007: I was 14 years old and I was just listening to classic rock, prog rock and heavy metal. The heaviest thing I could listen to was thrash metal, and extreme genres of music were just noise for me. Opeth helped me fill in the gap between classic rock/metal and the more extreme subgenres of metal. While before I thought death growls were pointless and silly, I was now amazed to hear them and even excited to learn how to do them.

Opeth clicked with me because, as someone who grew up listening to Rush, King Crimson, Pink Floyd and many others prog rock bands, it had beautiful progressive sections, amazing dynamics and clean vocals to die for. Mikael Åkerfeldt is a gifted singer, and his transition between clean and harsh vocals were perfect: there weren't the whinny emo vocals and the "harsh verse/melodic chorus" tropes found in melodic metalcore that I profoundly dislike, and they made sense in the songwritting as a whole.

My fondest memories of the band were coming home after school on Autumn, the early night falling down, the yellow leaves in the streets and the "warm colds" of the season in the air. I would sit in front of the window, looking at the dark streets lighted by the yellow street lights, seeing people passing by, while some Opeth song would play. I loved the depressive feeling, the melancholic darkness, the sudden bursts of violence and, of course, the sensibility underlying all that controlled chaos.

Sadly, Opeth started to lose it's magic after the incredible Watershed. Yes, the prog influences were stronger on that record, but there was still darkness and heaviness. Heritage was their first experiment towards a new, mellower sound, but even if it had no growls or death metal elements, it still had the darkness, the melancholy... The "Opeth DNA", their identity, was still there!

However, the problems were evident. Mikael Åkerfeldt was bitter, negating heavy music and letting the extreme elements of the band die. Himself wasn't motivated: Bloodbath Over Bloodstock showed him frustrated, with subpar death growls and a tired voice. The next year, he quit the death metal supergroup and started to show disdain while performing old songs, his death growls never the same. Interviews showed him feud up with metal, affirming again and again that the band would never go back to their old self.

Change is a great problem with music fans. Though I love experimentation and I adore bands who never make the same album twice (Paradise Lost being one of my favourite bands ever), I'll make a mea culpa and admit sometimes change can be for worst, specially when the band seems lost. Pale Communion and Sorceress showed a band that was uninspired, lost and desperate. Many times I wished Mikael Åkerfeldt would have disbanded Opeth after Watershed and instead had released the following albums as a solo artist, like his friend and mentor Steven Wilson had done with Porcupine Tree.

See, my problem with those albums is that they lack the "Opeth DNA": the bleakness, darkness and melancholy are gone, and instead we are left with terrible songs that seem uninspired, with riffs and segments that seem glued with epoxy. Everything sounds like a copy of or like an homage to those old school obscure prog rock bands Mikael Åkerfeldt loves, and ideas such as using A tuned guitars on a song (the absolutely atrocious track Sorceress) feel like desperate ideas coming from an uninspired band that has lost its way.

That fan that keeps looking at the "glorious past" is strong within me when talking about Opeth: I would have loved these new, less heavy and prog albums to be more similar to Damnation, but instead we got half-assed and try-hard 70s rock wannabe albums. Maybe they wanted to reach a wider audience; maybe they wanted to follow Steven Wilson's path; or maybe they were clueless about how to make the band sound fresh and different while retaining their trademark "DNA".

Thankfully, I can affirm that In cauda venenum proves the third hypothesis right: after two album of mistakes and misdirections, Opeth seems to be finding themselves again, acting as a band that tries to reinvent themselves without sounding desperate or feud-up with who they once were before. There are several sections here that could have been part of Watershed or Ghost Reveries, even if there are no growls or no heavy guitars.

Ah, yes: before I forget, PLEASE JUST LISTEN TO THE SWEDISH VERSION. Seriously, I wish they had always sung in their mother tongue. The passion and the beauty of Mikael Åkerfeldt's performance is unmatched, and makes the English version seem pale and insipid. Sadly, I'm sure they are going to play the English versions live just to please the crowds who have millennial problems such as the attention span of a dog or the impossibility to watch films with subtitles. But well, I'll try to keep my ranting at low here...

Back to the music (the only thing that truly matters!), it is REALLY good. Seriously! After the Tangerine Dream-esque intro Livets Tradgard, Svekets Prins hits and we quickly realize this is not the same uninspired mess as the previous two albums. Yes, there are classic prog throwbacks and a lots of suspicious "homages", but the "Opeth DNA" is present. There are dark "evil" riffs a-là Blackwater Park (again, sans the death metal, of course) and acoustic sections that (re)incorporte the band's classic bleakness.

Hjartat Vet Vad Handen Gor is catchy and has some riffing that makes me think of Deliverance (again, minus the death metal). De Narmast Sorjande is maybe the darkest song here, with even some doom metal elements. Minnets Yta makes me think of that Damnation sound I was talking before: the melancholy Opeth had in their prime seems back! Then we got Charlatan, the heaviest song here, with some downtuned guitars that sound like something a prog/djent band like TesseracT would use: it totally ruins an otherwise remarkably good song.

Still, the problems start after Ingen Sanning Ar Allas, the highest point of the album. Not only is maybe the most epic moment of the record, but also the one that marks a decline in quality that both Banemannen and Kontinuerlig Drift showcase. Long sections that seem glued randomly and uninspired classic prog elements that have more in similar with Pale Communion or Sorceress suddenly appear. By the time the excellent ending Allting Tar Slut started, I was already wishing the album had ended.

There lays the problem with In cauda venenum: filler. Some songs are unnecessarily long, or have sections that seem to go on forever. Both Banemannen and Kontinuerlig Drift lose the "Opeth DNA" and drag an otherwise surprising return to form. And no, my problem is not that "songs are too long": hell, Crimson and Light of Day, Day of Darkness are two of my favourite albums ever. The problem is they don't seem to know when to call it quits. And I'm not talking about disbanding, for this album proves they still got it. I'm talking about finishing a song way before it becomes stale!

But hey, baby steps! I cannot believe I'm listening to a post-Heritage Opeth album that I truly enjoy! I'm not sure if I'm going to keep listening to this a lot in the future, but so far it has made me restore my faith in the band! Talking about their individual performances is rather pointless, because we all know they are master musicians. Yet Mikael Åkerfeldt deserves a special mention for his decision of singing in Swedish and for creating some of the best vocal melodies in the band's whole career. Oh, and this time the production works! Finally, the guitars sound like guitars and are more prominent in the mix (too bad they decided to do that djenty thing on Charlatan that ruins an otherwise cool track).

So, is Opeth back? I can't truthfully tell... Maybe the next album goes back to that uninspired and clueless stuff that the two previous albums had; or maybe they keep polishing this classic prog sound, refining it and taking back their identity. But, for the moment, let's just enjoy In cauda venenum as a more than remarkable prog album from a band that seemed creatively dead. Opeth's future is uncertain, but at least they sound hungry and young again.

(Originally published in rateyourmusic.com)

Very few names in the history of progressive metal can shine as dazzlingly as Opeth does, and even fewer bands have had such a repertoire of stunning albums as those of Opeth throughout their career of 30 years. They have established themselves as an undisputable act of Swedish metal and have also been able to garner a huge fan base in addition to instilling imposing respect among fellow musicians and critics alike. Their brand of progressive death metal in their early years and their own take on progressive metal in their midcareer were the main basis for this awe-inspiring stature the band enjoys these days. However, starting maybe with Heritage (2011), the band inclined ever more toward progressive rock, bringing their metal roots with themselves to this rather ‘new’ sphere - of course ‘new’ for the band. Taking this different approach, they proved to prioritize progression and holding this issue above all else. They are a true “progressive” band.

Their most recent album, In Cauda Venenum, which falls 13th on their discography, is a step further from their trodden path and toward new territories. It picks up where Sorceress (2016) left off and takes the torch miles further. In order to fully appreciate this album, one should cast aside their “Blackwater Park” sort of expectation and take this album as it is. That means that Opeth is veering ever further from their bone-crushing, soul-ripping and head-exploding metal riff-work, drumming and singing and more in the direction of emotional, affective and accessible musicianship. An illustration of this is Mikael Åkerfeldt’s singing which is worlds apart from style back in 1990s and 2000s. This album is filled, almost to the brim, with his clean vocals – singing or otherwise humming or chanting - which may not be something to complain about for many, and I wouldn’t have complained either were it not Mikael freaking Åkerfeldt with his unearthly vocal chords which can deliver infernal growls.

This tenderness of attitude is reflected in the music as well, specifically in instrumentation. Frequent use of acoustic guitar, which appears on almost every song, alongside incorporation of other instruments such as flute (Continuum), Xylophone (Dignity) and piano (e.g. Lovelorn Crime) point at the bands adherence to the ideal of progression, but at the same time are a testimony to their route away from metal. Take The Garroter as an example: a minimal piano and guitar intro which reminds the listener of contemporary neoclassical ambient artists, a flute passage, orchestral undertones, cinematic samples, an eastern ambience and above all Mikael’s clean and prevalent singing. Here they are as far away from metal as the band may have ever been. Don’t get me wrong though. Opeth-size skill is omnipresent; all through the album, music is almost impeccably competent and musicianship is of top-notch quality. In particular, the few guitar solos and Martin Axenrot’s diverse drumming style are praiseworthy. It is just that this is not what one might want to hear from ‘Damnation’ and ‘Deliverance’ Opeth.

One constant on this album, nevertheless, is the lyricism. Still motifs of despair, contemplation of life, coldness and the past recur and strike the listener with morose thoughts and leave them in a low spirit. Åkerfeldt’s literary aptitude is beyond any shadow of doubt. Here, too, words flow to the rhythm of music and he vocalizes them to actualize their hidden potential, making each a musical note and a bearer of meaning.

Overall, tracks like Heart in Hand, Next of Kin and parts of Dignity and Charlatan allow us to rest assured that they are what they have always been, they give us a wistful taste of those old days’ chthonic glamor. But the fact is they have opted for experimenting with their music, for instance adding Gregorian chants or regularly using Swedish speech samples, and it is a choice one should respect. And respect I do. But I wouldn’t be around much for Opeth; I still will check out their albums whenever one is out and will gladly propagate their work. And at times I feel like spinning Opeth, I will refer to the said albums prior to 2010s. It was a carriage I hopped on mid-way and I assume it is time for me to get off at this station.

Highlights: Next of Kin – Heart in Hand – Charlatan (partially) – Dignity (partially)

Rating:
Lyrics: 9.0
Artwork: 9.0
Musicianship: 8.0
Vocals: 8.0
Overall: 8.5