I'm not a major Opeth fan, but I have to agree with anyone who thinks this is the best Opeth record since GR. It sounds pretty tight to me and was relatively enjoyable in its entirety (high 7-low 8). I don't think subsequent listens will change my opinion that much since the album was pretty comprehensible.

Written by Hex_Omega on 17.07.2014 at 14:36

Heritage was at least something new and fresh for me but this album I don't know... I prefer Heritage so far... Highlights: Goblin, Voice Of Treason. I need more than one listening to judge this album but so far it is nothing special.

My thoughts exactly - Heritage had character.

I was just hoping for a more focused album and here it is. Better than Heritage (which was often inconsistent and listless), but still nothing outstanding from Mike & co.
Whatever, could've been much worse.

Adore Pale Communion. Faith in Others is in the running for my song of the year alongside Alcest's Delivrance.

Aimless, watered-down and downright weak. Heritage at least was a change of gears, a step down but not without its own highlights. Now this, this is just a warmed-over smattering of songs without momentum or point, a "refinement" of Heritage's formula, further pushing unto utter irrelevance.

Cusp of Eternity, Voice of Treason and Faith in Others, the rest you could probably just hose it out of the album. Heck, Watershed's outtakes had more character and staying power than this.

Only halfway through but I have to say this sounds a wholelot more like Steven Wilson than Opeth. Awesome either way.

I fell asleep 3/4 of the way through - I'm not even kidding. I fell asleep...listening to an Opeth record. That's some serious shit right there.

Good album, on par with Heritage and maybe a little better.
The guitars are still sounding weak though at least the production in general has more punch.

Another thing that bothers me is the start of "Eternal Rains Will Come"...it sounds like it began halfway through a riff.

Now losing their unique style ,any one can beat them in progressive rock category , starting from Riverside to steven Wilson himself and i don't like the vocals here and I won't even talk about the lyrics , the songwriting is weaker than heritage but the production is better so overall another album to forget from Opeth.

Too soon for me to make my own opinion on it tbh; need to give it at least a few more days.
I will make some points about the production/performance overall though:

1) Vocals seem to be stepped up from Heritage, I'm liking the wider range Mikael is using with his cleans. Heritage's vocals bored me most of the way through with just how monotonous it felt.

2) Glad to see that the drums are still keeping the treatment they got in Heritage. They were the biggest highlight of that album for me, so it's nice to hear just how crisp they are in Pale Communion too.

3) The guitars seem quite... watered down, even in comparison to Heritage. I can't really say I've heard many points at all where the guitars were memorable whatsoever. Heck, the keys made more of an impact on me in this album, and they were just doubling the guitars and playing backing chords for the most part. That's... worrysome.


I'll see how this album grows on me over time.

Moon Above, Sun Below is a mere copycat of Steven Wilson's Holy Drinker

Written by raveneffect on 18.07.2014 at 03:02

Moon Above, Sun Below is a mere copycat of Steven Wilson's Holy Drinker

How exactly?

Written by LeKiwi on 17.07.2014 at 16:35

Written by Hex_Omega on 17.07.2014 at 14:36

Heritage was at least something new and fresh for me but this album I don't know... I prefer Heritage so far... Highlights: Goblin, Voice Of Treason. I need more than one listening to judge this album but so far it is nothing special.

My thoughts exactly - Heritage had character.

Yea... Heritage had its own personality. Pale Communion is just another Opeth album. Im not sure what is it exactly... It is not really a continuation of Heritage and it is not really a step back. Heritage was fresh, varied and had better melodies (IMO), Pale Communion sounds to me very indistinctly. I like only the sound of drums (which is very similar to that on Heritage). Generally it is not a bad album or something that Opeth could be ashamed of but... I think it might be their weakest album. 7.5/10 so far. Highlights: Same as before + Eternal Rains Will Come.

Written by Unhealer on 18.07.2014 at 06:02

Written by raveneffect on 18.07.2014 at 03:02

Moon Above, Sun Below is a mere copycat of Steven Wilson's Holy Drinker

How exactly?

Are you kidding? the whole song is structure almost exactly the same. Even the intro "bass+drum+mellotron" is simillar to Holy Drinker's calmer part after the Eclectic Prog solos. You can even sing the lyrics to Opeth's song, it would fit and would sound almost exactly the same. It even has that freestyle VdGg/Camel feel that Holy Drinker had with simillar jam parts.

If this was released by ANY other band I would call it an exageration but being Opeth & Steven Wilson and Pale Communion being an Eclectic throwdown to 70's Prog like "The Raven that refused to Sing" was, I just see this as lack of imagination.

Btw, cool tags from the lastFM users



homoerotic dildocore...<3

Sure, because offending others only because one dislikes their music is so funny and virile.
What the fuck is wrong with people.

P.S. Haven't heard the album yet, but I might give it a 10 just to fuck with all those who throw insults instead of arguments.

Written by Daniell on 18.07.2014 at 13:55

Sure, because offending others only because one dislikes their music is so funny and virile.
What the fuck is wrong with people.

P.S. Haven't heard the album yet, but I might give it a 10 just to fuck with all those who throw insults instead of arguments.

I don't see anyone throwing insults

Written by Guest on 18.07.2014 at 13:58


I don't see anyone throwing insults

I was referring to those tags in the picture. They don't exactly look like pats on the back.

Written by Daniell on 18.07.2014 at 14:00


I was referring to those tags in the picture. They don't exactly look like pats on the back.

I've seen tags like that for all sorts of bands. I wouldn't even be surprised if some Opeth fans made them.

Written by Daniell on 18.07.2014 at 14:00

Written by Guest on 18.07.2014 at 13:58

I don't see anyone throwing insults

I was referring to those tags in the picture. They don't exactly look like pats on the back.

Yeah but your posts seemed to talk about MS. Who gives a crap about non-MS posts?!?!
I'm with Joe here, some of them are waaaaaaaay to ridiculous to be real hate. xD

Oh well, there's no use dwelling on the subject.

Mind you, I absolutely hated Heritage, so I don't have high hopes for Pale Communion. I'll listen this evening and see.

I found every single one of them to be incredibly funny and not offensive at all

Written by raveneffect on 18.07.2014 at 11:58


Are you kidding? the whole song is structure almost exactly the same. Even the intro "bass+drum+mellotron" is simillar to Holy Drinker's calmer part after the Eclectic Prog solos. You can even sing the lyrics to Opeth's song, it would fit and would sound almost exactly the same. It even has that freestyle VdGg/Camel feel that Holy Drinker had with simillar jam parts.

Song structure is really different. "Holy Drinker" starts with a 4 minute long jam, then "usual" verse-chorus structure for while, then another jam, a quiet part and that epic heavy ending if I remember that correctly. I don't even have to explain how Opeth's song doesn't match that scheme at all.
I agree the verse of "Holy Drinker" is a similar concept to the start of "Moon Above, Sun Below", but calling it a "copycat" based on that solely is pretty far-fetched if you ask me, when we are talking about less than a minute out of 10 minute songs.

I've only had one full listen but it seems like a huge step up from the sedative known as Heritage. They've lostpretty much all distinction in their sound but it's still a solid retro-prog album.
(BTW the first solo section in "River" is straight up Duane Allman and I dig it.)

Written by Unhealer on 18.07.2014 at 20:10

Written by raveneffect on 18.07.2014 at 11:58


Are you kidding? the whole song is structure almost exactly the same. Even the intro "bass+drum+mellotron" is simillar to Holy Drinker's calmer part after the Eclectic Prog solos. You can even sing the lyrics to Opeth's song, it would fit and would sound almost exactly the same. It even has that freestyle VdGg/Camel feel that Holy Drinker had with simillar jam parts.

Song structure is really different. "Holy Drinker" starts with a 4 minute long jam, then "usual" verse-chorus structure for while, then another jam, a quiet part and that epic heavy ending if I remember that correctly. I don't even have to explain how Opeth's song doesn't match that scheme at all.
I agree the verse of "Holy Drinker" is a similar concept to the start of "Moon Above, Sun Below", but calling it a "copycat" based on that solely is pretty far-fetched if you ask me, when we are talking about less than a minute out of 10 minute songs.

Just because I've said it has the same structure, doesn't mean its built the same way. Moon above has the Quiet part first, followed by a really moody part and a big Jam later, the Epic ending with lots of moody mellotron melodies inbetween. It's like each part is a Lego Piece and Opeth just shuffled it and had some clear Opeth parts to the mix.

Maybe calling it a copycat was an inapropriate term but I still believe they share a huge ammount of similarities that should be avoided at all cost and I'm not talking about Opeth being into the Prog Rock act.These last years, it's been Heritage, Grace for Drowning, Storm Corrosion, Raven and, while they all share some little bit of simillar parts, they all stand as Albums made by their respective artists, meaning "Raven" didnt sound like Opeth and "Heritage" like Steven Wilson. I've been listening to this album non-stop since yesterday on a loop and that's pretty much, the only thing I've been listening to. To be terribly honest I'm listening to it right now and, between the computer and the MP3, this is the 19th time (to be even more honest, I'll probably go back to the first track after the last one ends). Opeth has been a band that, despite all the different (and obvious) shifts in their music style, they never ceased to sound like themselves. An Opeth riff is still an Opeth riff weither its Death Metal or Eclectic Prog. On Pale Communion, for the first time, I got the feeling that this was just another "The Raven that Refused to Sing Part. II".

ps: "Goblin" sucks.

Written by Unhealer on 18.07.2014 at 20:10
"Holy Drinker"

Is this a drunken cover of Holy Diver? Because that would be great.

Not sure if anyone else noticed, but I've heard dozens of recycled riffs throughout the album - both acoustic and electric - altered in a way to render their flow inarticulate.

Since MAYH there hasn't been a single moment in any Opeth song that I found dull...until now. It seems Mikael has lost his magic touch.

Written by Troy Killjoy on 18.07.2014 at 22:18

Is this a drunken cover of Holy Diver? Because that would be great.

Nah, it's a song by Steven Wilson, but since I don't want to disappoint you I looked this up for you.

Written by Unhealer on 18.07.2014 at 23:31
Nah, it's a song by Steven Wilson, but since I don't want to disappoint you I looked this up for you.

The lack of females at that party is extremely unsurprising.