HERITAGE

This album had Opeth's fans divided before its first notes were even out there. Basically, one part of the fans were die-hard (black / death / whatever) metal fans who took it as a personal offense that their favourite band would "betray" them or their "community", while the other part consisted of people who were excited that this wonderful band would just follow their music wherever it took them, not caring too much about people's opinion (I'm reminded of Metallica as I write this ...). For some reason, this change of direction was less well-tolerated than the one they tried on their previous experiment -- Damnation. My guess would be that everyone saw Damnation as just that -- an experiment; whereas the direction they picked for Heritage sounded like a permanent change.

I guess you could put me in the second category. I was not at all repelled by the idea that one of my favourite bands would get rid of the heavier metal part of their music, especially at a time where I began to explore other musical horizons myself, including prog: while I still enjoyed the metal sound, no matter how heavy, the whole scene was beginning to sound extremely repetitive to me and Opeth were one of the very few metal bands I was still listening to.

However, I had my doubts.

What I always found interesting in Opeth's music was their way of switching from very heavy parts to softer and moving ones; their mixture of progressive elements with straightforward and brutal ones; the blend of acoustic guitars and distorted ones; and so on. Deciding to give a more progressive aspect to their music and dropping the metal elements was a courageous move, but would they be able to make it sound interesting?

Well, I was surely interested in finding out, so I went for the limited edition and refused to hear anything from that album before it showed up in my mailbox. And then I played it, and ...

... and boy, what a disappointment. I must have played the album in its entirety only two or three times, and I had to force myself to keep listening all the while. I'm forcing myself yet again as I write this review, hoping to hear something that will prove me wrong, hoping to understand all those positive reviews that I've read. But I can't hear anything remarkable on this record. Yes, they are trying to sound different, but that's exactly the point: you can hear that they're trying, and exploring new musical grounds without really knowing where they're headed. Although, to be fair, I must admit that I enjoy it a little bit better than back at the time of its release; maybe I've grown more indulgent towards it, and I must admit that there are a few enjoyable moments, but nothing that will keep me coming back to it. I still have to force myself to keep playing it, and I usually either stop after the first three or four songs, or I start skipping. This piece of music may sound impressive to someone who is just discovering that there is a whole musical world outside (black / death / whatever) metal, but if you come from a more eclectic background, let alone a progressive one, you'll find there is nothing here to write home about.

I don't want to be too harsh on Opeth. I'm fond of what they were previous to that album, they still are wonderful musicians, and they deserve praise for fleeing their comfort zones and trying to reinvent themselves. But still, I can't figure out why so many reviews (not necessarily on PA) praise this as a masterpiece. If anything, it's merely a good first step in the right direction, but I'll take Transatlantic any day over this. That's not what Opeth has to become, of course, but I think I'll wait a few more albums before I give them another try. Meanwhile, I'll keep spinning their previous records.