[Redcarmoose]

I'm not sure if I like Heritage yet. I guess it was the second song as it just seemed a little contrived and started the album off to a bad start for me. I quickly switched over to playing Damnation while in the middle of playing Heritage and found it to be way better. I would have to say that for now Heritage is at the bottom of my Opeth list, maybe forever. I have a deep love for the past releases. I have every Opeth album and some on vinyl which I play often. I guess this time Opeth has a very tall order to be as good as or better than their previous releases. Watershed is a better album in my eyes. They seem very comfy making a record like this as it sounds so natural but it is missing memorable feelings which seem to be the best part of their past releases. Maybe I should play it more and see if it grows on me. As far as I'm guessing Opeth have put out way more great releases than an average band. They are not a machine and have to grow along their natural progression of things. If they find a group really into stuff like this new album then they will still sell records and have a happy fan base. It is hard for me to listen to considering the quality and epic world class profound dynamics of the past releases. This album to me is like a watered down Opeth. The old stuff was 80 proof and this stuff is watered down. IMO.
 
 
It may take me a couple of months to get into Heritage. Lucky I found another band which sounds a lot like Opeth. There release was a pretty big deal last month.
 
 
 
 
Leprous is the band
Bilateral is the album
 
 
They are filling my need for new Opeth now instead of the Heritage album. They are like a young fresh hungry Opeth. Not like the Heritage Opeth who sound like they are on vacation.

 

[JamesMcProgger]

Quote:

Watershed + Steve Wilson + past influences like King Crimson and Deep Purple - thundering riffs - death growls - blast beats = Heritage
 

if you put it this way, the sum of everything (but maybe not blast beats) would have been epic
 

 

[jilgiljongiljing]

Yeah I had this craving for an EPIC departure bang in the middle somewhere going into some heavy stuff, to add more dynamics, but this is the band trying something completely different and not trying to just add to what they do, instead they have set aside Opeth for a bit to give us a different take on their influences and talents.

 

[jilgiljongiljing]

Quote:

 
 
 
It may take me a couple of months to get into Heritage. Lucky I found another band which sounds a lot like Opeth. There release was a pretty big deal last month.
 
 
 
 
Leprous is the band
Bilateral is the album
 
 
They are filling my need for new Opeth now instead of the Heritage album. They are like a young fresh hungry Opeth. Not like the Heritage Opeth who sound like they are on vacation.

Hey, thanks for a cool rec. I am listening to their previous album "Tall Poppy Syndrome" and am really digging it. Will check out Bilateral soon. Great find, thanks!
 

 

[third_eye]

I'm very disappointed with this album. Not because of the prog or the lack of harsh voals, I just find it terribly boring. I've listened to it twice through and am ready to pull the plug on this. I love Opeth, but they have regressed since Ghost Reveries.

 

[Redcarmoose]

Opeth has been such a big part of my life. Years ago when I first listened to them I was not ready to understand what they were doing. Later I understood and feel in love with all of the albums they made. This is to such an extent that albums like Damnation or Orchid will be with me till I die. I really don't care if they make a bad record as maybe they need time to explore who they are again. They have changed many times in their sound. Maybe sometimes bands are on the road to another place and make another album only because that's what they do. I look at Heritage as an experiment in the exploration of a new sound. There is many dangers in this exploration going to places which some will not expect or understand. We are still very lucky to have them and their past works and the goals they have reached in the past have been due to this same original exploration in musical progress. Maybe I will like the album in three years. That is kinda how it is with Opeth.

 

[Jupiterknight]

Quote:

Opeth has been such a big part of my life. Years ago when I first listened to them I was not ready to understand what they were doing. Later I understood and feel in love with all of the albums they made. This is to such an extent that albums like Damnation or Orchid will be with me till I die. I really don't care if they make a bad record as maybe they need time to explore who they are again. They have changed many times in their sound. Maybe sometimes bands are on the road to another place and make another album only because that's what they do. I look at Heritage as an experiment in the exploration of a new sound. There is many dangers in this exploration going to places which some will not expect or understand. We are still very lucky to have them and their past works and the goals they have reached in the past have been due to this same original exploration in musical progress. Maybe I will like the album in three years. That is kinda how it is with Opeth.

 
This is what music can be about, we at one point of our life somehow identify, understand, feel the performer/artist (s) expression at a certain moment in a shared time. They move on, in a maybe more explicit way than we do too in life, or should!  Sometimes we don't follow along as quickly as they progress!  We (some) want Opeth to sound the same, but they are IMO better than that and we should acknowledge and respect this!
 
One example, when PInk Floyd released The Wall in 1980, it received some fairly negative review from The Rolling Stones Magazine (3*) and in the aftermath of this received many negative comments from "dedicated" Pink Floyd "diehards follower" . Ten years later, the same magazine rated the same album as one of the best rock album (5*) of the decade!!! 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

[supra1988t]

Well I haven't heard Heritage yet but Im saddened to learn they've dropped their "death prog" ways.

 

[Bojamijams]

Same.  And there isn't a shred of metal anywhere on this album, just straight up prog rock.  In many songs they purposely try to NOT have any kind of harmony or flow to it, at times seemingly just to BE different.
 
Very very dissapointed. By far their worst album.
 
Quote:

I'm very disappointed with this album. Not because of the prog or the lack of harsh voals, I just find it terribly boring. I've listened to it twice through and am ready to pull the plug on this. I love Opeth, but they have regressed since Ghost Reveries.

 

 

[jilgiljongiljing]

Quote:

 In many songs they purposely try to NOT have any kind of harmony or flow to it, at times seemingly just to BE different.

YES, you nailed it, thats what annoys me the most in this album. There are some very nice melodies that have great potential with jarring loud or out of melody bits seemingly randomly popping up just to appear to be proggy Crimson like or Yes like. The dark tone and soft mood  set up in some songs is actually really nice but is totally ruined by senseless bits here and there, and the album could've been just as much a departure from their regular stuff by just being a mellow dark album instead of trying to add prog into it. I dont know how much SW is to blame for the random bits.

 

[mrip541]

Quote:

I have listened to this album a couple of times. I like really like it, certainly a leap towards a more prog. rock style of music. Well, no wonder since Stephen Wilson (Porcupine Tree) was behind the mix.  
 
I just picked up tickets for a Opeth concerts in a few weeks time, $25 a ticket, wow, that's a steal!

I'm going to the show in NYC tonight. Going to be ridiculous! With the online fees I paid like $43. One of the few things I like about living in nyc is being able to leave my office, take the subway 1 stop, and see world class music.

 

[mrip541]

I just got out of the show and it was decidedly NOT ridiculous or epic or even high energy. They played 3 acoustic songs to open the concert sitting down. The next song the drummer was using brushes. There was not one single growl the entire concert. At the end I heard multiple people mention selling their tickets for tomorrow. I heard people say "wasn't this supposed to be a metal concert?" Low low energy. Was more like a jam band concert. People were trying to get the mosh going but it was impossible. If they're going to become a different band they should freaking warn people. I'm so disappointed. Not a single song from blackwater. The band was making joking growls between songs to rile the crowd like they were making fun of what people wanted to hear. So sad.

 

[Jupiterknight]

Quote:

I just got out of the show and it was decidedly NOT ridiculous or epic or even high energy. They played 3 acoustic songs to open the concert sitting down. The next song the drummer was using brushes. There was not one single growl the entire concert. At the end I heard multiple people mention selling their tickets for tomorrow. I heard people say "wasn't this supposed to be a metal concert?" Low low energy. Was more like a jam band concert. People were trying to get the mosh going but it was impossible. If they're going to become a different band they should freaking warn people. I'm so disappointed. Not a single song from blackwater. The band was making joking growls between songs to rile the crowd like they were making fun of what people wanted to hear. So sad.

Sorry to hear you didn't like it. I''ll be going to their concert on Monday here in Ohio, so after this I'll post my experience. I'm not really surprised to hear that they have left the growl, the latest album somehow indicated this. Regarding their jokes, I guess that's just their Swedish irony, I'll be fine with this! I have over the years recognized them as great/talented musicians and I will keep his in mind at the concert and not expecting them to perform the way they used to. 
 

 

[mrip541]

Quote:

Sorry to hear you didn't like it. I''ll be going to their concert on Monday here in Ohio, so after this I'll post my experience. I'm not really surprised to hear that they have left the growl, the latest album somehow indicated this. Regarding their jokes, I guess that's just their Swedish irony, I'll be fine with this! I have over the years recognized them as great/talented musicians and I will keep his in mind at the concert and not expecting them to perform the way they used to. 
 

Yes, their last album was basically a warning but I had hoped they would at least give the crowd a taste of the older stuff. No dice though.
 

 

[Jupiterknight]

Quote:

Yes, their last album was basically a warning but I had hoped they would at least give the crowd a taste of the older stuff. No dice though.
 

I can only agree, a couple of growling songs in the encore could make a difference and please the crowd, maybe they will add this to their tour in the rest of the US.  At least you got to see them with the added the ridiculous online fees!
 
In Europe, just to let you know, where they have much bigger audience, the ticket pricing would most likely not have been below $80-100 and they would have sold out in a very few days/hours at many large venue's, so you look at it this way, you got disappointed for a relative small fee