Opeth - I Feel the Dark

     I've decided to go with something a little lighter than the past couple of days' songs for your Humpday Wednesday, but still something that, despite being fairly chill, still has some proggy meat on its bones. So, that pretty much screams Opeth, right?

     Things had been getting less death metal and more prog for Opeth for a couple of record's, but the 2011 album Heritage marks the the beginning of the shift from prog with some remaining metal sprinklings to full-on 70's vibe. Many old-school Opeth fans lament this transformation, but I've never had a problem with it, and today's song is a good example of why that is.

     "I Feel the Dark" has a little bit of heaviness in its menacing middle section, but otherwise it's a study in acoustic-driven mellow groove, made a little more dreaming and ethereal by Per's keyboard work. It's the kind of track that really shows off the synthesis of styles that Opeth has pretty much perfected by this point. Heritage may not be everybody's favourite Opeth record, but "I Feel the Dark" is proof that it definitely still has some good stuff on it. Chill out and put this one on.

Saturday: Opeth - Moon Above, Sun Below

     Hey there stranger, talk about being late on the Saturday draw too... As all three of you may have noticed, I took a bit of an impromptu and unannounced vacation from Loud Noises over the weekend. It was the girlfriend's birthday yesterday, with a whole plethora of festivities populating the preceding days, so I decided that rather than rush things here (or worse, abandon her for extended periods of metal consumption) I'd just get back to you guys once things settled down.

     We're both back to the grind today, and everything's pretty much back to normal around here, so that means it's everybody's favourite time: catch-up time. I've got a whole weekend to make up for, so let's get straight to a Saturday song to get things started.

     Opeth's latest album Pale Communion is one of their most divisive yet. If you're into the jazzy 60's/70's folk-prog that the band's been moving towards for the last couple of records, you're in luck, because Pale Communion is the furthest down this particular path that Opeth has gotten yet. If on the other hand you're more of a fan of the heavier metal elements that the band has largely been moving away from for the last couple of records, you're out of luck, because Pale Communion is yet essentially another dose of retro-flavoured prog-rock.

     Your Saturday song, "Moon Above, Sun Below", is one of the heavier songs on the album, and one of the songs that harkens back the most to albums like Watershed and Heritage. Don't get me wrong, there's still no death growls or anything, but it's still got a sinister metal-y vibe all the same. And any song with a running time of more than ten minutes is pretty metal, right? Have a listen to "Moon Above, Sun Below" and make the call for yourself.

Opeth - Cusp of Eternity

     It's a good day to be an Opeth fan. Their new album Pale Communion might not be due out until August, but we finally got a taste of what to expect today with the release of the record's first single, "Cusp of Eternity".

     If "Cusp" is any indication of the overall sound of Pale Communion, fans who've been digging the reinvention of Opeth as a 70's prog rock band will be well pleased. There's nary a death metal riff or growl to be heard, but there's not necessarily anything wrong with that. The song's still got a good groove, and a pretty rad guitar solo too.

     I'm definitely looking forward to hearing the rest of the album, and unlike what seems to be a good portion of Opeth's fanbase, I'm going to wait until I do hear the whole thing before decrying or lauding the band's latest step in their current musical direction. Even if you didn't especially dig Heritage or whatever, have a listen and keep an open mind.

Song of the Day: Opeth - The Devil's Orchard

     In coming up with a song this evening, I've been going through my records (yes, I keep records) to see if there might be somebody I felt was underrepresented and deserving of a day in the sun. Lo and behold, I've found something just right.