Opeth - Watershed [2008].

Who else has been excited at the prospect of the new Opeth album?!

Opeth very rarely make bad songs. It's a fact. They're just that sort of band that create the most beautiful music combined with heavy vocals and whatnot. I can just imagine Mikael Akerfeldt sitting in his chair now, steepling his fingers ala Mr. Burns and gloating over his success. Silently of course, I'd be upset if he was an arrogant rude type, so I'll let him be silently gloaty. Damn you Mr. Akerfeldt!

The starter is the lovely Coil. And by lovely I mean fucking gorgeous. I think my heart almost skipped a beat when I heard the female vocals in the song. They complement it so well. Where Coil possesses a delicate beauty, the next song, Heir Apparent, is pure Opeth. True to form, it dances between the two sides of the musical spectrum; heavy and.. er, not.

The Lotus Eater has a very funky break near abouts the six minute mark. Very funky indeed. It made me want to dance my little heart out. You can also hear the bass, which is also damn awesome. If you fear funky little breaks in Opeth songs, stay away! AWAYY! But no, listen to it, it's only about a minute long, and the song is just great.

Hessian Peel is the longest song on the album, coming in at 11:24. It's rather grandiose, and the big crescendo hits after about five minutes in the form of Mikael's harsh vocals. What better musical climax could there possibly be?! Don't answer that. I admire those of you with the patience to sit through a song this long, but that's what you get if you're a fan of progressive music (just for the record, I'm not saying my attention span is waning, I can sit through a song that's 11 minutes long with ease, but many people can't).

I read in a recent interview with Mikael that their new cd was very well received, and people close to him told him that it was their best effort to date. Perhaps in the eyes of some people it is, perhaps in others it isn't. I'm almost adamant that Opeth very rarely disappoint their fans, and this cd should be just as well received as all their others have been. Being an Opeth fan I can say that they haven't disappointed me yet, and I pray I have not just jinxed that.

Opeth have firmly cemented themselves as near gods in the progressive metal genre, and why not? If you've never had the pleasure to listen to them, then you're really missing out. They make beautiful music, and let's face it, who said heavy can't be beautiful?

For those of you who are unaware, Opeth are touring Australia in September. If you can make it to a concert, go. You know you want to.