HERITAGE

Opeth's second non-metal album is a marvel, an intriguing and slowly growing album that may fail to make much sense at first, but one that kept seducing me into it's attractive 70's gloom. At about 20 listens I finally feel confident enough to review it.

Without the metal sound, the compositions on 'Heritage' initially seem to miss the unifying glue that ties everything together on regular Opeth albums. So at first some songs sound quite haphazard and fragmented. Well, that's how much real Prog albums sound in my ears and this one is not an exception. It just takes time, an expensive luxury in these days of fast moving mp3-goods. I admit I had to throw away my initial draft of this review entirely and I'm sure this album's appreciation will suffer from rushed judgements. Also your expectations might stand in the way of the music. So for whomever who wouldn't know yet, this is not metal, not extreme, and also no 'Damnation II'.

And there's so much to enjoy. The more bluesy and rocking approach works wonderfully well for Opeth and the breathy and dynamic arrangements reveal the brilliant musicianship that usually got obscured by the thick guitar wall. Especially Mendez can be enjoyed as he curls his fluid bass lines around Axe's superb drumming. I may have criticized Axe's rather rigid approach on 'Watershed' but here he makes me forget Lopez altogether, as he can be busy as well as subtle, rocking as well as swinging. And of course there's Per Wiberg who can be heard like never before. There's also none of the disinterested growls or formulaic metal that made 'Watershed' such a disappointment for me.

We're a good 15 years after their debut 'Orchid' but the music from 'Heritage' is simply light-years away from that chillingly black atmosphere of yore. It's a change that not all fans will welcome but I'm happy that Opeth always managed to reinvent themselves whenever they seemed to be stuck in a rut. This is a refreshing listen, and much preferred over having yet another album where Akerfeldt's heart wasn't into anymore. It's not a match for BWP or Ghost Reveries, but different, and genius as well.

PS. Please get the version with the DVD surround mix and 2 more yummy tracks.