The official Opeth thread v. In Cauda Venenum

[pogoowner]

Out of the last three, my rankings as of this moment would be:

1. Heritage
2. Sorceress
3. Pale Communion

[fadetoblackdude7]

Pale Communion
Sorceress
Heritage


This could very well change, because I'm still digesting Sorceress.

[SwedishGoose]

Finally got my preorder with t-shirt yesterday (why did it take so long....).
After one listen I am a bit underwhelmed actually. I hope the album grows on me.

Love Heritage, consider it as one of my favorite Opeth records. Like Pale Communion a lot. So it's not the direction for me... might be the songs or the production. Will have to wait and see.

[Lynxo]

Era might be one of my new favorite songs of theirs. Such an amazing and unique sound.

[?]

Out of the last three, my rankings as of this moment would be:

1. Heritage
2. Sorceress
3. Pale Communion

Same here. The Seventh Sojourn is the only weak link, and if they'd replaced it with one of the bonus tracks or dropped it completely, Sorceress would be my favorite modern Opeth album.

I finally got my digipak in the mail today, can't wait to crank it up on a proper stereo! Btw, is anyone else amused by the renaissance portraits in the booklet? I laughed so hard when I first saw them in the TWF lyric video.

[Tomislav95]

Pale Communion
Sorceress
Heritage


This could very well change, because I'm still digesting Sorceress.

Same here.

[PROGdrummer]

On my first few listens I was very underwhelmed, a big feeling of "err.....alright I guess". The mix bothered me as well
After a couple days it totally clicked with me. Love every track (except for Strange Brew, which I still dont really "get" yet".

Favorites tracks would have to be Sorceress 2, The Ward, Chrysallis, Will O Wisp, and Era  for sure.

[pogoowner]

I've seen very little appreciation for Sorceress (the song) in this thread, which surprises me. Maybe because everyone heard it before the album was released. But I think it absolutely rocks.

[Zydar]

Yeah, it's one of my favourites on the album for sure.

Edit: I could do without that intro though 

[Podaar]

The intro is one of my favorite parts of the entire album (love me some rockin' organ riffs) except... that it doesn't seem to have any relevance to the rest of the song. It doesn't return and it's not foreshadowing any of the other themes in the song itself. So, for that reason it seems a bit of a "throwaway" and I don't think the song would suffer any if it didn't exist.

[pogoowner]

Yeah, I have no problem with the organ riff itself, but I do agree that it seems unnecessarily paired with the rest of the song. The moment of contrast when the heavy guitar riff follows it is pretty badass, though.

[Art]

This album keeps getting better and better for me!

[PixelDream]

I'm surprised to see so many complaints about Sorceress' organ intro. I think it's a cool, groovy start to the song. It's the outro I'm having problems with. That riff just drags on and on to my ears.

[NoseofNicko]

Very good album. I have to say I don't get the love for Era though. I like it, but it's pretty much the simplest most generic song on the album.

[Podaar]

I'm surprised to see so many complaints about Sorceress' organ intro. I think it's a cool, groovy start to the song. It's the outro I'm having problems with. That riff just drags on and on to my ears.

I'm not seeing complaints. Zydar, (after saying the song was a favorite) simply said he could do with out the intro. I said I love it but don't see how it relates to the rest of the song. Pogoowner brought up the subject originally saying that he loves the song. He later said he agrees that the opening riff may be unnecessary but I didn't take that to be a complaint at all.

[KevShmev]

I finally got this. After one listen, not sure what to think, but I see what many are talking about in regards to the sound of it; the bass is cranked way up and it sounds way too muddy.

[Cyclopssss]

Defenitely a grower. There's tons of very intricate subtle guitarplaying on the whole album. Great layering.

[wolfking]

I'm listening to this album now, and I don't want to be negative but I'm just not digging the style the guys have found themselves in.  Heritage IMO was alright, but Pale Communion did nothing and this one is the same.  I'm happy for them that they are evolving and that people can appreciate, but I think Opeth are not for me anymore.  A shame because the older albums are so fucking brilliant and special but IMO they've lost a lot of their magic and charm now.  Maybe one day my opinion will change and I will give this album a few chances.  At the moment it will be the first Opeth album I won't buy.

[ChuckSteak]

I'm listening to this album now, and I don't want to be negative but I'm just not digging the style the guys have found themselves in.  Heritage IMO was alright, but Pale Communion did nothing and this one is the same.  I'm happy for them that they are evolving and that people can appreciate, but I think Opeth are not for me anymore.  A shame because the older albums are so fucking brilliant and special but IMO they've lost a lot of their magic and charm now.  Maybe one day my opinion will change and I will give this album a few chances.  At the moment it will be the first Opeth album I won't buy.

Which means you didn't listen to the whole album, but you already have a review of it. Try listening to it a few more times and maybe you will change your mind. You cannot make a decision based on half a listen or one listen.

I also prefer the old Opeth and it took me a long time to get into Pale Communion because I didn't want to accept their change of style and I immediately disregarded anything that didn't sound like old Opeth. It is pretty hard to appreciate their new direction if you don't accept that they changed and that's it.

I definetily enjoyed the new album. I don't think it is fantastic or that it compares to old Opeth, but it is very good.

[PROGdrummer]

Too early to rank the songs?

1 Era
2 Sorceress 2
3 Will O Wisp
4 Sorceress
5 The Ward
6 Wilde Flowers/Chrysalis
7 Spring
8 Fleeting Glance
9 Seventh Sojourn
10 Strange Brew

It was so hard to decided where to place my choices for 5-8, theyre all basically almost tied.

Love the vocal style Mikael using on songs like Sorceress 2 and Seventh Sojourn. I absolutely love the song "Ljudet Innan" on the Storm Corrosion album, so hearing Mikael sing like that again is such a treat for me. Perfection.

If you took the vocals out of "A Fleeting Glance", it totally sounds like it could be part of the soundtrack to a PS1 era Final Fantasy game. Like, walking into a new town, the place is kinda sketchy, and youre trying to track somebody down while meeting all the strange characters along the way. Its a very specific kind of atmosphere but somebody has to know what I'm talking about lol. Great composing.

LOVE The Ward. Fantasic bass line and guitar work, vocals very very strong.

Spring sounds like it could have just as easily been called "Burden II", awesome organ solo in the jam section.

What's not to love about Era? Lots of energy, catchy melodies in both the verse and chorus, cool, fun guitar riff. Axe is KILLING those drums, fucking awesome player. Reminds me of "Legend" from the newest Symphony X album. Very rockin' Dio vibe    Great way to close an album.

[KevShmev]

After another listen, I will say that the more mellow moments sound good, but nearly every time the music rocks, it is just a muddy mess.  And the songs overall remind me of Heritage, in that everything sounds nice when you listen to all of it, but there are very few grabbers.  Pale Communion was awesome because not only did it sound great, but the songs all had hooks everywhere, musically and vocally.  I have feeling Sorceress will end up being closer to Heritage for me: an album I like, but don't love. Time will tell.

[Mosh]

The songwriting is good, but I feel there are many moments on this album that want to be heavy but they won't let it happen and that shows in the production. The result is a lot of muddy sounding riffs.

[twosuitsluke]

If you took the vocals out of "A Fleeting Glance", it totally sounds like it could be part of the soundtrack to a PS1 era Final Fantasy game. Like, walking into a new town, the place is kinda sketchy, and youre trying to track somebody down while meeting all the strange characters along the way. Its a very specific kind of atmosphere but somebody has to know what I'm talking about lol. Great composing.

Just listened to it with FF in mind and you're right, it totally has that sort of feel 

I'm loving this album after 3 listens. I'm glad my ear doesn't pick out issues with production like some of you guys. I really have no problem with the way it sounds to be honest. I easily prefer this over Heritage, which is my least favourite album, and so far more than Pale Communion as well.

I like that some of it has a slightly wild west feel in places. As I said in a previous post, I love the guitar solos and I like Mikael's vocal performance, he sounds different to how he has sounded on any other album, in places, and I personally love it. It's really growing and although it hasn't taken over my world it's at least met my expectations.

Also liking the bonus disc, the live tracks are great. Does anyone know where/when they were recorded as they have some sort of orchestration accompanying them. It gives the songs a really fresh feel, love it.

[SwedishGoose]

The live tracks were recorded in the ancient Roman amfitheater in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, in September of last year.
There was a full orchestra on stage with them.

Love that they recorded that show. Would have been a great show for a BlueRay...

[SwedishGoose]

I really dislike the production of Sorceress. It is too bassy and the vocals are too low in the mix.
First time I listened it was just a jumbled mess to my ears. Now I use the equalizer to bring up the midrange some and the high even more. Works better for me.

Only listend three times yet.... songs are good but so far I like both Heritage and Pale Communion better.

Fantastically poetic way to write about his divorce...

[Mladen]

The live tracks were recorded in the ancient Roman amfitheater in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, in September of last year.
There was a full orchestra on stage with them.

Holy shit, they actually recorded it? That's great to know. 

[twosuitsluke]

I was a bit disappointed when I originally found out the bonus disk was mainly live recordings but these ones are great. I almost appreciate the songs even more than I already did. Good stuff.

[ChuckSteak]

https://thequietus.com/articles/20946-opeth-mikael-akerfeldt-interview#

I didn't know The Wilde Flowers was influenced by Aerosmith's "Mia".

[PROGdrummer]

https://thequietus.com/articles/20946-opeth-mikael-akerfeldt-interview#

Interesting little passage from that interview regarding the structure of the title track and the transition between intro riffs:

"That came straight out of stupidity I think. I didn't have any better ideas. I was noodling around with that part that opens the song, the more fusion-esque sounding bit. I just had a little lick I started playing on the keyboard, a kinda swinging little piece. I thought maybe there's something I can do with this and I recorded that first section and then I went, 'What now?' I was sitting there for fifteen, twenty minutes and I couldn’t come up with anything that felt natural and I guess – I can't remember if the song would technically be in A from the beginning – I just tuned down the guitar much more than I've ever done before. I just tuned it down to A and I realised, 'Fuck, I have two A strings: is that good or bad?', and started playing this shuggah-shuggah part. And I thought, 'Why not', you know? As soon as I tuned down the guitar I came up with that riff. It's very simple but very effective. And it has that type of classic quality to it which had me continue and I finished that song the same day pretty much."

[rumborak]

Random comment, there's some serious Ian Anderson in that album in places.

[Big Hath]

I just tuned it down to A and I realised, 'Fuck, I have two A strings: is that good or bad?'

 

[?]

I finally listened to the CD yesterday, and I've got to agree that the bass is way too loud. It got better when I changed the EQ settings of the stereo, and I hadn't noticed it while listening to the advance MP3 promo on my headphones.

As for the bonuses, Spring 1974 is amazing! The live versions of Cusp and Treason are cool, but I wish they'd included another clean live track instead of Drapery, because Mikael's growls just don't sound that good.

As I said in a previous post, I love the guitar solos and I like Mikael's vocal performance, he sounds different to how he has sounded on any other album, in places, and I personally love it.

Yeah, I'd say he's figured out how to fill the gap left by the growls and keep the vocals varied, though this is not to say that I thought his clean vocals were lacking on previous albums. They could make a really heavy album without growls and make it work if they wanted to.

I've seen very little appreciation for Sorceress (the song) in this thread, which surprises me. Maybe because everyone heard it before the album was released. But I think it absolutely rocks.

[ariich]

Am I the only person not hearing a problem with it being too bassy? It might be a question of EQ set up - I'm pretty sensitive to overly bassy music (plus it's annoying for other people) and so my EQ is set to keep it at a reasonable level and the whole idea of a sub-woofer is silly to me. So yeah Sorceress sounds a little bassy, but to me it all sounds in proportion.

[rumborak]

I have no issue with the bassiness either. It's the point of the song.

[King Postwhore]

I hate when a band is stagnant in their sound.   They may not have a mix I love but I like the attempt to evolve or not stand still.