Opeth - Watershed (2008) (Review by PowerWyrm)

Review (2 months ago)
Amazon.com
Watershed
OpethMyspace.com, 2008
9.1  Metalp
Familiarity: Very many listens
Importance: Essential release
Musicianship:
9.0 (magnificent)
Production:
9.0 (magnificent)
A strong follow up to Ghost Reveries, with the same tendencies to add more mellow passages between the extreme parts. In fact, it's the only album (except of course Damnation) that has more songs with only clean vocals than songs with growls. The music is also quite different from the Still Life - Deliverance era, with half of the band having been replaced and with the addition of a permanent keyboardist. Sounds like we have here a transitional album, but the transition seems almost complete...
10.0  Metalp
Coil3:10
8.0  Metalp
Heir Apparent8:50
The heaviest song here with only extreme vocals, which is something the band has not done since Blackwater Park. But for a brutal song, the brutality is only "apparent"... like the mentioned Blackwater Park, there are a lot of quieter instrumental passages to make the song listenable.
8.5  Metalp
The Lotus Eater8:50
9.5  Metalp
Burden7:41
This ballad wouldn't have been out of place on Damnation. It's nice to have such moments on a heavy album. I don't get the point of the ending with the detoned guitar though...
10.0  Metalp
Porcelain Heart8:00
A song I would compare to "A Fair Judgement"... heavy instrumental parts, and clean vocals on more mellow parts.
9.0  Metalp
Hessian Peel11:25
10.0  Metalp
Hex Omega7:00