I was a little disappointed in Heritage (but it still gets occasional play) but Pale Communion is definitely a keeper (played it last night and I'm playing it now). Sorceress is on order.
I love that they're now full on prog. I could take the cookie monster vocals but I love the clean ones much better. Does it work for you folks?
I don't like country music, but I don't mean to denigrate those who do. And for the people who like country music, denigrate means 'put down.'- Bob Newhart
Played Pale Communion yesterday afternoon on my HT system trying the different sound field settings. Wanted to see if I liked it as much through my Usher speakers as through my main system. It still sounds great even through my HT setup. Just received Sorceress last Thursday on vinyl and with only one playing so far, it is a keeper. It may not be on a par with PC, and then again it may grow on me. I like Heritage, but it doesn't make me want to flip back to side one after playing side 2, yet.
It definitely works for me. Damnation was a first step, Heritage was a bold move but not a fully convincing one to me, and then PC and Sorceress sealed the deal.
Their mutation was what I was secretly hoping for.
This music is perfect for autumn/winter atmospheres in the countryside where I live.
I have Damnation and Heritage, but the latter did not impress me enough to seek out anything else...
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Pale Communion is a step up. It's all on YouTube if you want to check it out.Originally Posted by Yves
I don't like country music, but I don't mean to denigrate those who do. And for the people who like country music, denigrate means 'put down.'- Bob Newhart
I really don't get Pale Communion. I'm not sure why but it doesn't do too much for me at all. Sorceress certainly does as did Heritage. Damnation is a really consistent album which I love.
I wonder if PC live would win me over more. I quite liked the live Voice of Treason on the bonus disc with the latest album, maybe it's the mix?
I also didn't like Heritage when it first came out, but loved Pale Communion.
Sorceress has taken a few listens, but now I really like it and it's prompted me to go back and re-assess Heritage and I find I really like it now. It seems to make much more sense in the context of all three clean vox albums.
I like the clean vocal trilogy, but I prefer the older music where there are more extremes between beauty and brutality.
I just refer to the differing styles as Newpeth and Oldpeth.
All I have is Damnation. It’s OK but I’m not in love with it. Haven’t followed their more recent path, but after hearing as much of Still Life and Blackwater Park as I was able to tolerate, my impression was that the clean/“acoustic” stuff wasn’t good/interesting enough to make it worth suffering through the death growls.
Confirmed Bachelors: the dramedy hit of 1883...
Ghost Reveries and Watershed are the final two Opeth albums with growls, but the growling is much reduced from the albums before that. Ghost Reveries is also the first album featuring a strong keyboard presence (they've had a full-time keyboardist member since then), and this has strengthened their overall sound, especially in the quieter moments. If Damnation is the only "clean" Opeth you've heard, then you should check out the last two albums, which are a huge move towards "real" prog.
Clean vocals (complete tracks I mean) were all over Blackwater Park and Deliverance... worked to great effect. Pale Communion was step up compared to Heritage both in musical contents and sonically. Sorceress is step down compared to PC and H in all aspects. But I'm ok with that. hoping for next one to top everything else past and present.
Yes and no, just like all Opeth. Still I consider Ghost Reveries as their masterpiece.
Watershed is their transition album that only has some cookie monster vox but also plenty of proper singing too so still worth getting. I love the new album, PC was good but Sorceress must be my fave of theirs now.
Only one listen of Sorceress so far, but I can safely bet that it will stay as a good follow-up to PC.
Yes, there is less contrast between quiet melody and brutality, but I feel there is enough contrast, diversity, twists and turns to make the music interesting and fresh. The record where I felt there was not enough contrast was Heritage. (I don't count Damnation, because it was meant to be an all-quiet album.)
My favorite Opeth remains Ghost Reveries (although for just listening, I think the Roundhouse Tapes might be my favorite as the songs are just amazingly well performed).
The hardest part for me with the Newpeth (which is just damned awesome, 100423 John) is that it wasn't just the growls that disappeared but a certain heaviness and aggression in the music. 'Heritage' lost it entirely and then 'Pale Communion' redefined it a bit. 'Sorceress' brought a bit back in the title track which I love, but on the whole it hasn't recaptured the spirit of what I liked in the writing previously. I don't hate any of them outright, and they are definitely bold albums for the band, but I can't say they are the Opeth albums I revisit often.
If you're actually reading this then chances are you already have my last album but if NOT and you're curious:
https://battema.bandcamp.com/
Also, Ephemeral Sun: it's a thing and we like making things that might be your thing: https://ephemeralsun.bandcamp.com
I understand the appeal of CM vocals even less than I understand the appeal of rap. I most definitely like the more recent Opeth lightyears more than the "Visigoth at the microphone" version.
Ghost Reveries had the perfect balance of the aggressive style mixed with the folky parts blended with more of a keyboard presence, for me. Like battema, I don't necessarily need the growls (though I don't mind them either), I'd just like there to be more of the metal aspect in the songs, instead of more of a hard rock style. Nonetheless, Sorceress is a good album and I hope they make it to my neck of the woods on a future leg of the tour as they are a great live band.
Been hitting Heritage a bunch of times over the past few days. This was an album that I liked but truly never loved - but I am getting much closer to really loving (or at least digging big time) this sucker. Fits the overcast fall foliage I see from my window perfectly (leaves are changing quickly here in the Hudson Valley). The keyboard patches are really lovely and give this album such atmosphere. Drumming is also pretty exquisite - it's nice to just concentrate on what Ax is doing here. There are a LOT of mellow acoustic passages to be found here that have just enough twisted darkness to them. Better late than never, or so they say. MA isn't changing the face of music here, but that's OK too.
If it isn't Krautrock, it's krap.
"And it's only the giving
That makes you what you are" - Ian Anderson
There are three that I love in this category. To me they are the most prog, and also happily mellotron laden. Damnation, Heritage and Pale Communion. IMO some of the best Prog/Metal put on wax!
Day dawns dark...it now numbers infinity.
I need to dust this one off again. I also recall liking but not loving it. This is the perfect time of year for this music too, along with some Anglagard and Wobbler.
Need to listen to their latest one again also, as it's been a while. Might put on the vinyl tonight.
Yes indeed but also the two most recent are superb too; Sorceress & In Cauda Venenum.
Lucky man! The Heritage vinyl is oop and megabucks on Discogs. I have to settle for the CD for now.I need to dust this one off again. I also recall liking but not loving it. This is the perfect time of year for this music too, along with some Anglagard and Wobbler.
Need to listen to their latest one again also, as it's been a while. Might put on the vinyl tonight.
The tunes that sucked me into Heritage were "I feel the Dark", "Nepenthe", "Haxprocess"...then the rest followed suit. Its a very well-recorded and mixed album too so that helps. Let us know if you get any more mileage this time around....I was surprised it hit me as hard as it did.
I've always loved Heritage. It's probably the most divisive album they've made, and still gets a lot of negativity thrown at it, but I land squarely on the side of those who really dig that sound. I like the unusual, experimental aspects of tracks like Famine and Folklore especially. My only gripe is that it should have been the one titled Watershed.
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Very true....Watershed and Heritage should exchange album names
But yeah man, I'm diggin it. How does Pale Communion sit in there for youse guys?
Oh, I meant the In Cauda Venenum vinyl. My post wasn't very clear, in hindsight. lol I failed to get Heritage on vinyl when it was released.
I'll be paying attention to those songs in particular when I spin Heritage next. Thanks for the heads up.
Side note: Heritage is still my brother's favorite Opeth record overall. He's actually the reason I came around to Opeth eventually, because initially I wasn't crazy about them. They won me over because of his occasionally listening to their stuff when I was around.
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