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Joined: May 23 2011
Location: Israel
Status: Offline
Points: 84
Topic: Opeth - Heritage Posted: December 30 2011 at 08:40
Well today was my first listen to it... and the album is just incredible! after the rather "weak" album "Watershed" Opeth evolve their music into some kind of A modern King Crimson like heavy prog. The album sound is very uniqe and grim, I didn't expect such an experimental and chaotic sound from Opeth but what can I say Mikael never seize to amaze me. Axe and Martin Mendez give what is in my opinion their best performance to date with extraordinary drums and bass. The mixing job by steven wilson is inredible as usual, and the album have great sound quality.
Overall i enjoyed "Heritage" alot and I cant wait to see them live in March.
Death seed blind man's greed
Poets' starving children bleed
Nothing he's got he really needs
Twenty first century schizoid man.
Joined: June 18 2009
Location: Mexico
Status: Offline
Points: 12813
Posted: December 24 2011 at 13:41
At last I got to hear this album. I found it rather interesting, but still need to listen to it more. I did expecti it to have more metal in it, even if it lacked growling, but indeed it's not even got much of metal... though I wouldn't call it a soft album, either (like Damnation).
Joined: August 20 2010
Location: Netherlands
Status: Offline
Points: 12
Posted: December 24 2011 at 03:53
This is the first Opeth album I really don't like. It has nothing to do with the lack of grunting. It has everything to do with overall dullness and a lack of extremes that made prior Opeth albums so interesting.
Every song is working towards a climax.. but instead of a climax, the song ends. A person above already stated that the only 2 interesting songs were short ones (lines in my hand, folklore); I could not agree more. These tracks are great, but they are the only ones.
Drumming is excellent, bass is excellent, keyboard is good, guitar is good, I even think the singing is pretty good, but put them all together and it's just forced and boring. Big big letdown.
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Joined: August 12 2007
Location: Bryant, Wa
Status: Offline
Points: 8617
Posted: October 18 2011 at 12:43
Listening to the 5.1 mix. Love it.
The "making of" video Ankerfeldt explains the original music was more metal but they just were not "feeling it". Which just goes to show that so much of "feeling" when listening has to do with listener perception and expectation and is simply transferred onto the artist.
Joined: June 18 2009
Location: Mexico
Status: Offline
Points: 12813
Posted: October 17 2011 at 18:49
The Doctor wrote:
Heritage will be my first Opeth album ever once it arrives. Heard the "single" and thought it was pretty strong, so I made the leap. I also liked Akerfeldt's clean voice on the last OSI album (or was it the one before that?). Whether I like it or not, we'll see, although, even if I do, I won't be digging too heavily into their discography as I do not like death metal growls at all. May pick up Damnation though if I like Heritage.
Just, don't take Heritage to judge if you'll like Damnation... I still haven't heard Heritage (hope to do so soon), but for what I've heard about it it's a whole different thing to Damnation. As a matter of fact, I didn't like Damnation so much, I found it a bit to soft and I just didn't like the songs so much... and I don't like growling at all, but the album just wasn't for me. I'm expecting to like Heritage (I'll just have to wait and see... or hear).
Joined: June 23 2005
Location: The Tardis
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Points: 8543
Posted: October 17 2011 at 08:57
Heritage will be my first Opeth album ever once it arrives. Heard the "single" and thought it was pretty strong, so I made the leap. I also liked Akerfeldt's clean voice on the last OSI album (or was it the one before that?). Whether I like it or not, we'll see, although, even if I do, I won't be digging too heavily into their discography as I do not like death metal growls at all. May pick up Damnation though if I like Heritage.
I can understand your anger at me, but what did the horse I rode in on ever do to you?
Joined: February 16 2006
Location: Pennsylvania
Status: Offline
Points: 31169
Posted: October 17 2011 at 08:40
Unfortunately it seems I am feeling less favorable towards this album with repeated listens. The music is good, but I can't think of any tracks that really reach out and grab me.
Joined: June 22 2004
Location: England
Status: Offline
Points: 16130
Posted: October 17 2011 at 07:45
I never thought I'd say it, but I miss the 'cookie monster' vocals a bit. I think Opeth do 'death' very well indeed.
But they've always had great prog credentials too, and Heritage, as Jim says is a grower. It has more depth to it than Damnation - the other non death growls album - and is more ambitious. 3 stars for now, but a probable contender for 4 in the near future.
Joined: February 02 2004
Location: South England
Status: Offline
Points: 14693
Posted: October 17 2011 at 07:02
Tony R wrote:
Bonnek wrote:
Kotro wrote:
I had very high hopes for this album. After the third listen, I'm dissapointed. It's not that it's bad (it's not), it's just... boring and surprisingly uninspired. The songwriting is indeed crappy, there are severall good moments, but they are all lost among lesser ones. The longer tracks fail miserably. Most remarkable moments for me are the short rocker "The Lines in My Hand" and the amazing final two-and-a-half minutes of "Folklore".
Exactly this, on all points, I find it an agreeable listen but there's not much beneath the surface.Mike can write decent songs and if he remembers how to, the new sound certainly has potential for a future release.
It's a real grower. I would say, and I have thought about it, that this is probably the best re-invention of a band since PT released In Absentia. Yes, I see it as a gateway album, a means to en end, but after a dozen listens I could confidently give it 4.5 stars. It is a classic rock album with many Prog elements. There are chunks of Red by Crimson, some Gentle Giant and even some Camel but these are fused with 70s bands like Deep Purple/Rainbow, later Zep and even Rush.
Terrific listen with real depth, well done Opeth.
The recording and mixing is flawless too!
A great way to throw off the death metal heritage of the band.
I have to say, I wasn't too sure on the first 2/3 listens, then something clicked & I 'got' the album; I now think it's their strongest recent album - in fact, I'd say it's their strongest since Blackwater Park (although completely different albums) & probably one I'd play the most at the moment - superb production from Wilson, great songwriting, great musicianship. A definite 8/10 (and growing ).
If this is a reinvention, cannot wait until the next album...
If Heritage or Grace for Drowning is Prog Archives album of the year, I will be very pleased. Both are incredible works. Heritage will bring Opeth a brand new audience. The people who saw merit in their music, but were put off by the cookie monster growly vocals. My brother is more interested in jazz, but he borrowed my copy of Heritage and ripped it to his PC. I think even my dad would enjoy this disc.
I honestly won't be bothered if Opeth continue to go further in this direction. BWP was great, but it's been done. We don't need to hear it remade again and again. Other bands with metal beginnings have successfully transcended their roots and gone into more atmospheric and progressive avenues, like Katatonia and Anathema. I will be pleased if Opeth follow suit
Hello, mirror. So glad to see you, my friend. It's been a while...
Joined: August 20 2010
Location: Germany
Status: Offline
Points: 1840
Posted: October 09 2011 at 11:51
infocat wrote:
silverpot wrote:
Formentera Lady wrote:
Opeth wants me to have at least one of their albums in my collection (even at the cost that they annoy old Opeth fans). Well, they reached their goal.
That's true for me as well. I've just ordered the album after listening to it on Spotify several times. I never thought this would ever happen.
Did you guys miss Damnation?
That was the first Opeth I bought, and I went quite a while before getting a second because I was "scared" of trying the harsh vocals. Pretty silly, in retrospect!
No, absolutely not. In fact, I bought Damnation a week ago. Now I have two Opeth albums in my collection.
Joined: June 10 2011
Location: Colorado, USA
Status: Offline
Points: 4671
Posted: October 08 2011 at 11:39
silverpot wrote:
Formentera Lady wrote:
Opeth wants me to have at least one of their albums in my collection (even at the cost that they annoy old Opeth fans). Well, they reached their goal.
That's true for me as well. I've just ordered the album after listening to it on Spotify several times. I never thought this would ever happen.
Did you guys miss Damnation?
That was the first Opeth I bought, and I went quite a while before getting a second because I was "scared" of trying the harsh vocals. Pretty silly, in retrospect!
In the documentary that came with the album, Mikael seemed to imply that the metal/growling days of Opeth are over. I won't really miss the growling at all, but I will definitely miss the contrasts between the super-heavy and melodic acoustic sections of the heavier albums.
Haha, the bonus DVD really cracked me up - Mike looked so bored and annoyed.
He's talked quite a bit in interviews lately about his mood swings and bouts with depression, so maybe he just had one of his "low points", but the parts where he's in his home studio talking about the record he could not have looked less enthusiastic if he tried.
Joined: July 24 2008
Location: Big Muddy
Status: Offline
Points: 5210
Posted: September 30 2011 at 08:49
I like Orchid.
I like this one better. It is definitely growing with each listen. I'm not sure if I'm going to give it 5 stars, but I might. But I really admire Mikael for taking big risks, just a lot of artistic integrity to follow his muse rather than following the money.
I have Still Life and Ghost Reveries. I don't need another one.
You are quite a fine person, and I am very fond of you. But you are only quite a little fellow, in a wide world, after all.
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Opeth - Heritage
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The Doctor wrote:
).
I've just ordered the album after listening to it on Spotify several times. I never thought this would ever happen. 
