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Watershed

Opeth - Watershed Audio CD

A fair review of the Opeth "Watershed" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all Opeth reviews here, or go back to the Opeth tabs.

Band: Opeth
Title: Watershed
Rating:

Release Date: 2008-06-03
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Coil 2: Heir Apparent 3: Lotus Eater 4: Burden 5: Porcelain Heart 6: Hessian Peel 7: Hex Omega 8: [CD-ROM Track]

Masterpiece
This album is SUPERB. Discover this album and you'll be glad you were born. Opeth's best. And it's not just for metal heads either, it's for any intelligent person.

Opeth Rules
Ghost Reveries, Still life are the best Opeth albums. The album rules, but it's not as intense as other Opeth albums. They're all great just buy them all at once right now. .

Great Album
It comes with great artwork, and a remastered CD!! The only bad things were that my vinyl gatefold came damaged, and the audio quality wasn't particularly great, even for an LP. I already have this album's special edition on CD, but I also wanted the vinyl as a collectible. But it was kind of a nice touch on certain songs. All in all, there is nothing to complain about. Great album I would recommend to anyone!.

opeth's weakest effort
Soy seguidor de opeth desde sus inicios y una mis bandas preferidas, ademas, considero que es quizas la mejor banda de metal hoy en dia, junto a therion, pero igualmente siempre he temido que la banda decaiga, quizas por el cari�o que le guardo, sobre todo desde el ghost reveries en donde tuvieron cierta incursion con el mercado estadounidense, a la cual tiendo a relacionar con la caida de las bandas europeas, quizas por un mayor interes en vender millones de copias que en seguir haciendo buena musica, como en los casos de in flames y children of bodom, por citar algunos ejemplos. . bueno quizas no sea el caso aqui con opeth, no se han "vendido", siguen haciendo su musica, aunque con ciertas diferencias, pero mas relacionadas a las dos nuevas incorporaciones y cambios del lineup, que a un intento de "venderse", para bien de todos los seguidores de la banda.
Pero(siempre hay un pero) la banda si muestra cierto debilitamiento en sus composiciones con respecto a lo que ya conocemos de ellos, el disco tiene pocos momentos inspiradores como si lo han hecho desde el mismo principio de la banda. No es un album malo, para nada eso en opeth no se da, sus intricadas y originales ideas son suficientes para jamas caer en la categoria de una banda promedio, ni de hacer albumnes promedio, pero si se da un paso atras con respecto a lo anteriormente hecho, sobre todo despues del exito(inesperado??) que tuvo el ghost reveries.
Quizas sea el hecho de que los nuevos integrantes aun requieren tiempo para acoplarse a la banda, o que akerfeld tenga en mente darle otra direccion al grupo, o talvez que akerfeld extra�e a sus excompa�eros de "viaje", en todo caso no vale entonces dejarse decir en la pagina oficial del grupo de parte de akerfeld, que este seria el mejor album de la banda y el mas pesado, pues es claro que ninguna de las dos se da en este album, de hecho esta MUY lejos de ser el mejor esfuerzo de la banda ni mucho menos el album mas pesado de toda la carrera cuando tan solo en 2 o 3 tracks hay growls, razones que me hacen pensar en un interes de akerfeld de llevar a la banda al mainstream estadounidense, lo cual no es para nada un buen augurio, de hecho, es de temer!!!
Es entonces, ahora mas que nunca, que siento ese temor de que la banda haya empezado su "descenso" de la posicion mas alta del "escalafon" mundial de bandas de metal, por una razon muy sencilla: (y quizas muy tentadora tambien) es mas importante vender millones que hacer buena musica, es el momento, y para hacer aun peor la escena Akerfelt y opeth tiene muchos elementos que lo podrian convertir facilmente comercial, toda una desgracia si se diera!!!!
Pero hasta que no se de eso, habra esperanza de que sea tan solo un periodo de transicion de la banda y que sus extensas composiciones se sigan dando pero en mejores terminos que los mostrados en este album y con mayor enfasis progresivo en complicidad con el death metal que tanto caracteriza a la aun hoy por hoy mejor banda de metal.

Watershed is a high-water mark for Opeth (get the deluxe edition!!!)
However, I would also like to point out that Opeth is a band that can change their sound with every album, while still retaining the sound they aim for; but the nuances that arrive with every album, be it more progressive, heavier, more experimental, add to why Opeth are such an interesting and exciting band. Opeth's ninth-studio album, "Watershed" is definitely a notable album for the band, for the year 2008, heck, for the decade even! Owning most of the band's discography, I can say that this is a change from the sound of their other albums.

Known for having an average of song lengths over ten minutes long, the band keeps the songs short enough to listen to multiple in a row, but long enough to be the progressive band they are and keep that portion of them intact. This album is certainly more experimental than most of their other albums, going from all-acoustics to straight-up blast-beat death-metal to Pink Floyd-inspired psychedelic progressive rock. This is one of the big reasons why this album is so great: The experimentation with the sound makes it exciting and keeps you wondering what the next track will have in store.

The music is very inspired and all five members are quite talented, making the album even more enjoyable. "Watershed" remains as complex as all other Opeth albums, that's for sure. In addition, Mikael's signature songwriting is razor-sharp, often using the heavy-soft-heavy technique he's mastered over the years. The production is also great so the sound is always clear. Even Mikael's deepest and harshest death growls sound fresh and roaring over the soundscape of the band.

Well, here's a run-through of the seven songs that prove why this is such an amazing and crucial Opeth album, and one of their very best, if not their overall best.
"Coil": A three-minute song where the main instrument is Mikael's acoustic guitar, although some slight bass guitar can be heard. Both Mikael's vocals and a female guest vocalist are heard here, going back and forth between lyrics. The trade-off is nice and this is a great way to start off the album.
"Heir Apparent": Probably the overall heaviest song on the album, with the thickest, most metallic guitar work and the most intense drumming. Mikael's death growls come in for the first time on the album, and the intensity of this track is a great contrast to "Coil":
"The Lotus Eater": Also a heavier song on the album, but not as heavy as "Heir Apparent". This song is also more progressive and features some incredible guitar work throughout.
"Burden": One of the most beautiful songs on the album, this is the Pink Floyd-inspired, psychedelic-progressive rock of the album. Very beautiful vocal melodies with more mystical lyrics that show Mikael in his prime. A great organ solo in the middle where a slower section starts, which is the part that reminds me most of Pink Floyd. The song ends with ominious laughter that turns into a quick beat, but soon fades. Very interesting, indeed!
"Porcelain Heart": An exciting and ingenious song that's about as heavy and progressive as "The Lotus Eater", with all five musicians at the top of their game here.
"Hessian Peel": The longest song on the album at over 11 minutes, staring off with a beautiful, piano section, then soon explodes into a progressive epic and ends with rhythmic, almost techno-sounding organ work.
"Hex Omega": An overall great song, showcasing the heavy-soft-heavy songwriting technique. The band goes from their usual heaviness into a very mellow song with a slower pace, acoustic guitars and clean singing. They then explode into a slow-paced, groovy section with a huge-sounding guitar riff that seems to be influenced by epic doom metal. Mystical lyrics and a hypnotic vibe make this quite the awesome song.

Considering that this is the only Opeth album that I've ever listened to in a row, and I've done that twice since I've gotten the album, you can tell that I love this album, and how great it is. Although listening to it all the way through can be quite a tiring experience, it's very rewarding, as the whole album is outstanding. The tension-and-release aspect that the band has, and that most music should have, is just as great as can be, the songwriting, the music itself, the vocals, lyrics, all about this album is definitely enjoyable. Listening to "Watershed" all the way through will also help you obtain the vibe of it and keep it constant.

Overall, this is not Opeth's heaviest album, but it's not their lightest, either (that title would go to "Damnation"). This is, however, their most experimental album and probably one of their utmost progressive (next to "Blackwater Park" and "Orchid", although "Still Life" did have some very progressive songs). Keeping that in mind, approach this album with an open mind and a will to listen to different song textures, be they heavy or soft, fast or slow. Remember that, and this will be one of your favorite, recent albums! On another, positive note, Metal Hammer ranked this as their 2nd best of 50 album for 2008. "Watershed" lost only to Metallica's "Death Magnetic", which, although is excellent, we know "Watershed" is actually a pinch better! Thanks for the time, and peace.

You can see a complete list of all Opeth discography, or go back to the Opeth tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.