Written by Vasil de Shumen on 13.04.2012 at 20:22
Avant-garde MASTERPIECE

What is avant-garde about a retro prog rock album?

Written by Troy Killjoy on 13.04.2012 at 20:41

Written by Vasil de Shumen on 13.04.2012 at 20:22
Avant-garde MASTERPIECE

What is avant-garde about a retro prog rock album?

That it does not really copy the ideas from the 70's (thus, I would not call it "retro" in any sense of the word) but expands Opeth's musical endeavors in a very brave (hence, avant-garde) way. Heritage is quite a unique album in my opinion.

Written by MaiSweettShaadow on 07.02.2012 at 02:43

Bad, their worst by far

rating it 1, you basically say the album is pure shit.

The issue that people have with this album is that it seems as if the songwriting is forgetting about hooks. There's no reason to listen to this album from start to finish if it's not your first listen. There's nothing really worth checking again.

Disappointed, totally.

Written by iMorphball on 15.04.2012 at 14:36

The issue that people have with this album is that it seems as if the songwriting is forgetting about hooks. There's no reason to listen to this album from start to finish if it's not your first listen. There's nothing really worth checking again.

Disappointed, totally.

To me, it's totally opposite. There is A LOT to discover on repeated listens, and this is definitely not the album that you can understand on the first listen; this one is just as far from that as it gets. If you listened to it just once, you have not heard anything, believe me.

Written by K✞ulu on 15.04.2012 at 21:20

Written by iMorphball on 15.04.2012 at 14:36

The issue that people have with this album is that it seems as if the songwriting is forgetting about hooks. There's no reason to listen to this album from start to finish if it's not your first listen. There's nothing really worth checking again.

Disappointed, totally.

To me, it's totally opposite. There is A LOT to discover on repeated listens, and this is definitely not the album that you can understand on the first listen; this one is just as far from that as it gets. If you listened to it just once, you have not heard anything, believe me.

I give every album 3 spins at the very least. This one was a torture to listen to the whole way through. Different tastes, though!

Written by K✞ulu on 13.04.2012 at 23:54

Written by Troy Killjoy on 13.04.2012 at 20:41

Written by Vasil de Shumen on 13.04.2012 at 20:22
Avant-garde MASTERPIECE

What is avant-garde about a retro prog rock album?

That it does not really copy the ideas from the 70's (thus, I would not call it "retro" in any sense of the word)

That does not make it avant garde. And actually it totally copies the ideas from the 70s. It copies the tiny unknown underground bands from that era. Mikael even said so hiumself in quite a few interviews.

Avant garde means pushing your music to the exctreme borders and that certainly is something this album doesn't do at all either.

Avantgarde?


Lolz.

Written by Troy Killjoy on 13.04.2012 at 20:41

Written by Vasil de Shumen on 13.04.2012 at 20:22
Avant-garde MASTERPIECE

What is avant-garde about a retro prog rock album?

Most likely it has something to do with the band name. If Opeth do it then it just has to be something exceptional.
I would say however that this is like no other retro prog album I've ever heard. But calling it avantgarde is rubbish, it just owes far more to their own progressive tendencies which they've always relied on in their music (even of the metal variety) than to the ways of the 70's.

Written by R'Vannith on 17.04.2012 at 16:00
Most likely it has something to do with the band name. If Opeth do it then it just has to be something exceptional.

That was my first thought, but I thought maybe if I asked I'd get a legitimate response as to why this album is in any way pushing the envelope.

Written by Troy Killjoy on 17.04.2012 at 16:12

Written by R'Vannith on 17.04.2012 at 16:00
Most likely it has something to do with the band name. If Opeth do it then it just has to be something exceptional.

That was my first thought, but I thought maybe if I asked I'd get a legitimate response as to why this album is in any way pushing the envelope.

That would be interesting, I think this is typical Opeth noodling around with their own style and integrating it with a little classic prog. No envelope is being pushed as far as I'm aware.

Written by R'Vannith on 17.04.2012 at 16:20
No envelope is being pushed as far as I'm aware.

Exactly, and like Marcel stated earlier, Mikael even made note of drawing influence from some of the lesser known prog artists from the '70s (not that I would be able to list off any artists since I never listened to the stuff).

Written by Troy Killjoy on 17.04.2012 at 16:22

Exactly, and like Marcel stated earlier, Mikael even made note of drawing influence from some of the lesser known prog artists from the '70s (not that I would be able to list off any artists since I never listened to the stuff).

Well I get an early Deep Purple vibe from this myself. They're well known, but I suppose their earlier material has been considered less than their later hard rock stuff. "Slither" for example has Deep Purple written all over it.

Written by Troy Killjoy on 17.04.2012 at 16:22

Mikael even made note of drawing influence from some of the lesser known prog artists from the '70s (not that I would be able to list off any artists since I never listened to the stuff).

Same for me. That's music I always hated (to put it mildly) But when I come across the interview again where Mikael mentions the artists that inspired them for this one and which artists they even ripped off (I remember MIkael even using the term rip-off to describe the music on Heritage At least the guy is honest in that respect) I will mentione them here.

Written by R'Vannith on 17.04.2012 at 16:27

Written by Troy Killjoy on 17.04.2012 at 16:22

Exactly, and like Marcel stated earlier, Mikael even made note of drawing influence from some of the lesser known prog artists from the '70s (not that I would be able to list off any artists since I never listened to the stuff).

Well I get an early Deep Purple vibe from this myself. They're well known, but I suppose their earlier material has been considered less than their later hard rock stuff. "Slither" for example has Deep Purple written all over it.

Only Slither has that very early Deep Purple vibe but then again very early Deep Purple was firmly rooted in the prog of the 60s.

Written by Marcel Hubregtse on 17.04.2012 at 16:29

which artists they even ripped off (I remember MIkael even using the term rip-off to describe the music on Heritage At least the guy is honest in that respect) I will mentione them here.

It seems daft that they are throwing away an original sound simply to do music that has already been done a million times over, Judging by what Mikael has said in interview they are staying this way as well.

Written by @gent_-_orange on 17.04.2012 at 16:33


It seems daft that they are throwing away an original sound simply to do music that has already been done a million times over, Judging by what Mikael has said in interview they are staying this way as well.

Yes they are staying on this road, because this is the music Mikael really loves listening to and loves making. Apparently Mikael has one of the largest 60s, 70s Prog collections around.

Written by Marcel Hubregtse on 17.04.2012 at 16:30

Only Slither has that very early Deep Purple vibe but then again very early Deep Purple was firmly rooted in the prog of the 60s.

I would have said that one bears more of a resemblance with their mid era material, the album as a whole constantly reminds me of Purple tracks like "April" from their self-titled. But yes very proggy in those early albums, and I can't help but feel its what Opeth were aiming for. I think they did a good job of it actually.

Written by R'Vannith on 17.04.2012 at 16:35

I think they did a good job of it actually.

IMO they totally failed at it.

Written by Marcel Hubregtse on 17.04.2012 at 16:38

Written by R'Vannith on 17.04.2012 at 16:35

I think they did a good job of it actually.

IMO they totally failed at it.

Granted their own trademark sound sort of smothers it all but I generally find their sound listenable, so when they combine it with influences like early Deep Purple (which I enjoy) I'm naturally inclined to like it I guess.

Written by R'Vannith on 17.04.2012 at 16:41


Granted their own trademark sound sort of smothers it all but I generally find their sound listenable, so when they combine it with influences like early Deep Purple (which I enjoy) I'm naturally inclined to like it I guess.

I immesnely enjoy very early and early Deep Purple but Opeth somehow manages to defile it.

Opeth failed with Heritage

Written by Marcel Hubregtse on 17.04.2012 at 03:29

Written by K✞ulu on 13.04.2012 at 23:54

Written by Troy Killjoy on 13.04.2012 at 20:41

Written by Vasil de Shumen on 13.04.2012 at 20:22
Avant-garde MASTERPIECE

What is avant-garde about a retro prog rock album?

That it does not really copy the ideas from the 70's (thus, I would not call it "retro" in any sense of the word)

That does not make it avant garde. And actually it totally copies the ideas from the 70s. It copies the tiny unknown underground bands from that era. Mikael even said so hiumself in quite a few interviews.

Avant garde means pushing your music to the exctreme borders and that certainly is something this album doesn't do at all either.

Ok, maybe this is not avant-garde in the proper sense of the word. About this being a retro 70's album, you are saying he copied stuff from unknown bands, but still people call this a retro album as if they knew those bands. Usually people refer to King Crimson and Jethro Tull. I am not a huge expert of 70's prog, but Heritage does not bring to mind what I've heard. Besides, there is a massive Opeth feel to the album.

This a much, MUCH better album than a lot of people give it credit for! I just hate that close-minded people are always bashing this record. Really good prog-rock!

Written by infernaldeath87 on 02.05.2012 at 04:50
I just hate that close-minded people are always bashing this record.

Just to clarify, bashing this record and being closed-minded aren't mutually exclusive.

Written by Troy Killjoy on 02.05.2012 at 05:38

Written by infernaldeath87 on 02.05.2012 at 04:50
I just hate that close-minded people are always bashing this record.

Just to clarify, bashing this record and being closed-minded aren't mutually exclusive.

Well if they can't happen at the same time, why do they then? I just don't get it man!!!

Written by infernaldeath87 on 02.05.2012 at 18:09
Well if they can't happen at the same time, why do they then? I just don't get it man!!!

I didn't say they can't happen at the same time, I'm saying they don't only happen at the same time.

Some open-minded people bash this too, is what I'm saying.

Oh I get you now. But anyways I truly do enjoy this album, as I do all of Opeth's music, even though I need to do some more exploring of their catalog.

Their earlier release was better, I opine!

This album is far better than watershed, deliverance, damnation,orchid and even Morningrise . I had a low expectation from heritage but they made this masterfully.