Opeth
Watershed

First of all, my review will not be another praise (suck-up) to Opeth's ninth studio album, nor will it be professional (as much as it may be worth considering it’s not my job to review), but rather a sincere opinion on this "Watershed" which in my opinion serves as a dividing line (and in this it does not betray expectations since the work is indeed entitled "watershed") between the entire previous discography and what will come next.

This is because the Swedish band never missed a beat up to and including "Ghost Reveries", and here something has changed, starting with the line-up. The new additions do not skimp on technique, but honestly, if Opeth became (in fact they already were with their debut "Orchid") the extraordinary band that we all know, it’s not just thanks to instrumental skills. Martin Lopez (in the band since the beautiful and glacial "My Arms Your Hearse") was absolutely comfortable within the Opeth sound, with his intelligent, sophisticated drumming that was refined without neglecting earth-shattering patterns, supported by exceptional technique and precision. In this, Martin Axenrot falls short, to be fair we are talking about a drummer with guts, but as many feared, his drumming is a bit too "heavy" and intrusive in many instances, not very attentive to the nuances and evolutions of the tracks. The new guitarist Fredrik Akesson (fresh from the experience with Arch Enemy) does not disappoint, excellent even in solo phases, but if I must be honest (even risking being pedantic), I preferred the good Peter Lindgren. The latter, the only original member left apart from Akerfeldt, played a fundamental role in the dynamics of the group (even if, as Akerfeldt states, in recent years he did not contribute to the direct writing of the tracks, for whatever reason!), not to mention his competence in dealing with the "Opethian material" and his passion for the group. Love he demonstrated, almost paradoxically by leaving the band, due to the disgust towards the business slowly devouring it, and this only increases my esteem for this musician.

I have loved and still love Opeth, few albums have been able to make me "feel" what I experienced with "Morningrise" and "Still Life", and together with the music of the late and never too praised Chuck Schuldiner (singer, guitarist, and leader of Death and Control Denied, for those few who might not know, but above all one of the greatest artists the metal scene has ever welcomed) they have indelibly marked my life. For this reason, listening to this "Watershed" for the first time, it’s understandable if I felt deeply offended and taken for a fool. Without going into details (as it has already been done extensively), the album shows an embarrassing lack of ideas; "Ghost Reveries" though not being innovative was full of interesting ideas, characterized by very inspired tracks (as one would expect from any band and particularly from Opeth), in short, really a splendid work. Here the good ideas are few, and sound recycled and highly mannered, and this is evident from the fact that the rapid alternation of electric sections with acoustic ones (the band’s trademark) sounds sterile, forced. Just listen to "Porcelain Heart" for proof, in my opinion the worst piece of Opeth, and certainly not even the video can redeem it; at one time their music was enough to evoke suggestive scenarios, today it is difficult to understand the sense (and not due to complexity, to be clear). What else can I say, I would save the short acoustic opener "Coil", which paradoxically with its simplicity (which features the excellent vocal performance of Nathalie Lorichs for a successful duet) manages to be very intense, and the semi-ballad "Burden" elegantly revokes seventies sounds thanks to the contribution of Per Wiberg on keyboards and especially to an excellent and rather inspired vocal performance by Mikael Akerfeldt. In conclusion, I have to say that my considerations and my evaluation are excessive and to be taken with caution (and I apologize for this), a band of this caliber does not release a work which, objectively speaking, is ugly, but here we are faced with an essentially bland work devoid of the pathos to which they accustomed us. I believe that a band of professionals should always be honest and release a new work (regardless of the outcome, obviously) for the insiders and when it really has something to say, with particular respect towards the audience, who buys the records (perhaps eagerly awaiting their release), who goes to concerts, always supporting, even after such a mess, because the esteem remains, as does the hope of soon listening to a new excellent album worthy of their name, "Opeth".

Even though disappointed, I do not feel like abandoning the ship... until next time!