Opeth - Watershed review
| Band: | Opeth |
| Album: | Watershed |
| Style: | Progressive metal |
| Release date: | June 03, 2008 |
| A review by: | Dream Taster |
Disc I
01. Coil [feat. Nathalie Lorichs]
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 [feat. Nathalie Lorichs]
02. Heir Apparent
03. The Lotus Eater
04. Burden
05. Porcelain Heart
06. Hessian Peel
07. Hex Omega
08. Derelict Herds [bonus]
09. Bridge Of Sighs [Robin Trower cover] [bonus]
10. Den Ständiga Resan [Marie Fredriksson cover] [bonus]
+ 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.
Rating breakdown
| Performance: | 9 |
| Songwriting: | 10 |
| Originality: | 8 |
| Production: | 9 |
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Written on 22.08.2008 by
Bringing you reviews of quality music and interesting questions such as: "A picture is worth a thousand words. How many words is a song worth?" I have only got so much patience and skills, you do the math. |
Comments page 3 / 4
| Morphis Posts: 80  |
Just bought this album 2 weeks ago and have been listening to it. Based on the reviews and comments that i saw i was expecting more. Im already bored with this album but while discovering it i enjoy it. For me its a 7.
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| Warman Erotic Stains Posts: 7695  |
For me it sounds almost like a mix of "My Arms, Your Hearse" and "Blackwater Park". The album becomes better and better every time. Their best record since "Blackwater Park", no doubt. The Marie Fredriksson is also surprisingly... great! 
---- 
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| AlvarUgo Posts: 89  |
Yes, i like Opeth... no, i don't like Watershed. I think it's the biggest letdown of this band and Akerfeldt teared apart it's trademark sound... made it too simple, predictable at times ( he expressed his hate for predictable music a few years ago), added some cliché elements (blastbeats and violins for example), abused of the keyboards, etc. Sometimes it feels even like a movie soundtrack, but from a bad movie though. Porcelain Heart and Heir Apparent are good, but not even close to any of Ghost Reveries tracks that album was just amazing, their greatest masterpiece IMO.
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| MoonReflection Posts: 5 |
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| X-Ray Rod Skandino Staff Posts: 18374  |
I came to a conclusion after hearing carefully to Ghost Reveries [an album I thought it was crap] and Watershed [I had very low expectaitions for this one after a disappointing GR] The conclusion is that both albums I really good. I found GR stronger than even before. And it's worth a good rating from me. Unfortunately Watershed is the least good album by Opeth. It's good, but right after the first 4 songs [that are truly amazing stuff] I found the last three to be boring. They were just way to long. The melodies were really nice but the lenght bothered the hell out of me. I don't like the rating of this review, for me it's around one point lower. I give it a 8,0
---- Written by BloodTears on 19.08.2011 at 18:29 Written by Milena on 20.06.2012 at 10:49
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| Chriss26 Posts: 12 |
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| BloodTears ANA-thema Elite Posts: 11835  |
Written by X-Ray Rod on 25.12.2008 at 21:52 last part of the album is boring for you? I think "Hessian Peel" is one of the best songs I heard this year. So, I disagree with you.
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| X-Ray Rod Skandino Staff Posts: 18374 |
Written by BloodTears on 28.12.2008 at 19:52 I don't have the album [yet] so I need probably more time to have a better opinion. But the funny thing is that that's exactly the track that bothered me the most. It could have been 3-4 minutes less and it could be perfect. Same goes to Porcelain Heart. Both great songs... But way to long. The rest is actually really nice. So that's why I'm not harsh to them.
---- Written by BloodTears on 19.08.2011 at 18:29 Written by Milena on 20.06.2012 at 10:49
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| Jeeers Posts: 195  |
Written by X-Ray Rod on 25.12.2008 at 21:52 Way too long songs? Man, you are listening to Opeth! Opeth have always had long sons. 
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| X-Ray Rod Skandino Staff Posts: 18374 |
Written by Jeeers on 28.01.2009 at 13:59 Long songs doesn't mean that they are good. Morningrise is my favorite album and it has the longest song. My complain is that some song are long in a really unnecesary way.
---- Written by BloodTears on 19.08.2011 at 18:29 Written by Milena on 20.06.2012 at 10:49
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| !Mac! Posts: 10  |
Great review, man. This album is damn right flawless -- at least from a musical standpoint. I'm new to Opeth and am still trying to stomach all their albums. The lyrical side to their work is what I'm trying to work on now. I'm listening to My Arms, Your Hearse as I type this, and I'm now in the mood for Watershed. Partially due to this review, too!
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| K✞ulu Seeker of Truth Posts: 2573  |
Now, that I have listened a million times to this album and it has grown on me immensely realize how accurate this review. A really good one. And the album is truly amazing. It sounds fresh, new, some elements are very innovative.
---- Savor what you feel and what you see Things that may not seem important now But may be tomorrow R.I.P. Chuck Schuldiner Satan was a Backstreet Boy
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| Mountain King K i K o Posts: 1361  |
I really like it...i never thought they could find a replacement for lopez! Burden is a masterpiece and so is Heir Apparent and the album is really good!
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| taha_69 Posts: 26  |
This is a fantastic album! This is, by far, the best album of 2008. Opeth, in my opinion, never seam to dissapoint and this is the proof.
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| ms68 Posts: 260  |
And heir apparent is their best. this album should be in top 10 not Blackwater Park
---- The more you eat, the more you shit No matter what you eat, it all turns to shit
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| X-Ray Rod Skandino Staff Posts: 18374 |
Written by ms68 on 05.03.2009 at 19:24 Naaah, that place belongs to Morgingrise or Still Life. If you think that Blackwater Park is overrated [and that's kinda true since everything before BP is way better] then I don't know what the hell this album is... Because it's [imo] the least good album by them. With fillers and song that are waaaaay longer than they needed to be. I can't believe this album is the best of 2008.
---- Written by BloodTears on 19.08.2011 at 18:29 Written by Milena on 20.06.2012 at 10:49
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| ms68 Posts: 260 |
Written by X-Ray Rod on 06.03.2009 at 17:01 2008 is one of the worst years of metal but instead i think 2009 is the best. bands like Wintersun, Insomnium, Iron Maiden, Slayer, Anathema, Dream Theater, Kalmah, Graveworm, Immortal, Eluveitie,.... will release albums. but i didn't understand what's the matter with watershed. if u say it is bad then u must say why. u only said the tracks were long. but opeth's songs from Orchid were usually more than 7mins and i think tracksof watershed aren't repetitive. if u are saying it's bad explain your opinion.
---- The more you eat, the more you shit No matter what you eat, it all turns to shit
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| X-Ray Rod Skandino Staff Posts: 18374 |
Written by ms68 on 06.03.2009 at 17:16 Lol... you're the one that don't read an opinion that it's already explained: The songs are way longer than they need to be. Therefore the album becames monotonous. In your list.. the only album I will care for would be Anathema... And 2008 being one of the worst years in metal? I don't know how much Doom or black metal you listen to. But 2008 was one of the most original and best years for those two scenes. And how can you already say that 2009 IS the best year of metal? We're in March....
---- Written by BloodTears on 19.08.2011 at 18:29 Written by Milena on 20.06.2012 at 10:49
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| Ragana Rawrcat Posts: 4919  |
Written by X-Ray Rod on 06.03.2009 at 17:24 He can predict the future, duh. According to his post, Wintersun is really going to release their album in this year.  Oh, and about the album... I don't like it. Reason? Uh, I'm not a fan of Opeth anyway, but imo, "My Arms, Your Hearse" can easily beat "Watershed", 'cause at least I like it.
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| X-Ray Rod Skandino Staff Posts: 18374 |
Written by Ragana on 06.03.2009 at 17:31 Damn... If he can predict the future then I'm saved... I need some answers to some question about an egg and a chicken. And I'm a big fan of Opeth... And I agree with you. If you found My Arms, your hearse to be quite good. Then you can listen to Orchid and Morningrise. They are pretty much on the same vein 
---- Written by BloodTears on 19.08.2011 at 18:29 Written by Milena on 20.06.2012 at 10:49
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| Ragana Rawrcat Posts: 4919 |
Written by X-Ray Rod on 06.03.2009 at 18:26 Hmm, well, about the egg and the chicken I'm not that sure. It's a very difficult question, you know. Takes a lot of patience and hard thinking... I'll see if there's coming a progressive period of my music any time soon, but I will definitely check those two albums someday.
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| ms68 Posts: 260 |
Written by X-Ray Rod on 06.03.2009 at 17:24 from your replied i found our tastes are different, but if u can't tolerate progressive i advice u don't listen to opeth. because time of tracks of all progressive bands like opeth are more than u can endure and then if u can't endure you'll post topics and then i won't endure u. maybe you are clown and wanna joke with me but i didn't find any album from 2008 in your collection. i said i think 2009 is best. that mean like kind of predict that ragana said about. i didn't found anything wrong around what i said about ms awards 2009. if u don't like that bands thats your problem don't buy their album, don't listen to them but i can predict from their past albums that they will release awesome works. like what opeth released.
---- The more you eat, the more you shit No matter what you eat, it all turns to shit
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| X-Ray Rod Skandino Staff Posts: 18374 |
Written by ms68 on 06.03.2009 at 18:48 Jejejeje. I actually hate progressive metal. BUT the only way I like it it's when a band makes a convination of that style with something else. Opeth did it with death metal, Akercocke with Black [although they are more death-oriented right now], !T.O.O.H.! did it with Grindcore, etc, etc... That's why I like Opeth. The problem is that the songwriting went wrong on the last album [but this part is of course a personal opinion] Written by ms68 on 06.03.2009 at 18:48 Damn that was funny... Because not having a 2008 album in my collection doesn't mean I don't know the music that came that year. Many of the users on this site don't have the money to buy albums all the freaking time so we download or listen to myspaces. My collection is totally out of the question here  Written by ms68 on 06.03.2009 at 18:48 And this line is priceless, I love it
---- Written by BloodTears on 19.08.2011 at 18:29 Written by Milena on 20.06.2012 at 10:49
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| Andresopeth Posts: 201  |
The best album of 2008 for sure, Mike knows what he does and he does it well. Seven nice tracks, mellowness, agression, screams, mellow voces, heavy riffs, shocking keyboards and MArtin Mendez plays better in every album they release! How can we listen songs like The Lotus Eater, Heir Apparent and Hessian Peel just once? This albums is definitely branded by Opeth!
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| Go Forth Or Die Account deleted |
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| Slayer666 Posts: 2466  |
Jesus, if someone told me that Opeth could release something that could bore me more and is even cheesier than Blackwater Park, I would have told him to go jump in a lake with a stone tied to his leg. But, Opeth proves that they can always bore me more and more!
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| DayFly Posts: 383  |
Oh come one Every time Swedish masters Opeth release a new album, In all honesty, I have never met a level-headed Opeth fan, and no band's discography (with a sufficient size) consists only of bullseyes.
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| niteman Posts: 9  |
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| Resurrected Wolf Posts: 12  |
Watershed is the best albums EVAR! Coil, Burden, Porcelain Heart are those I really love! Opeth really ROCKS! One of my wishes is being in a tour of OPETH!
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| Resurrected Wolf Posts: 12 |
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