IN CAUDA VENENUM

This is exactly what I expected from Opeth at this point in their career. It's perfectly competent proggy hard rock. Organ is more prominent than ever, reminding me at times of Jethro Tull's sound on Thick as a Brick. The use of their native Swedish adds a nice twist, and as someone who tunes out lyrics most of the time, not understanding doesn't detract. However, a lot of this feels paint-by-numbers and soulless. I'm not sure if it's a result of the songwriting itself, or if the production is just too slick for its own good. This is their best album since Watershed, but unless you've really loved their non-metal output, this is an eminently skippable album.

Review originally posted here: theeliteextremophile.com/2019/10/21/odds-ends-october-21-2019/