Review Summary: Opeth's 9th "Observation" will more than satisfy the faithful whilst silencing criticism against the band resting on its laurels.
To be perfectly honest with you all I have never been a fan of “extreme metal” nor have I ever had an extensive passion for metal music in its entirety. You will probably find it funny that for the past 3 months I have been listening to this fine Scandinavian bands music none stop. Perhaps it’s their devotion to keeping their sound firmly in the regions of grief, sorrow, and the occult, basically the finer thing’s in life. Or is it lead man Mikael Åkerfeldt’s obsession with cramming in as many progressive influences he can in songs usually no shorter in length than ten minutes.
After weeks of thinking quietly to myself I found it was a more personal matter than just technical skill and dark theatrics which kept me coming back for more. The first Opeth album I purchased was 1999’s brilliant Still Life which enticed me with its folk music interludes and jagged guitar riffs. Their sound reminded of albums and artists I cherished already. I could hear the progressive acoustics of late folk poet Nick Drake, the ambient and visceral unification of Metallica's earlier records; Ride the Lightning and Master of Puppets for example. But put simply I could hear some of my all time favorite artists combined seamlessly into the bands mix of progressive metal. It is discovering one of those rare bands which feel like they are on your exact wave length.
Opeth's 9th studio album “Watershed” then, should more than please those who generally feel the same way as I do and have described. In fact it caters to fans so well that the accusation “holding pattern” could very well be shouted from each corner of the room. This has been an accusation though hasn’t it. As time passes us by it seems that fans feel overly spoilt and are left in question to why they feel that way. But ignore the thought for a second to simply play Watershed with no expectations. Then travel back to lets say 2001 to hear the monolithic Blackwater Park with fresh ears.
Much has changed since then. Arguably the Opeth you hear on Watershed is a force you have not felt before. Watershed compared to past releases heralds striking differences. The Keyboard is now a prominent instrument and this album more than any of their others concentrates on classicist orchestrations. It isn’t just the keyboard however which gives the album its new sound, some of the band’s gargantuan riffs and soundscapes echo Arena rock all over the walls. And Arena Rock is the only way to describe the airy “Burden” and the epic by sound and title “Hex Omega”. Coil with its female guest vocals (by the unknown Nathalie Lorichs) could also be seen as relative departure to Opeth's sound though It's track 3, The Lotus Eater which truly signifies that all bets are off.
The Lotus Eaters hummed interlude behind creeping string and bass orchestrations sounds strange enough but by 05:48 a jazzy almost computer game like keyboard section enters the fray. This section appears out of nowhere and makes the tracks relative weirdness beforehand seem just like another Opeth song in comparison. After this point the rest of Watershed features haunting nuances. Porcupine Trees Steve Wilson already demonstrated to Mikael the positive effects of the keyboard extensively on Damnation. However here Per Wiberg is determined to outshine Wilson in terms of aiding Opeth. Instead of using his instrument to just add atmosphere he fly’s actual melody’s out of the bands wall of noise adding a new dimension to each track.
Of course though, the bands risk taking does get them sounding inconsistent. And quite frankly a track like Porcelain Heart is not up to Opeth’s usual standards. It is fairly decent, yes, but for the first time in Opeth's carrier they sound like they are making a song for the sake of purely filling disc space. The songs redeeming factor is fabulous snare drumming ? (if that’s what it is) during the 02:15 mark of the songs main riff courtesy of new drummer Martin Axenrot. Still though, Porcelain Heart can’t help but stick out like a sore thumb. Another weakness is the albums somewhat disjointed arrangements. Most of the time Watersheds disjointedness helps it more than hurts it but some of its section changes don’t stick out as well as they should. Burden whilst overall a high quality ballad features an overly long down tuning end section to Michaels acoustic guitar. This part of the song whilst intriguing at first just beings to sound annoying after awhile. Per’s infrequent keyboard parts also fail to attain a memorable melody.
Watersheds best track is probably Hessian Peel, it is also the longest. At first it seems to be nothing but a traditional Opeth moment but repeated listens reveal it to feature beautiful sunny orchestrations and threatening almost Spanish like guitar lines. Hessian Peel ultimately seals what most is to like about the album and feels like the most unified piece of the entire set. In conclusion Opeth continue to delve into the unknown. On Watershed more than any other of their albums Opeth make a promise for even more greater, daring and consistent recordings in the making. Watershed is not the greatest Opeth album so far but damn if it doesn’t satisfy the fans and doesn’t silence the critics, nothing they do can.
