I didn't realize Paul Kuhr was writing their lyrics; thought he was just helping out on vocals.

My boner for this album just got even more engorged, if that's possible.

Just ordered. Can't wait for it.

Awesome, I think it's even better than the debut.

Finally something that did not disappoint me this year. Swanö is the man!

I have been spinning this whole evening, a brilliant masterpiece. So emotional and I personally think if people want a bit old Opeth they should listen this one, because we all know new Opeth album will suck, this don't, similar style, but Dan Swanö singing is so emotional, I personally and maybe I am only one, who thinks that he should not growl, but use clean vocals here?

Chills up and down my body. I love this album so much.

As good as the debut. Maybe better than it. I am having a blast right now

Written by Bad English on 23.07.2016 at 00:32

I personally and maybe I am only one, who thinks that he should not growl, but use clean vocals here?

There is Swanös Nightingale for clean vocals only... I have read few interviews with Dan and he said, that doing harsh vocals is very painful for him, so I think that he is very brave that he is still doing it despite the fact it hurts him. I personally love his false chord screams, it is so deep, so I am very thankful for this. Saddly Akerfeldt has stopped doing harsh vocals. They both have this gift - ability to both sing (beautifly) and scream (Imho two best screamers ever). So I have to repeat - I´m really thankful, that at least one of them still does it, and most importanly this album would have been excellent even without the screams...

Pretty sure I will bump this up to an 8 soon.

It's insanely good. Better than debut. More of everything, more consistent.

Excellent album. Leagues better than the debut in my opinion. It has everything I look for in this style: catchy riffs, intense melodies, and spectacular vocals by one of the best in the business.

I've loving this disc. It doesn't sound as unique as the first, though - in this case, the style is more like someone took the previous album, threw in some Edge of Sanity, a bit of Moontower, some newer Nightingale, a dash of Octavarium-era Dream Theater, and then glued it all together with some nice '80s synths. The riffs are awesome, but not quite as catchy as the first album IMO. The songs are good, but are little too "jump from genre to genre" to really flow well. I read that Dan wanted Witherscape to be like a death metal Rush, which isn't a bad description.

The performances and production, as always with Dan and Ragnar, are perfect.

I love this album !!!!!!!!

Words can't explain. A perfect album for every season. A masterpiece indeed. My personal favorite of 2016

It's reminding me of Opeth's My Arms, Your Hearse, but more enjoyable.

Dan's vocals just do me the right way.

Written by Lokasenna on 27.07.2016 at 01:54

I read that Dan wanted Witherscape to be like a death metal Rush, which isn't a bad description.

Pretty sure he said this about Moontower.

Written by The Benighted on 12.10.2016 at 12:50

Written by Lokasenna on 27.07.2016 at 01:54

I read that Dan wanted Witherscape to be like a death metal Rush, which isn't a bad description.

Pretty sure he said this about Moontower.

I would say it sounds more like a death metal Whitesnake.

I prefer this one to the last - I think it's still got the punch but it lets the lighter progressive elements breathe a lot more. Solid.

Really good album and I'm not a fan of Death Metal at all but the progressive elements are really creative and the riffs are groovy. The clean parts and vocals are interesting and overall the song themselves are well written.

Only drawback for me is the overuse of growling. In some places it fits the song perfectly however, in other places it's overdone and is annoying.

Written by cubanmetalguy on 20.10.2016 at 20:24

Written by The Benighted on 12.10.2016 at 12:50

Written by Lokasenna on 27.07.2016 at 01:54

I read that Dan wanted Witherscape to be like a death metal Rush, which isn't a bad description.

Pretty sure he said this about Moontower.

I would say it sounds more like a death metal Whitesnake.

Moontower has neo-prog influences. So it's rather like death metal meets neo prog

This album is simply one of the best examples of "how you do metal music just right" for me.

This is unsurprisingly a great album, I wouldn't call it a masterpiece but there are some real epic moments. As usual there is some stunning synth work by Swanö, aswel as excellent lead guitar work. The songwriting is great although I admit his done better. There is a sense of emotion and certainly a lot of thought has gkne into this, some tracks are almost in power metal ballad territory, but the harsh death metal growls and heavy riffing certainly makes up for that.

"God Of Ruin" and "In The Eyes Of Idols" are my regular stand outs, but the epic "The Northern Sanctuary" is by far the major highlight of this album.

I liked the previous one better. Had a good time listening to this one though