The official Opeth thread v. Bring on the new album!

[adastra]

Am I the only one who thinks that Mikael's clean vocals have been getting weaker?

I think his clean vocals have improved with every record that they've released. So we must be focusing on different aspects of his voice.

Or there's just a difference in opinions?

That's the point I was trying to make.

Haha, Could be   

[TioJorge]

I too think he's gotten better; I love his clean singing so much more than anything that was sung clean pre-Heritage. Not that he was bad back then or that it's even dramatically different, but to me he sounds 'tighter' in his singing now, more refined.

Oh and Eternal Rains is FUCKING GORGEOUS! Absolutely awesome fusion of the past and new ideas. Definitely know what Akerfeldt was talking about when he said this was more harmonious than Heritage, and it works so well. I have a feeling I'm gonna be bonerfied when this album hits. My body... it is ready.

[Onno]

Ok, I instantly loved Eternal Rains Will Come. Wow! That's much more like the Heritage-Watershed combination. It's really, really good!

[adace]

According to Wiki, Martin Lopez did the drumming on Goblin and Voice of Treason!

[aprilethereal]

I like the new song much more than Cusp Of Eternity, but some of the riffs and melodies felt a little too familiar

[Zydar]

I haven't heard it yet, but if you guys say it's better than Cusp then I'm in for a treat since I really like that one!

[Onno]

According to Wiki, Martin Lopez did the drumming on Goblin and Voice of Treason!

I won't believe that unless Wiki has a reliable source

[adace]

According to Wiki, Martin Lopez did the drumming on Goblin and Voice of Treason!

I won't believe that unless Wiki has a reliable source

Yeah, I dunno where they got it from but I really hope it's true.

[Zantera]

I believe Axenrot said so in an interview.

[adastra]

Eternal Rains Will Come Sounds pretty good o___o  Much better than Cusp....
Here the vocals doesn't sound that "bad" imo.... I'm getting pretty damn hyped about this album now!!

[mikeyd23]

Yep, I definitely like this new song more than the first one.  The instrumentation is much more interesting and creative and the vocals are better but still not great, IMO.  Certainly a step in the right direction though.

[Xanthul]

The first minute of Eternal Rains made me want to play Doom and Doom II right away.

[TioJorge]

  I thought the exact same. Plus I've been in a Doom mood recently with Wolfenstein coming out and the pre-orders getting the new Doom Beta access. AHHH! Now I want both new Doom and new Opeth REAAAAAAAAAAAL bad. 

[?]

I won't listen to Eternal Rains until it gets released officially, but the comments sound promising. I'm disappointed at the lack of interesting extras in the special edition, but I don't have a Bluray player anyway so I'm not missing out on much.

re: the Lopez rumor... I won't believe anything until I see his name in the album booklet or read an intie where a band member confirms it.

[Ben_Jamin]

Eternal Rains is classic Opeth. I listened to Cusp of Eternity after, man, this albums going to be good. The cymbals at the end of Cusp are crisp.

[Dark Castle]

Beginning = Grand Conjuration as elevator music
middle = some merely decent noodling and the piano reminds me of another song, but I can't remember what song.
end = Oh it ended? I'd fallen asleep nearly.


The guitar solo was decent, but nothing I haven't heard a thousand times before. Vocals are weak as fuck. Don't think I'm going to bother picking up this album, it's obviously some more masturbating to pent up sexual thoughts about the 70's.

[Zydar]

Hmm this is going to need plenty of spins before I like it, while Cusp instantly grabbed me. I'm sure I'll like this one too eventually.

[Buddyhunter1]

Listened to Eternal Rains once... Didn't really grab me much. I think I might actually like Cusp Of Eternity better.

I was kinda hoping they would be turning down the blatant 70s influence on this one, but judging from these two songs that doesn't seem to be the case.

[YtseJamittaja]

I listened to Eternal Rains and my opinion is that the first minute and last 30 seconds were interesting but all the stuff between is just, how can I say it nicely, boring. I hear The Grand Conjuration similarities, like TGC with 70's sounds.

[Jaq]

Nope. Just not feeling it. My problem with Opeth remains not that they're abandoning death metal sounds, but that the songs just don't grab me and I heard much better songs like this, ya know, back in the 70s. As I keep saying, Opeth can do whatever they want, but if it doesn't interest me, I don't have to listen to it. And I'm not.

[?]

I couldn't resist so I listened to Eternal Rains and it's awesome! The part where the harmonized vocals come in reminds me of Porcupine Tree.

[The King in Crimson]

Honestly, "Cusp of Eternity" impressed me much more than "Eternal Disappointment Rains," which sounds like just more noodly, boring, 70's prog-worship porn in the style of Heritage. Not very exciting but perhaps the song will grow on me in time, but at this point it really just strikes me as a much less impressive and immediate "Devils Orchard" (which is an okay song). I'm still going to get the album (unless another sucky song leaks or something) but I'm hoping that "Eternal Rains" is just an out-of-place clunker and not indicative of the quality of the entire album.

[fadetoblackdude7]

I'm hoping that "Eternal Rains" is just an out-of-place clunker and not indicative of the quality of the entire album.

I honestly think Eternal Rains will be more representative of the album than Cusp.

[The King in Crimson]

I'm hoping that "Eternal Rains" is just an out-of-place clunker and not indicative of the quality of the entire album.

I honestly think Eternal Rains will be more representative of the album than Cusp.

You're likely right, but I can still hope.

[PROGdrummer]

more noodly 70's prog-worship porn in the style of Heritage.

Yes please.

[Lolzeez]

Yeah. I really didn't like the two songs released so far. 

[Onno]

Hmm this is going to need plenty of spins before I like it, while Cusp instantly grabbed me. I'm sure I'll like this one too eventually.

It was the exact opposite for me; Cusp is still growing on me but I instantly loved Eternal Rains Will Come.

[Outcrier]

Nope. Just not feeling it. My problem with Opeth remains not that they're abandoning death metal sounds, but that the songs just don't grab me and I heard much better songs like this, ya know, back in the 70s.

This.

[adace]

Proshot footage of the Rock am Ring show: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rsZdjGzOpA

[DarkLord_Lalinc]

Nope. Just not feeling it. My problem with Opeth remains not that they're abandoning death metal sounds, but that the songs just don't grab me and I heard much better songs like this, ya know, back in the 70s.

This.

So this. Just heard the two songs that are online and nothing struck me real hard. I really don't mind if they remove the Death Metal roots and growls and whatnot, but their music is not as exciting as it used to be.

[PixelDream]

When I got into Opeth, one of the things that I found most fascinating was that they were a 'death metal band' that could hit you with beautiful, calm and clean sections once in a while. At that time, I didn't really like death metal vocals at all, but it was the huge contrast that made both sides (heavy/brutal and clean/beautiful) interesting to me. Then, by listening to them often, I learned that the heavy sections (including growls) could be incredibly beautiful as well.

So ofcourse new Opeth isn't going to have such a profound effect on me anymore. But that's okay, I think they still kick ass and I really respect Mikael not liking DM vocals that much anymore. I hope he doesn't have to do them anymore in the future, if he really doesn't like them anymore. That Rock Am Ring concert sounded pretty good, by the way, even the growls. I didn't think it was that much weaker than on the Royal Albert Hall DVD.

Guess I'm going to see them live soon, before they decide to drop the death metal altogether. I have to hear 'Deliverance' and 'Blackwater Park' live, one more time. If they throw in 'Ghost of Perdition' or even 'The Moor' or whatever then I'll die happy.

At the end of the day, if they want to play cheesy 70's prog/Rainbow/Dio stuff,  they should totally do it. They're quite good at it. But indeed, not as good as the original bands were.

[Buddyhunter1]

I get the feeling that their next tour will be similar to the first couple Heritage tours... i.e. all clean stuff with maybe one or two growly songs at the end. 

[black_biff_stadler]

Glad I've seen them for each of the last three albums so I won't be too bothered if their lack of a legit setlist prevents me from ever wanting to see them again. The Watershed show featured my favorite song from six of the nine albums they'd released up to that point:

The Night and the Silent Water
Demon of the Fall
Serenity Painted Death
Bleak
Hope Leaves
The Lotus Eater

[Zantera]

I've said it before, but the trend of new/modern bands making retro/70's music is getting pretty stale. While I wasn't a HUGE fan of Steven Wilson's The Raven That Refused to Sing, that was an album that managed to be retro, but still have a modern sound. With a lot of these other bands like Opeth and Pain of Salvation doing that trend, they seem to go for a muddy production to make the album sound even more like it came out from the 70's. The result (IMO) is that the music just sounds horribly outdated. Why can't they have a more modern sound to it, but still write the music in the same style?

Still, I think the new album could be cool. I'm cautiously excited for it I guess. I have no hopes that it will be one of my favorites of the year, but after Heritage (probably the "worst" Opeth album to date), I have a feeling this album will be slightly better.

[Buddyhunter1]

The intro to Eternal Rains honestly sounded more boring-generic-70s-tribute than anything on Heritage, to me. I'm sincerely hoping the rest of the album is a bit more interesting.