Opeth-Watershed Review

Posted by Dan Marsicano on 06.03.2008

Opeth returns after a three year absence with a new record and a new lineup. Will the loss of the band's long-time guitarist and drummer affect Opeth's sound, or will fans embrace the new lineup and the softer sound on display on Watershed?

The Band

Mikael Åkerfeldt – Vocals, Guitar
Fredrik Åkesson - Guitar
Martin Mendez - Bass
Martin Axenrot - Drums
Per Wiberg – Keyboards


The Track Listing

1. Coil-3:10
2. Heir Apparent-8:30
3. The Lotus Eater-8:30
4. Burden-7:41
5. Porcelain Heart-8:00
6. Hessian Peel-11:25
7. Hex Omega-7:04





The Review

2005’s Ghost Reveries was a huge success for Swedish progressive death metal band Opeth. It was their first record with Roadrunner Records, and while some were worried that the band was going to go all mainstream on us, Ghost Reveries did not disappoint fans with a calmer, yet more forceful, approach to their classic sound.

Since then, the band has gone through a lot of changes, especially in the lineup. Longtime guitarist Peter Lingren and drummer Martin Lopez both left the band, which was the first major lineup change in the band in about ten years (keyboardist Per Wiberg was added to the band a few years back). Undeterred, main songwriter/vocalist/guitarist Mikael Åkerfeldt hardly flinched and brought two new members into the band. A huge change of the lineup might have had an effect on any other band, but not Opeth. Watershed is another masterpiece in the band’s catalog, with the band making a more unique and “quirky” album than their previous one.

Fans expecting a brutal album, or a return to their past, might be disappointed by what they hear on Watershed. It is definitely a “softer” album than what most fans are used to. Don’t worry though; it isn’t Damnation part 2. The best way I can describe it is to take the band’s past three albums, put them in a blender, add a better production, and you basically get Watershed.

“Coil” seems like the sequel to Ghost Reveries’s last track, “Isolation Years.” It is an entirely acoustic song, with a folk vibe to it, featuring wonderfully done female vocals by Nathalie Lorichs. The song is a deceiving one, as next track “Heir Apparent” is the heaviest song the band has played since the Deliverance days. The song is the only one on the album entirely sung in growls and Åkerfeldt does not disappoint. His growls seem to get better and better as the years go on, which is just incredible to me. New drummer Martin Axenrot and guitarist Fredrik Åkesson fit right into the band, making the song sound like Lopez and Lingren never left.

The album gets a bit softer from this point, but since this is Opeth we’re talking about, you know that the brutal riffing and growls aren’t far behind. While the first half of “Hessian Peel” has the band trading space with violins to create a tranquil, yet brooding, musical landscape, the last half of “Hessian Peel” is a violent awakening back to reality, complete with pounding drums, skull crushing guitar work, and Åkerfeldt harshest vocals on the album.

The band experiments with many different tempos and time changes that will surprise you on the first listen. “The Lotus Eater” has Mikael singing cleanly over frantic blastbeats and a funk metal breakdown near the end of the track, while “Burden” sounds like a lost track from the 70’s, with an extended organ solo, duel guitar solos, and high clean vocals that would not be out of place on a Camel or Deep Purple album.

A lot of the changes can be attributed to the members of the band. Drummer Martin Axenrot is as talented of a drummer as his predecessor was and his style is a mix of jazz and death metal. Axenrot impresses with some tasteful fills, double bass work, and strange time signature changes (the unique drum fills he performs after the first chorus of "Porcelain Heart"). Vocalist/guitarist Mikael Åkerfeldt is the highlight of the album, as his vocals have never sounded better and his guitar work is a mix of death metal, jazz, funk, and progressive rock, with his acoustic work having a classical feel to it. Martin Mendez is heard clearly and adds a lot of depth to the band’s sound, as does Per Wiberg on the keyboards. After hearing Per’s work on the past two albums, I wonder why the band didn’t think of a full-time keyboardist before Ghost Reveries, as I now can’t see them without one.

Watershed is another brilliant release from Opeth. The band does what they want to do and doesn’t follow any trends or what is popular in the “mainstream”. Opeth has always been about progression and never doing the same thing from album to album. Watershed is definitely the band’s most unique album and one that mostly likely will take a few listens to digest. However, in my opinion, Watershed is the best release of 2008 so far, and will be hard to beat. It’s the most beautifully tragic masterpiece of the year and an experience that can’t be missed.

The 411: Watershed is definitely the best piece of music I have heard all year, without a shadow of a doubt. If you like metal music even a little bit, you need to pick Watershed up. This is the type of album that only comes around every couple of years. Some of you may criticize the band for softening their sound a bit, but trust me, parts of Watershed are as brutal as the band has ever gotten. So go to the store, pick up the deluxe edition (a bonus DVD with the album in 5.1, three bonus tracks, and backstage videos), and rock out to a potential future classic.

Final Score:  9.5   [  Amazing ]