It has been a long time since I sat down and reviewed an
Opeth album (Lamenations: Live at Shepherd's Bush Empire-2004). They
have always been one of those bands that made Death Metal livable. That dynamic
along with the fact that they are incredibly talented musicians that can make
ferocious progressive rock and beautiful passages all within minutes of each
other in one song has made them a favorite of mine. In fact, they literally
define the term progressive in every sense of the word.
It has been a long wait for the next Opeth opus. Watershed was released in 2008 so the
band’s fans were more than ready for this new release, but did they know what
was in store? Several years ago I mentioned in a review that I thought all the
from-the-belly growling was unnecessary because Mikael Akerfeldt has a great
voice and one fitting for rockers and the ability to carry the beauty of softer
soundscapes to another place. I still don’t get the growling thing and probably
never will but have accepted the fact that it is part of the style and genre.
That being said Heritage (engineered
by Steven Wilson) was a welcome
addition to my collection because the band decided to leave the growling behind
for the first time and let Akerfeldt lend his golden pipes to their complex and
intriguing compositions. I would think the Death Metal fans out there will be
disappointed with what they will hear on this release however if they are
hardcore Opeth fans and appreciate excellent music; they will forgive them and
enjoy this presentation and everything it has to offer.
So if it is no longer Progressive Death Metal what do we
call it now? I think simply Progressive Rock fits the bill with influences of
psychedelic and even some jazz rudiments thrown in for texture and flavor.
Metal is no longer a prevailing influence but it finds its place when necessary
throughout this release to remind you from whence they came. Although many of
the lyrics would have worked on previous albums this is very different with a
lot of acoustic guitars and other elements that makes you forget you are actually
listening to Opeth sometimes and that is the cool thing about this. “The
Devil’s Orchard,” depicted in a cool 3D cover on this special edition, spews
out lyrics such as “God is dead” and features music that carry those lyrics a
long way. “Famine” is an excellent track that starts off with a haunting
atmospheric soundtrack then the guitars and the rest of the band kick in while
the lead vocals sound like they are more in the background echoing and pleading
for release. It’s an effect that works. Primarily this is music that is very
cerebral, it is in constant flux and things like flutes come in accompanied by
an ominous guitar line like in “Famine,” reminding one of Jethro Tull in their
prime although Tull was never this heavy musically or lyrically. This kind of music
will not leave you alone, it forces you to pay attention as you wait for the
next change or lyric that is going to come snapping at you to make you think
even more.
This particular Special Edition was quite an experience.
It offers the listener a stereo and 5.1 surround sound version which is simply
enthralling to put it mildly. I have always appreciated Opeth for various
reasons but have never been enamored with them. I think that is about to change
as I hear this music more, the more I find an appreciation of what a tremendous
accomplishment this recording is and the complexity and beauty of the music is
astounding. The packaging emulates the LP gatefold style with a booklet in the
middle and a second tray holding the
bonus DVD which has the surround version of the album with several bonus tracks,
most notably “Pyre” and “Face In The Snow,” which are also offered as free
downloads from the band’s site. The video portion of the DVD starts off with Akerfeldt
explaining how the album took shape, which was ok but when they actually step
in the studio to take you through the recording process they decide to start
speaking in their native tongue because it was the best way to present this…wrong
answer. If you were selling this album exclusively in Sweden that would work,
so I am not too sure what they were thinking. After about 10 minutes of
subtitles I felt like I was watching a foreign film and that was all she wrote
for me. This was a disappointment as I really wanted to continue taking in the
studio experience but I just could not deal with the subtitles anymore!
In the end the part of the DVD I did not enjoy took a
backseat because the music was so incredible. Opeth have created a true
masterpiece and what makes it even more prolific is the fact that they changed
their style entirely and took a huge chance. Nice work gents you looked at the
possibility of failure square in the eye and gave it the proverbial finger and
kicked some major arse on Heritage.
This is evidence of their total confidence in their abilities and proof once
again what outstanding musicians they are regardless of what type of music they
produce.
5/5 Stars
Key Tracks: The Devil's Orchard, Famine,
Folklore
Keith “MuzikMan” Hannaleck
October 26, 2011
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