Opeth - Pale Communion

I listened to the leaked track Cusp of Eternity yesterday.  Stylistically it's a continuation of the sound of Heritage.  This particular song has a very simple construction, it's essentially a vamp and Mikael approaches the vocal line more like a saxophone solo, it's very fluid and the phrasing shifts throughout.  He experimented some with this on Heritage as well.  It will probably confuse a lot of people but I get the intent.  The chorus section is just a modulated variation of the verse section, there are some additional female backing vocals and some strings mixed lightly into the background (Steven Wilson mixed the album).  

The real highlight of the song is the instrumental mid-section which features a killer fusion-inspired guitar solo that made me sit up and take notice (and that happens rarely).

The song has a laid back eastern tinged quality to it and might not have been the best choice for an advance single, but overall it's a cool tune and I look forward to hearing it in sequence with the rest of the album.  

Here's the mp3 version.  

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/98553016/02_Cusp_of_Eternity.mp3

Sounds good to me!

This is a beautiful song, very different than what I'm already familiar with (my knowledge of Opeth runs around three albums). The verse is like a cool U2-Smiths hybrid. This sounds more along the lines of Porcupine Tree, or something Wilson would write. Is this the direction the band has been taking lately, away from a metal sound?

I'm gonna have to give this a listen. Heritage was integral to me getting into non-metal way back in 2011, so I almost feel obligated to enjoy this one.

I need to check Heritage out.

You should listen to Damnation, then Heritage, then the Storm Corrosion album he recorded with Wilson.  That's the best way to get the feel for where Mikael has been headed stylistically.  Cusp of Eternity is a logical step from Heritage.

I think Heritage is a great record, one of my favorites of the past several years.

P.S. - It's important to note that Wilson mixed Damnation, Heritage, Storm Corrosion and Pale Communion.

S.D. wrote:

You should listen to Damnation, then Heritage, then the Storm Corrosion album he recorded with Wilson.  That's the best way to get the feel for where Mikael has been headed stylistically.  Cusp of Eternity is a logical step from Heritage.

I think Heritage is a great record, one of my favorites of the past several years.

P.S. - It's important to note that Wilson mixed Damnation, Heritage, Storm Corrosion and Pale Communion.  

Cool thx, I think I'll binge on these this week. Sounds like Wilson has had a lot of influence on Mikael.

corplhicks wrote:

S.D. wrote:

You should listen to Damnation, then Heritage, then the Storm Corrosion album he recorded with Wilson.  That's the best way to get the feel for where Mikael has been headed stylistically.  Cusp of Eternity is a logical step from Heritage.

I think Heritage is a great record, one of my favorites of the past several years.

P.S. - It's important to note that Wilson mixed Damnation, Heritage, Storm Corrosion and Pale Communion.  

Cool thx, I think I'll binge on these this week. Sounds like Wilson has had a lot of influence on Mikael.

and vice/versa, Porcupine Tree's sound changed a lot after Wilson produced & mixed Blackwater Park.

Heritage is AMAZING TRANSCENDENT SHIT. I absorbed the whole thing yesterday (in case anyone is curious as to how I got to hear so much, it was an eight hour drive combined) and never lost interest. The mix is downright throwback and warm, there were times I felt like I was listening to King Crimson, Deep Purple, or even Beggar's Opera for that matter. The compositions were dazzling in the way they alternate between madness and serenity with comprehensible complexity. I really am a bigger fan of Opeth with this new sound they have; as much as I enjoy the metal years, I'm hearing so much more of their ingenuity and creativity on the mellow side of things. It just seems like a step up, I suppose, even if only slightly.

And thank god for that organ.

Yeah, it's a fantastic album that continually rewards revisiting.

I heard another leaked track from Pale Communion that's amazing, the music was very King Crimson in nature and the vocals were arranged as 3-part harmonies ala Crosby, Stills & Nash. Never heard those two sounds combined but it works beautifully.

Are you able to post it here? That sounds like a brilliant combo.

It's not the highest quality but you can grab it here. It was uploaded onto youtube and I snagged it prior to it getting removed.

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/98553016/Opeth%20-%20Eternal%20Rains%20Will%20Come.mp4

S.D. wrote:

It's not the highest quality but you can grab it here.  It was uploaded onto youtube and I snagged it prior to it getting removed.

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/98553016/Opeth%20-%20Eternal%20Rains%20Will%20Come.mp4

Of course you and I are talking about this on Facebook right now, but I'll say it here, this song kicks ASS.

Listeners be aware that, as Shawn pointed out, this is a truncated version, or sample you could say, of the actual song, but still a rewarding listen.

I have listened to the leaked copy a few times and have pre-ordered the 2LP set, I will hold off listening to it again until it arrives.

It's an excellent album, very much a continuation of Heritage but a little looser, a little more jamming. They continue to bring in new elements including strings and complex harmony vocals and a heavier reliance on keys featuring a variety of vintage organ and electric piano sounds. More guitar solos as well, both players get a chance to shine including an extended trade-off on the song "River". Steven Wilson's presence is felt as well, he mixed the album and also sings harmony vocals.

And Steven Wilson was correct when he said the album isn't remotely "metal". It it heavy though, it just might be a string section riff instead of a distorted guitar.

S.D. wrote:

And Steven Wilson was correct when he said the album isn't remotely "metal".  It it heavy though, it just might be a string section riff instead of a distorted guitar.

I like that kind of heavy; one that doesn't rely on tons of distortion, etc to be heavy so I think I'll snag it...

Akeldama wrote:

S.D. wrote:

And Steven Wilson was correct when he said the album isn't remotely "metal".  It it heavy though, it just might be a string section riff instead of a distorted guitar.

I like that kind of heavy; one that doesn't rely on tons of distortion, etc to be heavy so I think I'll snag it...

And that's why I root for guys like these; heavy music in the late 60's and 70's, whether one applies the "metal" tag or not, was a widespread encounter that got lost in the evolution of things. I'm so happy that Opeth is bringing this back around for a wide audience.

corplhicks wrote:

Akeldama wrote:

S.D. wrote:

And Steven Wilson was correct when he said the album isn't remotely "metal".  It it heavy though, it just might be a string section riff instead of a distorted guitar.

I like that kind of heavy; one that doesn't rely on tons of distortion, etc to be heavy so I think I'll snag it...

And that's why I root for guys like these; heavy music in the late 60's and 70's, whether one applies the "metal" tag or not, was a widespread encounter that got lost in the evolution of things. I'm so happy that Opeth is bringing this back around for a wide audience.

Exactly and same here. The  late '60s early '70s Proto Metal is what I dig the most and bands like Captain Beyond, Toad, Cactus, Blue Cheer, Bang, Lucifer's Friend, Atomic Rooster, Bull Angus, Sir Lord Baltimore, Buffalo, Bloody Mary, Truth & Janey, Night Sun, May Blitz, etc. did some killer heavy stuff and that's why I'm so into stuff that Wino does.

Anyway, back to Opeth...

Opeth‘s Mikael Akerfeldt, one of metal’s greatest frontmen and possessor of the most demonic guttural in the world, recently attended a One Direction concert with his daughter. Yep, you read that sentence correctly. Luckily, the debilitating pain Akerfeldt endured has been turned into an entertaining review.

Any father willing to take his daughter to a boy band concert deserves some praise. The mother suffers the pain of child birth, while the father accompanies his child for two hours of cheesy pop hits separated only by the sound of screeching preteens. Sounds about even.

In the latest issue of Metal Hammer, Akerfeldt offers a fairly in-depth review of One Direction’s live show:


Well, I was in the minority there, being an old dude for one! But it was two sold-out nights at the Friends Arena which holds 60,000 people or something. My oldest daughter likes One Direction, and I anticipated some type of show as they had some elaborate stage thing going on.

But when the guys hit the stage it kinda felt like they’d just dragged five guys from the crowd up… if there were guys in the crowd, which there obviously wasn’t! It was just people on stage that were able to sing in key, but other than that they didn’t do much, they didn’t do any syncopated dance moves, there wasn’t much of a show. And since there were five guys, they’d sing every fifth line of a song and in between be just walking around.

For me, it was mind-boggling, I just couldn’t see the fascination, but kids think they’re cute and that kind of stuff. For me, I did not understand the point of the songs… some I recognized but I felt a bit sad in a way. ‘Story of My Life’ is the good song, I turned to my daughter and said, ‘This one’s okay.’

http://loudwire.com/opeth-mikael-akerfeldt-reviews-one-direction-attending-concert-with-daughter/

 He was too nice!

For those interested the dynamic range rating of the Pale Communion CD is 11db. That's double the amount of dynamic range most CDs have today.

S.D. wrote:

For those interested the dynamic range rating of the Pale Communion CD is 11db.  That's double the amount of dynamic range most CDs have today.  

Excellent!

One other interesting thing I've noticed is that the advance video release of Eternal Rains and the version on Spotify both have the first couple seconds chopped off, I had wondered about that abrupt opening, seems that was a mistake on Roadrunner's part, the actual release starts a couple seconds earlier. Mikael also mentioned this in an interview I watched this morning.

This album has me in a grip. Each track has something different to offer, and the nuances are like happy surprises. Goblin is pure fun, a great homage, and awesome throwback. So far my favorite is Voice of Treason, very moving and has a great build. The whole album has a great fluidity about it, and made for a pleasant highway drive. This is a lovely record, best I've heard this year.

Also worth noting is the purity of the mix. I was able to crank it loud in my truck with absolutely no distortion. Barely touched the eq, too. So pleasant after a day of listening to the new Overkill, Accept, and Priest, which sound like garbage.

When you have arguably the best engineer in the business mixing & mastering your album it does make a world of difference.

Back home after a trip to Sacramento that totaled six hours of driving, I spun Opeth four times and almost a fifth. It's just incredible. The final track ends the album so well with the harmony couplets leading the string section (btw the strings on certain songs are majestic). River is my other favorite--I had heard it before but it sure does grow. It's two segments are in contrast to each other but that's part of the beauty of it. And Cusp of Eternity has really grown on me. All eight tracks are great.

Shawn did you get the LP yet?