Opeth - Pale Communion

I went ahead and ordered the CD+Blu Ray version (I thought that was what I originally purchased but I guess not).

The LP is backordered, so sadly not. I'm going to purchase the 24/96 download from HDTracks when I get paid next. At the moment I just have the Amazon autorip.

corplhicks wrote:

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?

This is a really great album straight through, I liked it right away but it continues to get better with each listen. Opeth writes dense music, the more you listen the more the layers become apparent. Another reason their albums don't get old, I'm constantly noticing little nuances no matter how many times I play them.

I also think for an experimental record it's very accessible, it's definitely a progressive album but it's also chock full of hooks and memorable melodies. I love how organically the keyboards have melded with this band, especially the use of Hammond organ. The new keyboard player has contributed to that I'm sure.

Very much like a classic 70s album that Mikael worships, Pale Communion is a total package. All the songs are good on their own, even better when listened to within the context of the album. That larger-than-life thing doesn't happen too often with albums these days. Performances and production are spot-on, the vocal arrangements are just stunning and really takes this record to another level. And Steven Wilson provided a beautiful mix, not unlike his own The Raven That Refused To Sing from last year.

...and back to the dynamics for a second. They are used to very dramatic effect throughout the album, going from whisper quiet back to very loud...and this is something that you really don't hear very often these days. It makes the album breathe, it's natural sounding and doesn't wear out your ears.

Yeah absolutely no listener's fatigue here. It's all very easy to digest. And the quiet parts go beyond simple ambience, contributing heavily to the songs ebb and flow.

Btw I've been hearing tons of hate for this album by metal enthusiasts, and it seems like these naysayers listened to a few seconds of the first couple of tracks. What a fair form of criticism.

I really don't care what metal enthusiasts have to say, most of the them don't have the musical taste to appreciate this album anyway.

As far as I have heard this isn't a metal album anyway..........

chewie wrote:

As far as I have heard this isn't a metal album anyway..........

That's true (although Cusp comes kind of close) but a lot of "metalheads" are pissed off at Mikael for leaving the death metal fold. Not tr00 of him etc.

What's interesting, as Shawn pointed out at HOM, is that it's the same band through and through, just lacking heavily distorted guitars and growling. So the [rather shallow] criticism is unwarranted.

They were bitching about Heritage as well...I didn't give a shit then and don't now. Mikael is happy and it's his band, so the whiners need to just move on to other bands and shut the fuck up.

Well said.

I heard it - I like it! I ordered the CD/Blu-Ray combo. Looking forward to the 5.1 mix!

I can't wait to hear some of these tunes live. I already bought my ticket for their December 9th show at the Hollywood Palladium.

S.D. wrote:

I can't wait to hear some of these tunes live.  I already bought my ticket for their December 9th show at the Hollywood Palladium.  

No DC show on this tour.... sucks!!!!!!!

I am guessing they will make a second US pass sometime on this album/tour cycle and hope they include a DC date

theJOKERiv wrote:

S.D. wrote:

I can't wait to hear some of these tunes live.  I already bought my ticket for their December 9th show at the Hollywood Palladium.  

No DC show on this tour.... sucks!!!!!!!

I am guessing they will make a second US pass sometime on this album/tour cycle and hope they include a DC date

Yes. This first run is a co-headlining tour with In Flames (though Opeth is closing all the shows) playing larger venues than they could book on their own. The second leg will be the actual headlining tour.

Taking the blu ray to my dad's today, he just bought a high end home theater he wants me to calibrate. Excited to see how it sounds.

I bought the 24/96 download of Pale Communion from HDtracks and it sounds AMAZING! The main difference between 16bit and 24bit is "space". The physical space the music exists in expands, deepens. It's like the size of your listening room increases by 10 feet in each direction, 16bit can sound great with the right mastering, but still, as soon as you hear it in 24bit it's like going from 2D to 3D, you cease to hear the music as something happening in front of you and instead it's all around you...and your speakers will sound like they just moved through the wall into the next room, all the sound coming from a space that exists somewhere beyond where you can physically see.

Maybe that sounds like gobbleldy gook but it's the best way I can describe it.

Makes sense to me. Sound mouth watering! I listened to the blu ray mix last night and nearly cried. Is been forever since i had an emotional experience with music, and this was quite the experience. Lots of little nuances i hadn't noticed before popped out and gave me the shivers. I never really noticed how pleasant Mikael's voice is either.

So i haven't looked at the numbers but when comparing the blu ray to HD tracks are they comparable or does one come out winning?

The HDtracks download is identical to the stereo mix on the blu-ray.

Sweeet i can save my money.

I think I'm gonna opt for the cd/blu-ray combo. I have Dimple points saved up so I can get it at half price!

Listened to the 5.1 mix last night - sounds fantastic!

So I visited the first three albums in their entirety. Really good, although I had already heard Hearse, and the albums become more focused as they go along (Still Life is a great apex of this). I have to say, I understand Orchid's influence and can appreciate that, but it was a very boring listen. Of course the mix on The Candlelight Years set is very muddy, which makes it sound a tad unpleasant compared to the razor sharp quality of later albums. Lots of Celtic Frost and Maiden influence. I really dig Nectar and the following track from Morningrise.

I still have had a chance to listen to the 5.1 vs stereo mix to see if there is a difference in low end/phasing... hope to try that tonight and see if my ears can tell a difference.

I'll tell you what sounds more amazing is the Heritage 5.1 DVD. It was almost like hearing a different album.

I'm really not sure what I like more...Heritage or Pale Communion. Folklore alone makes the former a near winner. But I could say the same about Moon Above.

I'm really falling in love with this band lol.

As far as I'm concerned both Heritage and Pale Communion are brilliant albums, I wouldn't choose one over the other because they are each so unique.  

Seriously though, I really can't think of ANY other bands that could pull off these records currently.  These two albums fit perfectly beside the classic early 70s prog albums, I think they are of comparable quality and have the potential to be considered classics a decade or so down the road.  

I'm not ashamed to admit that Opeth is my favorite band post-90s, with Steven Wilson/Porcupine Tree coming in a very close second.

I was convinced that I would never find another band to add to my "all-time-favorite-list", I was content with enjoying stuff from the past...never expected to find not one, but two artists releasing music of this quality in the 21st century. It was more than a pleasant surprise, it restored my faith in modern music.

In everything I've heard of Opeth this far, so far Elysian Woes and Faith in Others seem to be his most emotional songs.