Pale Communion

Much has been said about Opeth shedding their extreme metal characteristics and moving into full-on "progressive" rock. And while their second grunt-less album 'Heritage' faced a hefty amount of partly justified criticism, there is something to be said for this change in direction. Mikael Åkerfeldt's growls have deteriorated rapidly and the band obviously feels more comfortable with the sound they are pursuing now. Personally, I would rather have that than them forcing out extreme progressive metal records. The music just needs more urgency than is displayed on 'Heritage'. 'Pale Communion' goes a long way in bringing back the urgency and making this sound work.

The quotation marks around "progressive" in the first paragraph of this review are deliberate. On their last few albums, Opeth has the sonic characteristics of a seventies progressive rock band, but not so much of the compositional traits. The guitars and especially Martin Axenrot's fantastic drumming - has this guy grown immensely or what? - have a warm, natural sound and Joakim Skvalberg's organ and mellotron sounds bring about a distinct seventies atmosphere. The compositions are relatively straightforward, however, with very little in the way of time signature changes and only a few large dynamic shifts to be heard on 'Pale Communion'.

Not that this is a problem. Even during their more extreme days, Opeth got a lot of their at times excessive song lengths from repetition with slight variations. If anything, Opeth cut back on the repetition in their current era and I think that really helped the songs feel more realized. Compared to 'Heritage', the riff work is also far more pronounced on 'Pale Communion', which really helps the songs stand out more. While 'Heritage' is better than it often gets credit for, the songs do tend to go by in a bit of a blur. Riffs like the nifty main riff in 'Cusp Of Eternity' work wonders for the memorability of the song material here.

Because of this subtle, but notable shift in composition and arrangement, 'Pale Communion' actually has some standout moments. The borderline jazzrock sound of the instrumental 'Goblin' - no doubt a tribute to the band of the same name - is one of the highlights of the album. I'm also very partial to 'Eternal Rains Will Come', which starts out with some of the busiest riff and keyboard work on the album, but evolves into an almost ethereal sound for its second half. The dynamic latter half of 'River' is quite strong too, though its folky first half is a bit too long. The repetition with variations formula is still present in 'Moon Above, Sun Below' and the fantastic 'Voice Of Treason', but in a far more atmospheric manner than before.

'Pale Communion' is not a perfect album, but in my opinion, it is their best collection of songs in which they try to emulate their seventies prog rock heroes. At least to date. Its follow-up 'Sorceress' is a fine album in a similar style, yet notably heavier than 'Pale Communion', but the songwriting and musical interaction just work better here. And while I still consider 'Blackwater Park' to be the best Opeth album, I would not be disappointed at all if they would keep releasing albums like 'Pale Communion'. Of course, I can see why fans of their early days would, but the band might gain a few fans of the more subtle side of the seventies rock spectrum along the way.

Recommended tracks: 'Eternal Rains Will Come', 'Goblin', 'Voice Of Treason'

I’m a huge fan of Opeth. And I’m a huge fan of 70’s prog rock. So when this prog death metal band decided to switch rails and basically become a 70’s prog nostalgia band, I thought maybe something decent would come out of it. Lord knows I thought “Watershed”, their last album to feature their old sound, was all sorts of bland and boring and indeed the only album of that era I actively dislike. “Heritage” managed to be half-decent. About half the album is pretty damn good, but the other half is, unfortunately, entirely forgettable. I hoped that this stylistic change would result in a momentary diversion, but no, Opeth are determined to continue with this silly idea for at least another album. I remember being skeptical when the first songs hit the web, but even after I actually picked up “Pale Communion”, I was immediately disappointed and only listened to it a few times in order to conclude that I didn’t like it. But since I’ll be seeing them live in a couple of weeks at a festival, I thought, maybe it’s time to go back and revisit this album and see if I can find something that appeals to me.

Almost immediately upon starting this album, I was reminded why I disliked it so much. It takes over three minutes for the vocals to kick in and everything up to then is entirely forgettable and sounds like it should be part of an entirely different song. There’s an art to making long songs that sound coherent, and Opeth used to know how to do it. Compare that to the opening of “Ghost Reveries”, my favorite album of theirs. You have a couple of seconds of somber guitar chords and then all hell breaks loose. A godlike riff kicks in while Mikael screams out his fucking lungs. That’s how you open up an album! And it’s not the fact that the vocals take so long to enter the song that bothers me really, I don’t mind instrumental music at all. But it’s just so bland, uninteresting. Elevator music has more dramatic depth than the intro to this album.

A lot of the album suffers from what I like to call “Progressive Masturbation”, a condition in which a band tends to put lots of pointlessly proggy shit into their albums that doesn’t enhance the experience. Now, I reiterate, I love 70’s prog rock, and there’s an art to doing it the right way. Yes proved that with “Close To The Edge” and “Relayer”, but so many bands fail to grasp that the only way to make “Progressive Masturbation” good is by being so face-meltingly good at your instruments that you manage to overshadow the fact that what you’re playing doesn’t actually mean much in the context of the song. Opeth are not that good.

Another aspect of theirs that used to be great but now suffers greatly is the amount of riff repetition they engage in. Opeth’s claim to being a “progressive” band stems from the fact that they rarely repeat sections in their songs, they literally progress through a bunch of musical ideas. But what they lack in repetition of material through the song they make up through repetition of riffs within each section. Most sections are literally just 16 to 32 bars of the same riff getting repeated over and over again. Now this can work, if you write good riffs, like Opeth used to do. But as we’ve already established that I don’t like this album, you can guess that the riffs on this album are not good at all.

My overall biggest problem with this album though is that it lacks punch. It just sounds so restrained. The drums obviously have a different production on them than on previous albums. Back in the day, they had the typical death metal clicky noise to them, where the bass drum had both very low and very high frequencies in the mix that gives that particular genre so much punch. On this album, they’re obviously more toned down, but still manage to punch quite a lot through the mix. The problem is that there is absolutely nothing going on musically that would benefit from this. The guitars scream for more distortion instead of the weak shit they got smeared all over them that turns them into an indecipherable mush, devoid of almost all treble. The bass and guitars literally do nothing to help the drums with the rhythm. There are double-bass passages in there that sound absolutely horrible because all the other instruments get completely overshadowed. But the worst offender on this album is Mikael himself. Now don’t get me wrong, I like his clear vocals on previous albums, but here, over this homogenous mass that represents the music, his voice just lies like a load of mayonnaise left out in the sun, underlined by the constant mellotron-like sounding synths that further turn the sound into a swamp of notes and chords. Throw some passion in there dude, and maybe just once or twice use that magnificent growling voice you chose to abandon for your infinitely weaker singing voice! Seriously guys, when this dude growls, it sounds like a fucking demon ascends from hell itself to consume you, just listen to the aforementioned intro to “Ghost Reveries”, the song “Ghost of Perdition”. This shit can scare insolent children into behaving nicely. You’re sitting on a gold mine and you choose to instead sell worthless rocks.

So in closing, no, my opinion of this album hasn’t changed. It’s not terrible, per se, just mostly forgettable and uninteresting. There are songs that are genuinely good, like the eruptive “River”, but they are in a clear minority. There are little to no climaxes in here among tons of boring acoustic guitar wankery and a bunch of atonal passages that refuse to sound good in the context of the rather simplistic chord progressions they employ for the rest of their songs. I seriously hope they’ll play some older songs live, otherwise I won’t be listening to their beige avalanche of boredom for 90 minutes.

Pale Communion is the sophomore album of Opeth's new sound, in which they improve upon the disappointment that was Heritage.

Opeth’s influence by seventies progressive rock is far more pronounced than ever. If it were released during the era of Genesis, Pink Floyd, Yes, and Rush, it would not seem out of place. It has much more keyboard presence than the band’s previous efforts, as they play an important role in reviving the retro sound of seventies prog (see: Eternal Rains Will Come). Some of the guitar soloing is quite good, especially that beast of a solo in Cusp of Eternity and the end of River. Axe the drummer does well, his style fitting the music nicely; double bass exists but it is not nearly as frequent or prominent as in the metal albums. Most of the release is pretty mellow and relaxing. Backing vocals are provided by Steven Wilson, Mikael's secret husband from Porcupine Tree. The songs flow well within themselves, with less random stopping and starting than other recent albums (Watershed is a good example of this). Pale Communion is more cohesive, working well as a whole.

Nothing is stopping them from writing a solid album of non-metal songs, and they do. There’s a stronger focus on traditional song structures, and this is especially evident on the single, Cusp of Eternity. The whole song is catchy, especially the riff and of course the nonsensical but sing-along-able chorus: Ah-ah-ah-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-ah-ah-ah-aaaaahhhhhh. A catchy Opeth song? What?

Even stranger is the presence of exactly one song that runs over ten minutes: Moon Above, Sun Below. Mikael’s voice is ragged towards the beginning, and I guess that’s the closest we’re ever getting to a death growl on a studio release ever again. While it's certainly not bad, it’s not nearly as driving as their other ten-minute epics because they can no longer have their trademark interplay between death metal and acoustic passages. But the beautiful thing about a ten minute song done right is that you don't know where you're going to end up, and Opeth sure do it right.

Worth mentioning includes Goblin, an instrumental that gives way to the harmony-laden beginning of River, which builds into a heavier portion featuring a guitar duet. The last two songs contain orchestral flourishes, but it doesn’t stop them from sounding relatively uninteresting, maybe like leftovers from Heritage. The album is a good length. Much longer and it would become a chore to finish.

Pale Communion is worth listening to as a fan of progressive music, even if it’s not metal. One could see it as an unoriginal rehash of the more mellow side of seventies prog, and while it isn't as innovative as the sound they are known for, it's pretty damn good. Its predecessor may have alarmed some people, but this album proves that Opeth is stylistically improving and their new direction is not a waste of time.

Few artists contradict the ‘metal’ label that brands them more so than Opeth. The diversity of their sound has gained such a varied fan base that each person wants something different to the other. Opeth have been experimenting with their own unique sound since their 2001 landmark album Blackwater Park. Previous albums stick to a death metal vibe yet each album past 2001 had Opeth use different aspects to their music. Sister albums Deliverance and Damnation were natural paradoxes; the former was harshly heavy and the latter soothingly soft. Ghost Reveries was a blend of both previous albums: concocting the progressive lustre with the extreme influences to great success. Watershed also gained critical acclaim in melding tranquil rhythms with tyrannous riffs. Heritage was Opeth’s headfirst dive into an experimental fusion of numerous genres, proving too much for some fans who where even more displeased that Mikael Åkerfeldt had abandoned his death metal growls. The collaborative project Storm Corrosion between him and his hero Steven Wilson followed in Heritage’s footsteps and implemented strings into their already prog sound. So, 13 years after Opeth confidently starting experimenting, no narrow-minded fan can claim that they didn’t see the impending prog brilliance that surrounds Pale Communion.

When one listens to an Opeth album one must do so with an open mind; for the diversity on what they produce comes totally unexpected to anyone. The mellow dance and complex rhythmic swerves of Eternal Rains Will Come immediately recognizes the album as a prog record and an album of Opeth’s quintessential tone. Mikael Åkerfeldt’s wondrous vocals of and the impressive implementations of Joakim Svalberg’s keyboards in lead single Cusp Of Eternity explain that like all previous Opeth albums, Pale Communion has its own new unique elements that adds to the mixture of Opeth’s character. This album focuses largely on vocal and keyboard work whilst masterfully combining the two factors throughout the album’s procession. These factors are evident on tracks such as the twitching, upbeat instrumental Goblin whilst the ominous interludes of River adds more intensity the folk inspired song while the agitated riffs and twisting solos solidify Fredrik Åkesson as one of the most cohesive guitarists in metal.

Whilst Pale Communion is very much in its own element, there are aspects which hearken back to Opeth’s roots. The simplistic dynamics of Moon Above, Sun Below hint Heritage whilst the rise and fall in acoustic tempo echoes Blackwater Park. The woeful folky Elysian Woods and the sinister intensity of Voice of Treason remind us of Opeth’s Still Life.

Opeth’s eleventh album is primarily centralized around pure emotion. No song encapsulates this more than album closer Faith in Others: arguably Mikael’s most moving piece of music to date, whilst sounding if it were composed circa Watershed era. It’s reminiscent of the album wholly; a beautiful masterpiece of progressive dynamism.

Admittedly, I had avoided listening to the new Opeth record for a while before finally caving in and checking it out. It's certainly not been for a lack of love for the band or their illustrious career, but rather that I was almost certain to be disappointed by anything in the vein of their post-Watershed retro style. It must have felt like I was a girl waiting on a pregnancy test to see if she was going to have a child with a man she didn't love; the best-case scenario (being that the album was good, or negative on the pregnancy) would be relieving, but there wouldn't be a sense of catharsis or ecstasy involved, the sort of things Opeth's early work was often prone to conjuring. Even if Pale Communion turned out to be good, I supposed, I still wouldn't be able to shake the disappointment over Opeth having exchanged their unique (though countlessly imitated) progressive death metal trademark for some brand of retro-prog- an oxymoron if ever I've known one. Somehow, Opeth's second plunge into this style has succeeded in doing what I previously thought impossible: not only has it sold me on this shift, it has finally proved to me that Mikael Åkerfeldt is capable of brilliance outside the melancholic strains of metal. This is the album Heritage tried to be, the one Storm Corrosion hinted at. Even if it doesn't match the perfection they achieved with Opeth's best work, Pale Communion stands as a refreshing (and unexpected) burst of creative inspiration.

Although I've always had more of my heart in prog than metal news some years ago that Opeth had drifted towards a classic progressive rock style was immediately disappointing. Although the original definition of the style referred to a group of artists who meant to push rock music to the limits of its ambition (often with the help of classical music theory), in recent times it's often associated with hollow musicianship, twenty minute songs that go nowhere, and an overarching desire to relive and fetishize the 'good old days' between 1969 and '75, sort of like a Civil War reenactment but with more mellotrons. Anyways, Heritage was much less guilty of this self-important retro kitsch than Transatlantic or a host of other horrible modern prog acts, but it felt much less relevant than the work they had done before. With Pale Communion, I've realized my dislike of "Heritage" was less to do with the style itself, and moreso the fact it was otherwise incoherent and lacked conviction. There is plenty of the classic prog spirit here (ranging from the legendary King Crimson to Jethro Tull and Italian proggers Goblin) but it's imbued with a life and energy that far outweighs what I'd normally associate with the retrogressive scene.

If anything's changed since 2010, it's that Opeth have become confident enough in this new style to finally outstretch their wings and write full-bodied compositions over the individually appealing ideas that dotted Heritage. With the exception of the sappily cheerful piece of hippie drivel "River", the songwriting is tight and expertly realized. The epic scope adopted in "Eternal Rains Will Come", "Moon Above, Sun Below" or even "Voice of Treason" bridge the previously non-existent gap between Ghost Reveries and Watershed , balancing grooves and general weirdness without letting one get the best of the other. Among these tracks, the gorgeously melancholic closer "Faith in Others" sounds most like the classic Opeth we know, picking up where "Burden" from Watershed left off and arguably being the most emotionally intense ballad the band have ever done, complete with dynamic vocals and sombre string accompaniment. Opeth's musicianship remains a constant joy, with particular props going to Martin Axenrot who, again, fuels the music with some of the best drumming I've heard this side of jazz fusion.

If there was ever something I liked about Heritage, it was it's sense of surprise and general weirdness, as if they had aimed to make an album based around the wigged-out keyboard solo from Watershed's "The Lotus Eater". Opeth have consolidated that weirdness on Pale Communion, bolstering it with the virtues of solid songwriting and form. "Goblin" is a perfect example of this fusion of chaos and order. Taking its name from the band that most readily inspired it (along with heavy doses of King Crimson) the song shifts seamlessly from one disjointed idea to another. I can see it being the track fans will have the most difficult time getting into an appreciating, but it comes together in a way that feels satisfying. While I find the throwback vocal harmonies on "Eternal Rains Will Come" sort of hokey, it's a total masterpiece from the instrumental angle, and while I didn't care for its eerie successor "Cusp of Eternity" when I heard it alone as a single, it enjoys new life within the context of the album. Really, it's just "River" I don't like, and even then it's just for the overly cheery vocal section. Then again, that seems to be the track most people are swooning over. Maybe I'm weird and need to see the cheery side of life more often. Maybe everyone else is wrong.

While I've warmed up to most aspects of this 'new' Opeth, the change in style hasn't translated well with Åkerfeldt's vocals. I'm of the belief he's always been a better harsh vocalist, but even so, his clean singing on Ghost Reveries and Watershed was rich and full of feeling. I'm not getting much of that emotional resonance in Pale Communion. He's lost none of his technical ability or range as a vocalist, but there's something still missing from the formula. My thoughts towards his vocals now are similar to the ones I had for Heritage as a whole; the weight of the influences have become much more apparent in the delivery. Even if Mikael's voice remains distinctive, the performance feels less intimate, and more as if he's adopted a new vocal persona to better fit the progressive rock archetype floating in his head. Sometimes there's a clear nod to Jethro Tull's Ian Anderson, but most times it sounds like he's amalgamated a host of ballsy heavy prog and hard rock vocalists into a melting pot and tried his best to replicate it. Anyone who appreciated the bombastic side of Åkerfeldt's voice will find more to love on Pale Communion, but it doesn't do much for me. With that being said, there are moments (most notably "Moon Above, Sun Below" and "Faith in Others") that highlight what I loved best about his voice.

When all is said and done, I don't think Pale Communion will ever achieve the acclaim of Blackwater Park or Still Life, nor does it strike me in the same life changing ways that my personal favourites Ghost Reveries and Morningrise did. Even so, the album demonstrates a full-bodied return to excellence for Opeth, and confidently demonstrates the amount of potential this new approach has in store. At the very least, it's a conscious improvement from what I consider to be the weakest point in their career. Sure, If I ever wanted to hear vintage prog traditions thoughtfully explored and modernized, I could turn to Änglagård, another group of Swedes that still might do it better than Opeth. I think part of me would still like to hear Opeth return to their golden ratio of prog and death metal, but for what it's worth, I'm very glad this album exists.

Pale Communion is the eleventh studio album by the Swedish progressive rock/metal outfit Opeth. While the band has established itself as one of the premiere names in the progressive spectrum via it's blend of folk, blues and rock inspired soft acoustic passages and crushing death metal, topped off by front-man Mikael Akerfeldt's ability to flawlessly switch between haunting minstrel like clean singing and Entombed worth death growls, it has since abandoned the style with 2011's Heritage, going for a pure 1970s inspired prog rock sound. This transition was considered by many to be rather lackluster, but not only because of the axing of the death metal aspect, but also because of weak songwriting and just a generally uninteresting palette of songs.

Pale Communion picks up where Heritage left off, there is no return to the "roots" of Opeth, but this time, that's not a bad thing. If Heritage was badly put together, Pale Communion is the result of Mike and company taking a few wrenches and tightening up the bolts. Unlike on their previous effort, here the song-writing has almost reached a new high-point in Opeth's career. The song structures are interesting, the transitions are unpredictable but logical, songs have clear build-ups and "releases" and the tempo and rhythm changes plenty of times. Case in point of this transition is certainly the epic Moon Above, Sun Below, being an 11 minute rollercoaster that beautifully harkens back to Opeth's previous progressive monstrosities ala Demon of the Fall, Face of Melinda, Blackwater Park and Deliverance, all without a single growl and with almost no real metal elements, and certainly contains one of the best outros made by the band.

Another high-water mark, and another massive improvement over Heritage, are vocals. Mikael's clean singing contains more guts and variety than ever before. Finally mastering the hard rock inspired "power-cleans" in parts of Moon Above, Sun Below, Cusp of Eternity and River gives these songs another dimension that previously couldn't really be achieved with the subdued minstrel singing of previous releases. At the same time his performance in songs such as Elysian Woes and Faith in Others is as melancholic and haunting as he has ever been. In general while I still miss the death growls, the clean vocals on this release are great and amazingly complement the songs.

Not to just concentrate on Mikael, the entire band sounds extremely tight. The guitar riffs are much more technical than on Heritage, and also a lot more memorable. The solos as well, which naturally grow out of the background and end just when needed. Overall Mikael and Fredrik's performance on the album is as good as it ever was. The new addition to the band, Joakim Svalberg, also excels, driving the songs, giving them plenty of atmosphere and always throwing in a few interesting melodic passages. Martin Mendez's bass parts are well mixed into the songs, and do the job, but are really nothing extremely special, which is a shame as he previously had a much more active part in the structure of the songs. But the real standout here is without a doubt Martin Axenrot, seemingly finally completing his metamorphosis into an octopus. The drumming is very thick, very jazzy, very interesting and generally just very prominent. Stylistically it's varied as well, going from relaxed blues inspired parts in many songs, to a very death-metal inspired part with driving fast double-bass drumming just past the half-way mark on River and towards the end of Voice of Treason.

Another big addition is a massive emphasis on string-sections in some songs, which, coupled with the keyboard-work by Joakim, give many songs an amazing sense of atmosphere, depth and grandiosity. But by far the song that benefits the most from the string section is Faith in Others, which I'd currently rank as one of the most depressive songs made by Opeth. The song again shows Mike's new vocal prowess, where he beautifully takes over the string melody at the half-way mark. Again, an amazingly dark and haunting piece of music that can easily compete with Epilogue off of My Arms, Your Hearse.

While talking about haunting, this albums lyrics are certainly that. Almost every song seems to concern death, dying, depression, loss, betrayal and loneliness. Even though Opeth's lyrics were dark on the older albums, also usually being about suicide, loss, death, killing and similar themes, the lyrics on Pale Communion sound much more personal. Unlike the old albums which were fables of made up characters, these lyrics sound a lot like they are Mike's thoughts. In any case, the lyrics are decent, though I must say lack more "hooks" or memorable lines.

Now for the negatives, which I must admit, are few and far between. Mainly I'd call Voice of Treason a rather weak song, taking a very repetitive rhythm and showing it down our throats for much too long, and topping it off with a rather uninspired ending. Another problem with the album is that it is way too regressive; while I enjoy 1970s prog and 1980s hard rock/heavy metal, I'd be much happier if Opeth tried to find it's own niche, much how they did with their previous extreme progressive metal style. While Pale Communion certainly goes a long way from being the pure 1970s nerdgasm that was Heritage, it is still too far back in time for me to give it a glowing review.

Overall Pale Communion is a very good album, and a great return to form by Opeth. While Heritage left me rather unimpressed, and not really hyped up for the next release, this album certainly does that. I truly cannot wait to see if Opeth can top this album and where they will grow next.

I stumbled across Opeth just shortly after the turn of the century at a show where they were second after Angel Dust and before Nevermore. I had never heard of them up to this point. I was floored by that hybrid of old 70s prog and death metal and swore to get everything they had done, up to that point. I was hooked ever since that concert. The first metal show I took my children to was Opeth in 2004. I think this band gets so much undeserved shit by some in the metal community because they are so misunderstood. Their newest release, Pale Communion, should settle all misunderstandings. This is truly Opeth, sans the death metal approach, and it's just incredible.

In every Opeth album there is at least one section on each song that is acoustic, psychedelic, or reminiscent of old 70s prog and space rock. I guess it's just me but anyone who likes metal, I'm sure likes Pink Floyd, or Yes, or early Genesis...maybe even early Kansas. That mixture of the death metal with those prog sections made this band so unique. Some found this boring and uninteresting. I found it truly amazing. So the most natural progression for this band would be to strip away the death metal and go completely prog. They flirted with it on 2003s Damnation and it seemed they were on to something. You could tell that with each passing album after it, they were just going through the motions when it came to the death metal parts. Anyone who pays attention could tell that where they are now was inevitable. They just needed to say fuck it, and go for it. So they release statements that there will be no death metal vocals on what would become 2011's Heritage. Heritage was a good, but flawed start to this new sound. With this new album all the kinks have been ironed out and they could release album after album that sounded like this and I would be happy.

The biggest difference on this album compared to the last is the guitars. They have much more balls to them. Heritage seemed almost timid to me....like they were walking on eggshells. This time out they just went for it to create an album that shows their true identity. "Eternal Rains Will Come" is heavy on the organ but the guitars come to the front when they are required to. This is everything I love about 70s prog with the jazzy/fusion rhythms and the solos that just shred. Mikael's layered vocals sound quite good. The Moody Blues sounding Mellotron gives the song so much atmosphere. "Cusp of Eternity" is a bit more riff driven and a bit heavier. This guitar sound on the solo of this song is just mesmerizing. The vocal lines are sung well on this one as well. He seems to be refining his clean vocals and doing a good job of it. But that fucking solo...I guess his voice isn't the only thing Mikael's been refining.

It wouldn't be an Opeth album without the long epic number and "Moon Above, Sun Below" is that song. This song is just a rollercoaster of feelings and sounds. From softer acoustic passages and leads that sound like David Gilmore to heavier sounds to complex rhythms and an amazing solo. His layered vocals also are prominent here as they almost have an old school jazzy inflection to them in places and then to softer more melodic melodies as well. There is enough going on to keep you interested in this almost eleven minute opus. On the other hand, the opening to "River" sounds like an almost southern rock song with the acoustic opening and harmonies. The solo and the keyboards just scream Allman Brothers in places on this song, then is replaced by this jam where the solos are just battling it out. Trying to actually describe this entire song, as with most songs on this album, is impossible because of all the dimensions at play here.

You have some songs that are on the "heavy" side like the aforementioned "Cusp of Eternity." "Voice of Treason" is another song that has this heavy feel about it. It has some eastern sounding melodies fused with some heavier melodies and tempos. The last two minutes are fucking epic and Mikael's voice gives me chills here. The melancholy lyrics are one thing that Opeth has not changed. The album closer, "Faith in Others" is prime example of that darkness. This is a softer song not reaching anything more than a ballad in terms of it's rhythm or melody. But it's one of those ballads that borders on epic and makes this the perfect way to close this incredible musical journey.

I'm an unapologetic Opeth fan. I have enjoyed all of their albums and absolutely love most of them. This band has created some of the most incredible music I've ever heard. Why they are so divisive in the metal community is beyond me. I guess because I feel that the 70s prog was the path that led me to heavy metal every metalhead should love this band. All I know is that after going through their progression I think they've released the perfect album for where they are as a band. If you don't understand what Opeth is about after this album then, maybe, you won't ever get it. I think this album is flawless.


http://elitistmetalhead.blogspot.com/

When the much beloved Swedish progressive metal titans opted to discard their death metal roots for their tenth album Heritage as a fan of both the band and 70's prog rock music I was much curious to see how things will work out. It was definitely not an easy decision to make a sudden departure from their original much appreciated sound that has influenced a generation of underground metal bands. But I've always liked Opeth for their brazen creativity. Alas, it didn't click that well for Heritage as it did for Damnation.

While it wasn't something appalling it wasn't exactly decent either. The result was a set of folk-jazz-progressive rock fusion tunes which sounded rather 'dull' than 'innovative', a word much associated with the band prior to this album. While the band gained some new followers old fans were alienated regarding their opinion.

Pale Communion attempts to rectify the errors of its predecessor by making the sound much tight and balanced. The long time associate of the band and Mikael Akerfeldt's soulmate Steven Wilson (Porcupine Tree, Blackfield) is back again for mixing duties and Travis Smith demonstrates a gorgeous piece of artwork yet again.

The record kicks-off with "Eternal Rains Will Come", with organs trembling all over, a few moments of acoustic calmness to slow things down, soon after the organs come pumping again leading to Akerfeldt, Akesson and Svalberg's multi-tracked vocal harmonies. The solo is quite well executed as well. "Cusp of Eternity" is full of melodrama with a cheesy chorus and blurry rhythm section. Also the solo is overdone like Steve Vai or Buckethead noodling and didn't seem to complement the song. "Moon Above, Sun Below" begins with a jazzy pace but all of a sudden gets surprisingly heavy with the burst of Blackwater Park territory riffing and even a glimpse of Akerfeldt's good ol' growl (although it sounds more like howling than growling) during "....They will eat from your head" but he holds back. Then it gradually delves into a progressive epic. Definitely the best song the band has churned out in recent years with a shade of old Opethian brilliance that we all love and crave.

The instrumental "Goblin" is a tribute to the namesake Italian prog rockers and it wouldn't seem out of place in their Roller record. The drumming of Axenrot and synth playing of Svalberg are clear highlights on this one. "River" is a catchy tune, while mostly acoustic ventures into heavier territory during closing minutes. The album concludes with plodding, gentle and rather unexciting "Faith in Others" which harks back the dull moments of Heritage.

Pale Communion is certainly a step up from its predecessor but overall it doesn't sound 'innovative' and 'fresh' as words like these used to be synonymous with Opeth. While a much better homage to 70's prog rock than Heritage the basic body of work found here has been done before a million times by bands like Spock's Beard, King's X, Unitopia and Karmakanic. Buy it if you're a die-hard fan or for Travis Smith's brilliant artwork, otherwise download "Eternal Rains..", "Moon Above, Sun Below" and "River" from iTunes.

Originally written for: moanineggnog.blogspot.com

After 3 years from the tenth and discussed progressive rock album Heritage Opeth continue with the evolution from their death metal origins to the progressive rock with this new record called Pale Communion which presents a mix between late seventies and early eighties progressive rock. In 2011 there were a lot of discussions and disappointments behind their tenth studio album Heritage because there was a big change of direction and it sounds like a complete detachment from the prog\death metal style that many fans considered the main feature of this band.

In these last years the leader Mikael Akerfeldt has underlined in many interviews a different perception of music and his nostalgic love for the vintage sounds of the seventies that were confirmed with the realization of Heritage. Pale Communion continues on the progressive rock way demonstrating the unlimited power of creation of the mastermind and main compositor M.Akerfeldt, this time there is also a more recognizable Opeth’s sound especially in songs like “Elysian Woes”, which sounds like something from their Damnation album, or in the longest one “Moon Above, Sun Below” and its alternation between clean and distortion, calm and heavy sounds.

Pale Communion offers eight tracks with a run time of 55 minutes, there is a lot of melodies and harmonies perfect fixed together, some unusual sessions, especially at the beginning of “River” that sounds like something never made before from Opeth with clean guitars that reminds me something from ‘70s pop rock. The love of Mikael Akerfeldt for the Italian progressive rock is all in the instrumental track “Goblin”, a tribute to the Italian progressive rockers. The most rhythmic and heavy song is the single “Cusp of Eternity” , “Voice of Treason” and “Faith in Others” are perfectly orchestrated and full of emotions and melodies with a cinematographic sound.

I can say that Pale Communion is one of the best and unpredictable Opeth’s album, a perfect example of what does Akerfeldt mean when he say “ all over the place”, this band continues to not repeating themselves. All the songs are well written and easily identifiable, this album continues on the way of Heritage but its more accessible and focused. In an ideological discography order I can put Pale communion between Watershed and Heritage as a linking album. This is an open mind evolution for this band and Pale Communion is another little masterpiece in modern rock/metal music.

I think it's a normal endeavor for any bands with long careers to change or to evolve to use a pretentious expression that can irk some people calling themselves purists. Sure, I can appreciate the persistence to craft your formula during decades of hard work like Motorhead has been doing. They won't stop till Lemmy is dead and buried (yes, this will happen one day, Dio save my soul). I guess you know where I'm going with this, it's a no brainer, really. Opeth, since their magical first album in 1995, has been progressing, has been building an impressive (and without any weak albums) discography. The band turning into a full fledged progressive rock unit was only the logical step they had to take. A step Opeth aficionados were expecting since Åkerfeldt is a big time prog fan.

Here's Pale Communion released three years after the divisive Heritage, an album which (to my complete disarray) managed to confuse a lot of metal fans even though it was clearly announced that it was putting aside the harsh vocals and the death metal guitars beforehand. Watershed was a transition album but I'd also say that Heritage is also one of these releases, so I guess that growth took two albums! While I liked their 2011 album, I reckon it has its fair share of weaknesses. It really took me a while to get into it before I reach the conclusion that it was essentially enjoyable only with headphones, it had a lot of buried subtleties like flute solos and ethnic percussion. While it was basically a progressive rock album, it was certainly an Opeth album, this was as loud and clear as when they released Damnation already more than a decade ago. There's no constraints of any sorts that would undermine their identity, it can only reinforce it. This new album flows in the same direction as Heritage but improves the method and form that were explored previously.

Pale Communion is perhaps heavier since the guitars regained some of their distortion but it's not as instrumentally inclined and atmospheric as Heritage. This was the main wrongdoing of this album. It tried too hard to be intricate by incorporating jazz and folk influences (see both bonus tracks, especially “Face in the Snow”) but everything is forgiven with this new album since they managed to include said elements in a better way. Even though there's an instrumental track (“Goblin” named after the Italian prog legends), it's not padding, it's an emotional song with great drumming and some Tangerine Dream-esque keyboards. Throughout the eight songs, we see Opeth being at ease with their progressive rock and the songwriting simply rocks. If you were expecting a metal album, you've been living underneath a shitload of rocks, fellow. The fellow Swedish band Beardfish (highly recommended) are probably heavier than Opeth nowadays, they should tour with them instead of fucking In Flames. Damn you Swedish nepotism!!!

One of the great strengths of this record is its excellent cohesion, everything fits together and it's apparent that Mikael Åkerfeldt (the team's captain) as a Scandinavian played with Lego when he was a child since the sound blocks are so well connected. There's no out of place tracks like “Slither” on their previous album, it's stylistically strong and it has no useless filler interludes like Heritage had. I think building a varied album that feels so cohesive is the true challenge but this time, it was a success. From the folk (almost Neil Young-esque) intro of “River” to the heavy organ instrumental half of “Eternal Rains Will Come”, there's a definitive diversity to be found here but it's all wrapped under a huge blanket of talented editing and coherence. I think the folky side of Opeth should be investigated, a totally acoustic album (like Kimi Kärki of Lord Vicar did) would be a dream come true for the fan boy that I am.

The metal remnants are mostly in the typical Opeth guitar leads that have been the bread and butter of the band since Still Life. The ten minutes track “Moon Above, Sun Below” is a pretty good embodiment of the whole album, it features the occasional acoustic guitars and an immense keyboard presence (the debut of Joakim Svalberg replacing Per Wiberg.) The vocals are probably the strongest clean ones Opeth ever had, there's loads of back vocals supporting the delivery of Mike (including his potential English male lover Steven Wilson.) These vocal harmonies (listen to “Cusp of Eternity") are one of the clear highlights of this album, it's catchy, surprising and really enjoyable. There's even some more gritty hard rock vocals here and there. The Swedish musician always had a genius flair for vocal melodies and we clearly see him expanding his clean vocals abilities to the maximum of his capability on this record. He's confident and it's obvious.

The organ tone does wonders alongside the (always excellent) guitars. Martin Mendez's place in Opeth has been more subdued in the past, he's quite excellent in the closer “Faith in Others”. I like his contribution, he's more engaged and has more place to grow than before. Axenrot's drumming is perhaps the best of his career, he had to endure some criticism since he replaced the beloved Martin Lopez (who was rumored to play on two songs on this album, but there's no credits confirming that) but I think he proved that he can really play softer and that he's not only good as a death metal drummer (see Bloodbath). Akin to the songwriting, his playing is intricate, subtle and interesting.

While I'll admit I'd like them to go back to a death metal sound with growls, I like this a lot anyway. I don't want them to release Ghost Reveries part 2 anyway! Mikael said he had composed ten minutes metal songs for Heritage (on the album's making of on the bonus DVD) but deleted them because he didn't feel like it. There's no point in lying to yourself and record metal because that's what your fan base wants. Even though it's not metal, it still has a fairly dark thematic that I can admit could create some sort of dichotomy with the harmonious & melodic musical elements. I mean, there seems to be no reasons to write for Mikael these sad, depressive lyrics, he's one of the most acclaimed and successful musicians of his generation! Be happier, Mike! (who the fuck am I to tell him what to do?) These two extracts are still as dark as their metal albums:

“There comes a time when the river runs dry
Winter comes and we sacrifice
Our lives”

“Out through the doors of starvation
And into the rains of damnation
Where the bitter winds are singing”

In a recent interview, Mikael said: “when you have children you start to worry about things. So I ended up being a worrier.” and I can definitely see a difference in approach compared to his early lyrics when he was in his twenties. I can understand this sort of personal yet universal darkness that could plague anyone. Opeth will remain a dark band, no matter what and that's fine. Frank Zappa's silly but funny lyrics wouldn't fit the instrumentation and the personality the band has been creating for more than two decades.

There's still certainly a lot of melancholy like the closer “Faith in Others” with its beautiful piano parts. There's a lot of seventies rock influences but it's earnestly well integrated within what is without an ounce of doubt a progression of the band's identity. There's almost no bands who achieved to sound as unique as these Swedes. Another thing I liked is the somewhat restrained compositions. Opeth is well known for their stretched out river songs but Pale Communion has short songs based on their former standards and there's absolutely no time wasted anywhere and the calm moments are much better than on Heritage or even Watershed (“Coil” included).

Surely not the album you need to hear to get into Opeth and not an album for die hard metal fans (well, all their discography is hardly for them anyway, they're not bullet belts and sunglasses war metal), Pale Communion succeeds at the task of continuing a comfortable evolution. It revitalized the faith I had somewhat lost in them but deep down, I always knew they were gonna release an essential prog rock album and they just did. I'm just sad I'll have to wait another three or four years to get another album! I've missed their tours for the latest album but I won't miss the upcoming one as it will be a marvelous Christmas offering for my senses. It's a great album by a band with nothing but everything to prove. They proved their worth as a prog rock band before but with Pale Communion, they cemented that fact in my eyes.

tl:dr: Mikael Åkerfeldt is Jesus.

P.S. oh, the two bonus tracks on the Blu Ray disc are quite good, both live covers including a pretty nice rendition of Black Sabbath's classic ballad "Solitude".

Metantoine's Magickal Realm

"Pale Communion" is a slightly heavier and more accessible follow-up to the mellow "Heritage" release where the Swedish quintet continues to explore psychedelic progressive rock sounds. Those who were expecting a return to the band's heavier doom and death metal ridden material will wait eternally.

The album opens promisingly with the experimental jazz-driven "Eternal Rains Will Come" which is also dominated by occult organ sounds. This best song on the record includes a firework of atmospheric and technical progressive rock elements. The song seems to be mostly influenced by progressive rock legend King Crimson. Another often overlooked genre band that is honoured on this album is the Italian electronic and symphonic progressive rock band Goblin in the instrumental song of the same name. As a fan of both King Crimson and Goblin, I really dig Opeth's playful homages but I imagine that fans of the band's early and middle years might need some time to get into this kind of more sophisticated retro music.

The most accessible song on here is "Cusp Of Eternity" with its slightly oriental sounds. Despite its beautiful mellow melodies and one of the simplest but catchiest choruses in the history of Opeth, this track turns out to be among the heavier pieces on this release which really speaks volumes for what Opeth represents by now.

After a strong start, the album includes a few too many mellow and ultimately lengthy passages in the second half. Most tracks have their moments in form of atmospheric guitar sounds sending shivers down my spine and the enchanting and mysterious vocals that seem to sound better and more authentic on each new record. These moments of magic are often followed by a few too many instrumental passages that lack direction and tension. I often thought that Opeth wrote many promising songs if they lasted for only four or five minutes instead of stretching them to seven and eight minutes. After a while, some of these tracks like "River" start to grow on patient listeners but there is still a lack of focus and some wasted potential in most of these songs.

After all, the retro progressive rock release "Pale Communion" still sounds more focused in terms of song writing, diversity and atmosphere than the sometimes directionless and shy predecessor "Heritage". The band's latest output still lacks the intensity and uniqueness of some records from its early and middle years and is definitely not a masterpiece or complete return to form. After all, this release is somewhere in the middle of Opeth's already extensive discography in terms of quality. If you like seventies' progressive rock music, you will admire this release. Potential new fans and those who prefer some heavier stuff should avoid this release and don't simply buy it only because of Opeth's big name on it.