The new album is stellar. Easily the best of the 4 since "Watershed". I would wager everyone who has stuck with them this far will likely be very pleased.
Here's a thorough overview:
https://www.sonicperspectives.com/al...cauda-venenum/
The new album is stellar. Easily the best of the 4 since "Watershed". I would wager everyone who has stuck with them this far will likely be very pleased.
Here's a thorough overview:
https://www.sonicperspectives.com/al...cauda-venenum/
I like it so far but need more spins.
If it isn't Krautrock, it's krap.
"And it's only the giving
That makes you what you are" - Ian Anderson
Good album, but I agree.Originally Posted by chalkpie
Could be the mastering and/or excessive reverb(s).
no tunes, no dynamics, no nosebone
On a first listen it sounds very strong indeed, its been almost exactly 3 years to the day since Sorceress so very welcome. Could be one of if not the best.
Good album. I am again sort of disoriented about what they try to achieve here, but this is part of how I relate with the band. Maybe at this stage of their career they just want to write good music, to compile disparate elements into good songs and nothing more sophisticated.
The sonics, gloom and epic melodies remind me of late 80's Scandinavian power metal bands, like King Diamond or Candlemass. There are some moving, catchy melodies in there along with more complex stuff.
A pleasant listen no doubt.
sounding mellowish for me... more grit wouldnt hurt.
I spent the weekend immersed in the album, switching from Swedish to English and back again, listening on the headphones and then blasting it on the hi-fi.
And I still feel like I'm just scratching the surface......
Here's my tuppence worth in a blog review published yesterday:
https://momentstransition.wordpress....-venenum-2019/
Your review sold me.
Another very good effort from Prog Opeth. I think I prefer Pale Communion but it's way better than Heritage or Sorceress!!!
A few more spins are required.
The Prog Corner
Its still growing on me but I think this album may be a little overlong. Once its all settled in my mind there will likely be a couple of tracks I'll skip. Lovelorn Crime is one of the highlights though for sure.
I felt that too, for the first few spins, and found myself listening to it in chunks. But once you become more familiar with the music, it starts to feel the right length.
Perhaps that's a strength of the album? So much on offer and it keeps giving with each new listen. I have a feeling this is an album that I'll keep coming back to over a long period of time.
I think you could be right, I like it more each listen.
For me the music is boring and uses the same formula on every tune... a heavy part followed by acoustic guitar strumming. And the mix is harsh and unpleasant.
agree. Mix is really bad. in contrast with latest Tool (as an eg)... drums are shallow and shifted far back, very muffled indeed. Can hardly hear what Axe is up to there. The whole spectrum seems to have been crammed into narrow mid range with low/high end rolled off. There is no sub bass or hi freq sparkle. Very flat and disengaging. Makes me want to relisten Reveries to compare.
Some killer riffs in the first half, while the ending is lacking...
I have mixed feelings.
I agree about the mix/mastering....Flat is the correct word. I touched upon this back in post #55, and I hoped it was an earlier version that would be later EQ'd differently. Nope. Listen to Ghost Reveries and the difference is startling.
If it isn't Krautrock, it's krap.
"And it's only the giving
That makes you what you are" - Ian Anderson
Is the record label or the artist responsible for approving the final mix? Whomever, they should be ashamed of the final product.
I would imagine it's the artist who has the final say - Opeth are a major artist for Nuclear Blast, so Akerfeldt probably has a fair bit of clout.
I like the way the album is mixed, not too loud and aggressive, and sounding quite lush in places as the keyboards dominate those passages. But I agree that it's in sharp contrast to the Jens Bogren mix of Ghost Reveries, which is still a highlight of the band's career.
But I wonder if Akerfeldt has deliberately gone for this kind of a mix, given his love of everything pre-1974? I'm no sound expert, and I might be talking rubbish, but I've found that the last couple of Opeth albums sit comfortably alongside the mixes on early Uriah Heep and Deep Purple albums.
And Rainbow Rising, one of his all-time favourite albums, has a very flat mix. You can barely hear the bass on the New York mix [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMddnjVXVd8], but it's a little more present in the Los Angeles mix [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ateoVDanWiI]
If the sound quality isn't much better than Sorceress then I'm happy to leave this one unpurchased/unheard.
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 listened to the new album back to back with Pale Communion a couple of times and I find the drum sound is much more punchy this time around.
I can't compare it with Ghost Reveries as their death metal era is a no go for me.
Just done a back-to-back:
Moon Above (Pale Communion) - Sorceress (same) - Heart In Hand (In Cauda).
The Sorceress mix is very muddy and booming - bass and kick drum drowning out the rest.
Pale Communion is less muddy and better balanced, but they keyboards feel a little like they're special guests in the mix.
In Cauda is the best of the three, for me at least. The drum and bass a little lower in the mix but slightly drier and more dynamic (and better clarity on cymbal hits). And the keyboards, vox and guitars are really well interwoven.
I thought the mix on Cauda was a noticeable improvement over Sorceress.
Interviewer of reprobate ne'er-do-well musicians of the long-haired rock n' roll persuasion at: www.velvetthunder.co.uk and former scribe at Classic Rock Society. Only vaguely aware of anything other than music.
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Agreed
I'm having a hard time getting past this blurry reverby midrange.
The Tool mix/production is stellar. Some of the best recorded heavy guitar I ever heard.
no tunes, no dynamics, no nosebone
I haven't heard the album yet, but asked my son (a drummer) what he thinks - I mentioned the Tool comments. He thought the Tool comparison (excluding the recent Tool album since he has not heard that one) was a bit unfair as he has always felt Tool's drum sounds are all attack, very little midrange and are rather cold sounding. He likes the Opeth mix. I trust his ears.
<sig out of order>
gave this a listen, and like with their last 2 albums before this, still not coming close to the heights they reached with Heritage. :/
Funny how tastes differ regarding Opeth. I found Heritage very bland and meandering, it hasn't stuck with me. I read many comments stating the same thing but obviously some disagree.
It seems several reviewers consider In Cauda the full result of what Opeth have been trying to achieve since Heritage, with the preceding 3 albums being mere sketches. As far as I'm concerned, I find In Cauda artistically very close to Pale Communion.
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