Speaking as I was a day or two ago about bands I haven't featured here in a while, let's talk about everybody's favourite Swedish death-cum-folk prog act, Opeth. Last year's 70's-syle opus Pale Communion was pretty solid, but I'm still of the opinion that Mikael and the gang will be hard pressed to ever top the fusion of melody and metal that is 2008's Watershed.
Like I've said before, I think Watershed represents the perfect proportional mix of Opeth's older death metal influences and its more recent forays into folk, prog, and 70's rock. Watershed is definitely a "start to finish" kind of album for me, meaning if I have my druthers I'd prefer to listen to the whole thing in one go, rather than cherry picking just a few songs from it.
If, however, I'm forced to pick just one track from Watershed, which in a sense I am, this time around I'm going with epic late-album number "Hessian Peel". This eleven-and-a-half minute monster is a microcosm of what makes Watershed great: moody and mellow acousticness gives way to crushing heavy about six minutes in. If you want the best of both Opeth worlds, "Hessian Peel" should be one of your first stops.
Showing posts with label Pale Communion. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Pale Communion. Show all posts
Thursday, 17 December 2015
Tuesday, 9 December 2014
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.
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.
Monday, 2 June 2014
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.
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.
Tuesday, 8 April 2014
Opeth - Master's Apprentices
Mastodon, eat your heart out, because Opeth have got you trumped in the new album department. Sure, we now know that Mastodon's Once More Round the Sun is nearing completion, but Opeth have done one better and not only released the title of their forthcoming disc Pale Communion but also announced a release date of June 17 to boot! Happy early birthday to me!
The first single from Pale Communion isn't due out for another month or so, so for now we'll have to delve into the band's back catalogue for a suitable song to celebrate the news of new Opeth. Tonight I'd like to suggest the epic "Master's Apprentices" from the 2002 disc Deliverance. It's anyone's guess what Pale Communion will sound like, but here's hoping it's got a little of this classic Opeth flavour.
The first single from Pale Communion isn't due out for another month or so, so for now we'll have to delve into the band's back catalogue for a suitable song to celebrate the news of new Opeth. Tonight I'd like to suggest the epic "Master's Apprentices" from the 2002 disc Deliverance. It's anyone's guess what Pale Communion will sound like, but here's hoping it's got a little of this classic Opeth flavour.
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