HERITAGE

Never a band known for being resistant to change, or risk-adverse, Opeth deliver their most controversial platter yet with their 10th observation Heritage. The reports I have been seeing on their Facebook profile are entertaining. Because the responses from the fan community run the absolute gamut from 'masterpiece, album of the year' to 'what the hell is this, i'm burning all my Opeth merchandise'. Heritage was a huge creative risk for the band. Did it pay off? In my opinion, yes, it most certainly did. Heritage marks possibly the biggest change in tone I've heard in a band's sound since Porcupine Tree's In Absentia. Rather than blastbeats or guttural demonic vocals, here we have prog jazz freakouts, nods to Camel, King Crimson, and Rainbow, and flutes.

Some have been saying that the songs on this album lack melody and structure. There are melodies in the songs, maybe not as in your face and immediately apparent as on some of their other albums, but then, when has Opeth ever been known for a simplistic verse/chorus/verse formula? The album is one of those that may not hit you straight away on first listen. It's a slow burner. But it really does grow on you, and you realise how fantastic these songs truly are. They really understand the dynamics and subtleties of music. They know that silence can be just as effective as bombast and noise. Listen to Heritage on a decent 5.1 surround system and you'll be blown away. Mendez on bass really gets his chance to shine on this disc, after being unfortunately rendered inaudible on many of their prior releases. Martin Axenrot also excels here, and proves his chops on the drums with aplomb.

Favourite tracks so far are Famine, with it's slightly frightening Jethro Tull-esque flute section (I implore anyone who laments that Heritage is not heavy enough to listen to this track. It may not be metal, but man, that flute sounds EVIL); I Feel The Dark, and the almighty Folklore. In Opeth's 20 plus years on the game, this is one of my favourite ever compositions by them. The closing instrumental Marrow of the Earth is eerily reminiscent of Camel's The Snow Goose. Just listen to the chord changes. It sounds uncannily like Andy Latimer's style, to the extent that I often forgot I was listening to Opeth and not vintage Camel.

Those with an open mind will appreciate the hard work, passion, and musical skill that went into Heritage. Metalheads may feel left out in the cold, but really Opeth were always so much more than a metal band. They incorporated elements of prog, jazz, classical, folk, and everything in between into their disparate sound, from the very beginning. Their recent move towards unabashed prog should not have been a huge surprise for any close observer of the band. If anything, I hope to hear them continue down this direction, and that Heritage is merely a transition to something even better in the future. They've proved themselves to be artists of integrity to their vision, and that they are willing to challenge themselves and their listeners (rare feats in today's musical landscape). The truly great artists from the Beatles, Radiohead, Porcupine Tree, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, amongst others, never rested on their laurels or tread the same musical ground twice. Imagine if the Beatles kept making Please Please Me over and over again? We'd never have heard Sgt Peppers or Abbey Road. The more change resistant members of the Opeth fanbase clamouring for more death metal like Blackwater Park really do not get Opeth at all. They've stretched themselves, and left their comfort zone. And for that I have true respect for them. An astonishing piece of work, and my album of the year without a doubt.