Bisius

And let's say that a barbecue kicks the ass of all the fast food chains in the world!

Please, Roberto: don't be away for too long.

I wouldn't go as hard as Emanuele, but see another review to know what I think. A bit mannered.

<Everything opens with "The Grudge," a dark piece but at the same time a burst of energy.> Don't you think the same description could apply to a Nirvana track? Ah, the album is mind-blowing; there are no discussions about cerebral or not, and no excessive ramblings about the sound getting dull and the monotonous riffs, because a track like "Ticks & Leeches" is NOT on Ænima. "Triad" isn't either. Period.

I have the impression that I want them, I want them very much. Greetings to Leicester and Will Sheff. And to all the little things in terrible taste.

Listening to it, I was a bit disappointed. For the first time in their discography, in my opinion, there are weak tracks that can be easily perceived even by those unfamiliar with the band. I believe this is closely linked to the departure of Peter Lindgren. I’m referring to the totally predictable single "Porcelain Heart," and to "Burden," which is nice but definitely too long and verbose (eight minutes of acoustic?!?). "Hex Omega" feels a bit colorless. The rest is excellent, especially "The Lotus Eater." I regret to notice that Opeth are becoming less death and more prog. Make it clear, I have absolutely nothing against prog. But it’s like saying Dr. Jekyll without Mr. Hyde. With the aggravating factor that death metal, the angry kind found in "Heir Apparent," is fundamental to their human, stylistic, and moral growth. And so it’s a pretty significant root that is gradually being uprooted. A direct consequence of this is the growl, which is also facing extinction. Too much clean voice, wow. Too much. Over time, I realize it might become boring. I can confidently say that, for me, with this "Watershed," Opeth have signed their sweet epitaph and are heading towards a downward trajectory. This can be seen as a point of pride (twenty years of career behind them and all these record deals deserve to be raised up and praised profitably) or not (one would always expect more from the best!). I belong to the first group. "Watershed" will remain an interesting listen, well above average, but as I've already mentioned in my review, I don’t think it will fully enter my heart. A pity, true, sed errare humanum est. And if perseverare diabolicum, at this point, who cares: go back to "Still Life" or "Blackwater Park" and indulge in ecstasy. With deep respect for a band that has written important and fundamental pages in the history of musical contamination. 3.5

So, dear Stipe, assuming that you are a poor fake/babbo di minkia, I would like to specify (rather, rectify) some concepts about the short in question, so that interested parties are not misled by your idiotic comment... on a content level it is indeed extremely powerful; for the more sensitive stomachs, it could lead to irreversible consequences. Therefore: if you are not psychologically and physically ready, avoid it. Like and worse than an Inter away game. Even I, who am not particularly picky, watched it only once, and on the second viewing I had to stop halfway through. On the other hand, though, Cerdà is truly an excellent director, and this is proven not only by the fantastic special effects in "Aftermath," or the shots, or the choice of music and so on, but by the very choice to develop this ideological "trilogy of death," which also includes the nice "The Awakening" and the poignant masterpiece "Genesis"... Cerdà envisions death, over the span of three shorts, in three different ways. In the first, "The Awakening," death is viewed from the afterlife, in a somewhat raw but already interesting vision. In "Aftermath," the strongest, death is the symbol of the insurmountable obstacle against which all earthly things are destined to come to a halt, leaving their memories (here even their own corpse) at the mercy of anyone, even the most sadistic and impaired bastard, like the surgeon in the film (kudos to Pep Tosar!) who violates you, dismembers you, destroys you without anyone being able to do anything. "Genesis," the last one, for me is the best, not only regarding the plot but also for set design, expressive intensity (the shorts in question are all silent), heartbreaking soundtrack (Beethoven, if I'm not mistaken), shots, everything... and in this case, death is the barrier that only love can overcome. A nice review of "Genesis" would be needed to discuss it together. In the meantime, I rate the review (incomprehensible and exaggerated to the point of disgust) and the film (excellent but... excellent).

The 5 is not enough

The review is overall very good, and I appreciate the work you've done on the lyrics and the intrinsic meanings of the tracks. However, pieces like "Stinkfist," "Eulogy," and "Hooker With A Penis" deserved at least some in-depth analysis on a musical and/or stylistic level. There’s a bit of everything in here, for all tastes, and I won’t repeat for the umpteenth time that this and Lateralus are alien records, perfect, unstoppable. May God have them in glory, in secula seculorum. Amen.

"Machine Gun" seems to me the ideal soundtrack for Tetsuo. Beautiful, although incomparable to Dummy, given the enormous differences between the two. Finally, I try to address the question raised about "Silence": it cuts off abruptly, just before the five-minute mark, not due to an mp3 defect, but as a choice by Portishead themselves. On first listen, it does catch you off guard. All calculated :)