[bavinck]

"Folklore" is great, hey?

 

[spook76]

"Folklore" is great, hey?

My choice for album of the year.

Also try 'From Stone and Steel' from Big Big Train. It came out a month or so before 'Folklore'. It is a live in the studio recording of some other their greatest songs redone with the expanded band. Fantastic!

Both albums are available in 96/24 and 16/44.1 from Bandcamp.

 

[sharkz]

I keep trying to give Opeth a chance because their music is very appealing to me, but the growling of their singer just doesn't do it for me. I just can't get into that. 
 
I'll have to check Folklore out. I wish it was easier to get more high resolution music than from sources like HD Tracks whose offerings are sparse for good prog rock. I wound up just buying a bunch of the King Crimson Steven Wilson remaster DVDs from England to get the high resolution versions of things.

 

[bavinck]

My choice for album of the year.

Also try 'From Stone and Steel' from Big Big Train. It came out a month or so before 'Folklore'. It is a live in the studio recording of some other their greatest songs redone with the expanded band. Fantastic!

Both albums are available in 96/24 and 16/44.1 from Bandcamp.

Yes, I have From Stone and Steel on my dap, might put it on. It's great too. I get the 16/44.1 from bandcamp (or 256 from itunes), The 96/24 stuff is beyond my hearing abilities.

 

[KopaneDePooj]

I like you have had a listen to the new Opeth album, 'Sorceress'. The following is my first impressions:

Overall, I feel it is the worst Opeth album. There are maybe a couple of good tracks on the album. But my first impressions were boredom and a complete lack of coherency. The music style was all over the place, far worse than 'Heritage'. Ballads and somewhat heavier songs interspersed with even a middle eastern influenced song. Just a collection of songs without vision or purpose.

I am a long time Opeth fan but enjoyed the evolution of Opeth's sound. If you want to hear what post death growl Opeth could and should sound like try Mikael Akerfeldt's best friend's band Katatonia's second to last song "Passer" off their new album 'The Fall Of Hearts'. To me the speed progressive metal sound is the core, growls or not, of Opeth's sound. Without that they are just another average progressive band competing with the likes of Big Big Train's brilliant 'Folklore'. 'Sorceress' by any other band would be a decent album but coming from Opeth it is a major let down.

The one good thing was after my first listen I immediately listened to 'Pale Communion' and really enjoyed it in comparison.

post script: I feel Sorceress' poor quality may explain why Opeth changed record companies as their old one may have rejected it and Mikael was forced to find another. Just speculation.

Well, to each his own
You may be right about coherency, but for me this album sounds classic, and I like classic. The only thing I don't like about it - and this may come from Nuclear Blast - is the production. It sounds too bassy and dirty.
The fact that 'Sorceress' and 'The Wilde Flowers' sound a lot like Black Sabbath, 'Will O The Wisp' a bit like Jethro Tull, 'Chrysalis' a bit like Deep Purple, I guess provided some hooks that made me like this album. And I also like 'The Seventh Sojourn' - the one that sounds oriental.
I remember I listened to Katatonia's 'Fall Of Hearts' once and deleted it, because it sounded too flat and depressing. Although now listening to 'Passer' on youtube, I agree it is a very good one So maybe sometimes it's all a matter of the mood you're in, and it may cling or not and that's it.

 

[spook76]

I keep trying to give Opeth a chance because their music is very appealing to me, but the growling of their singer just doesn't do it for me. I just can't get into that. 

I'll have to check Folklore out. I wish it was easier to get more high resolution music than from sources like HD Tracks whose offerings are sparse for good prog rock. I wound up just buying a bunch of the King Crimson Steven Wilson remaster DVDs from England to get the high resolution versions of things.

I agree. For older Porcupine Tree or solo Steven Wilson albums check out Burningshed.com. They sell digital high resolution flat transfers. For example, HDTracks wanted $18 for Hand Cannot Erase but Burning Shed sold it for ~$12 with two bonus tracks.

 

[spook76]

Well, to each his own
You may be right about coherency, but for me this album sounds classic, and I like classic. The only thing I don't like about it - and this may come from Nuclear Blast - is the production. It sounds too bassy and dirty.
The fact that 'Sorceress' and 'The Wilde Flowers' sound a lot like Black Sabbath, 'Will O The Wisp' a bit like Jethro Tull, 'Chrysalis' a bit like Deep Purple, I guess provided some hooks that made me like this album. And I also like 'The Seventh Sojourn' - the one that sounds oriental.
I remember I listened to Katatonia's 'Fall Of Hearts' once and deleted it, because it sounded too flat and depressing. Although now listening to 'Passer' on youtube, I agree it is a very good one So maybe sometimes it's all a matter of the mood you're in, and it may cling or not and that's it.

Mood plays an important part of "getting" a progressive album. 'Folklore' took repeated listens hell 'The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway' took me almost 30 years to love even though I feel Classic Genesis is the Beethoven of progressive. I will certain give 'Sorceress' more listens, Opeth deserves it. I have their entire catalog.

We progressive fans are the lunatic fringe of music lovers. You either love it or hate it. In my 50 years I have never been able to convert a soul to really liking progressive. You either get it or don't.

 

[spook76]

I keep trying to give Opeth a chance because their music is very appealing to me, but the growling of their singer just doesn't do it for me. I just can't get into that. 

I'll have to check Folklore out. I wish it was easier to get more high resolution music than from sources like HD Tracks whose offerings are sparse for good prog rock. I wound up just buying a bunch of the King Crimson Steven Wilson remaster DVDs from England to get the high resolution versions of things.

Since we are talking Opeth, I cannot recommend highly enough last October's remix of 'Damnation and Deliverance'. The 96/24 of both remixed by Steven Wilson (Damnation) and Bruce Soord (Deliverance) were simply stunning.

 

[sharkz]

I agree. For older Porcupine Tree or solo Steven Wilson albums check out Burningshed.com. They sell digital high resolution flat transfers. For example, HDTracks wanted $18 for Hand Cannot Erase but Burning Shed sold it for ~$12 with two bonus tracks.

 Burning Shed is a great place. It's actually where I ordered my KC albums from and I've downloaded the last few SW albums from there. The only issue is for my KC albums, I was sent a confirmation they shipped them, but no tracking or anything. I guess they will get here when they get here.

 

[spook76]

 Burning Shed is a great place. It's actually where I ordered my KC albums from and I've downloaded the last few SW albums from there. The only issue is for my KC albums, I was sent a confirmation they shipped them, but no tracking or anything. I guess they will get here when they get here.

Absolutely Sharkz. I waited an extra week for Wilson's '4 1/2' in January and you are right, it comes when it comes.

 

[swspiers]

Guys, I really like the observation about mood and Opeth albums.

My first Opeth exposure was Blackwater Park, Damnation, and Deliverence. It was a life-changing experience listening to those albums. I clearly remember trying to listen to "Still Life", and I mean trying my best to listen to it five or six times when I finally gave up. I felt that the album was lifeless, repetitive, and downright boring.

A year later, and something about that album simply CLICKED for me. Not only do I consider it a masterwork by the band, but I put it up there in the 10 greatest metal albums of all time. More times than not, when it comes to this band, the albums have to grow on me. Or, I need to grow to the point where the album makes sense.

One huge exception is "Pale Communion" which I think is absolutely brilliant, and from the first listen. I guess I was in the right place at the right time for that one to come out.

My copy of "Sorceress" is due here this weekend, and I plan on giving it an extremely focused listen. Right out the gate, it will be with my HD 800S's, through my Benchmark DAC-1 into the Cavalli Liquid Carbon. This might not be the ultimate Summit – fi rig, but it's as close as I'm going to get for a while.

It should be a good weekend

 

[KopaneDePooj]

Guys, I really like the observation about mood and Opeth albums.

My first Opeth exposure was Blackwater Park, Damnation, and Deliverence. It was a life-changing experience listening to those albums. I clearly remember trying to listen to "Still Life", and I mean trying my best to listen to it five or six times when I finally gave up. I felt that the album was lifeless, repetitive, and downright boring.

A year later, and something about that album simply CLICKED for me. Not only do I consider it a masterwork by the band, but I put it up there in the 10 greatest metal albums of all time. More times than not, when it comes to this band, the albums have to grow on me. Or, I need to grow to the point where the album makes sense.

One huge exception is "Pale Communion" which I think is absolutely brilliant, and from the first listen. I guess I was in the right place at the right time for that one to come out.

My copy of "Sorceress" is due here this weekend, and I plan on giving it an extremely focused listen. Right out the gate, it will be with my HD 800S's, through my Benchmark DAC-1 into the Cavalli Liquid Carbon. This might not be the ultimate Summit – fi rig, but it's as close as I'm going to get for a while.

It should be a good weekend

Good write!
I also like 'Damnation' a lot. If I'd have to pick one single song of all Opeth's work it would be 'Windowpane'.
Please tell us what you think about 'Sorceress' production quality after you do the listen on your marvelous rig

 

[god-bluff]

This dropped through my letterbox this morning

Early days yet but for me this might be the best of VDGG's come back albums at least since 'Jaxon' left

Amazing stuff from three blokes in their late sixties. Inventive and more varied than their other recent work with fine musicianship, the usual unmatched lyrics and great recording quality

Grab it. It might be their last

 

[YtseJamer]

New Riverside
 

 

[spook76]

New Alcest album 'Kodama' released on Bandcamp this morning.