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Rating:
9.1 |
Opeth - Watershed
3 June 2008
Disc I
01. Coil
02. Heir Apparent
03. The Lotus Eater
04. Burden
05. Porcelain Heart
06. Hessian Peel
07. Hex Omega
08. Derelict Herds [bonus]
09. Mellotron Heart [bonus]
Disc II [DVD 5.1 Mix, Special Edition]
01. Coil
02. Heir Apparent
03. The Lotus Eater
04. Burden
05. Porcelain Heart
06. Hessian Peel
07. Hex Omega
08. Derelict Herds
09. Bridge Of Sighs [Robin Trower cover]
10. Den Ständiga Resan [Marie Fredriksson cover]
+ Rehearsal Tapes [documentary]
Every time Swedish masters Opeth release a new album, expectations from their hordes of fans are very high. This time around, with the departure of two very influential long-time members, their new record Watershed could have been the end of an era. However, Watershed is yet another tour de force performance from Opeth.
While the opening melancholic track with clean vocals and even female vocals probably took a few of us by surprise, the rest of the album continues a tradition of excellence that Opeth's fans must acknowledge. Despite the joint departures of guitarist Peter Lindgren and drummer Martin Lopez, Mikael Åkerfeldt proves once more than his song-writing abilities are the core of the band. With Martin Mendez on bass, Martin Axenrot on drums, Per Wiberg on keys and the recent addition of Fredrik Åkesson on guitars, the band lay out their trademark sound once again. The ever-changing melodies, the subtle mélange of vocals and the progressive guitar riffs are omnipresent.
Watershed continues where Ghost Reveries left off. Heavy riffs, an eerie atmosphere, powerful melodies, the winning formula has been kept alive. But do not think for a second that Opeth just released a clone of their previous record. Some new elements spice up the songs, but I don't want to spoil them for you. While some heavy songs such as 'The Lotus Eater' and 'Hessian Peel' are sure to become crowd's favorites, fans of their Damnation album will be overjoyed with the inspiring ballad called 'Burden'.
Overall, I feel this is a more thought through album than its predecessors. And while the level of aggression might have been taken down a notch compared to their early works, the cohesion of the songs makes Watershed a unique release.
Some thought that the departures of two band members meant the end of the golden era for Opeth. Watershed proves them wrong on so many levels. With in-your-face compositions and melancholic ballads, Opeth's latest effort is so far the album of the year.
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Performance:
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9 |
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Songwriting:
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10 |
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Originality:
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8 |
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Production:
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9 |
written by Demonic Tutor | 22.08.2008 |
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Comments page 3 of 3
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 mz - 19.05.2012 at 18:56
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| I find this record pretty good and enjoyable. Each song is well written and good when I hear them separately but as whole this album lacks something. This seems to be a collection of good song for me not an album. When Watershed ends I am still unsatisfied . Also the song are not memorable, I enjoy listening to watershed but I cant remember the songs clearly even after 5 or 6 listens. Its good on its own but not as an album you could except from opeth |
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