BURDEN

this is an absolute must get for fans not only of Opeth, but Alice in chains, and prog in general. this is a three song Ep released by opeth showcasing their single "Burden", an alternate version of "Porcelain heart" (on this EP it is entitled "Mellotron heart"), and a cover of "would?" by Alice in chains.the first track "Burden" isn't much to speak of it's cut down from the album version to be compatible with the radio. "Mellotron heart" although is amazing tacking the album version in a totally different direction replacing all the guitar parts with a Mellotron. The highlight of the Ep "would?" is a cover, which is arguably better than the Alice in chains version, although not drifting far from the original sound intended.a definite buy for fans of Opeth, Alice in chains, and progressive music. 4 stars

Burden is a digital EP ( or CD single? I´m confused about the concepts here) release by progressive Swedish metal act Opeth. The EP/ single was released in December 2008 by Roadrunner Records.

There are 3 tracks on the release which has a total playing time of 13:20 minutes. There´s a radio edit version of Burden from Watershed (2008) which is pretty nice, but I can´t say I´m much of a fan of radio edits. It´s like removing 1/4 of a painting or something like that IMO. The real treats on this release are Mellotron Heart and the cover of Would? by Alice in Chains. The former is a softer mellotron drenched version of Porcelain Heart from Watershed and while I find the more heavy original version a bit more interesting Mellotron Heart is actually a nice little variation. The cover of Would? is pretty much true to the original. Mikael even makes an effort to sound a little like Layne. There´s no doubt this is a great cover version but it stays a bit too close to the original IMO. I like cover versions to sound like the band who play them wrote the song. Or in other words make the song their own. I think Opeth fail to do that here but it´s still an enjoyable song.

The production is excellent.

Burden isn´t the most necessary Opeth release I´ve come across. If you ask me they should have added Bridge of Sighs, Den Ständiga Resan and Derelict Herds ( all featured on the bonus DVD from the special edition version of Watershed) to this release and then it would have been really worthwhile to get a hold of. Still the quality is allright and I think a 3 star rating is warranted.

Another item borrowed from a friend who is a huge fan of Opeth. This set comes from 2008 and contains 3 tunes. There are no Opeth growls here which turn many people off, myself included. BURDEN- 3 stars. This is a shorter radio edit and I have never been a huge fan of radio edits. So I can't rate it any higher than 3 stars. Good but not essential. MELLOTRON HEART- as the title says this song contains a lot of mellotron. It is mellow and almost too mellow. I don't really get much from this track. A bit boring. Like the flute, however. 2 stars. WOULD?- This is a cover of an Alice In Chains song. I believe from my memory of the original that this is pretty similar but I may be wrong. 3 stars. Again, good, but not essential. Maybe Opeth fans would enjoy this EP a lot more than a casual listener like myself. Overall two 3 stars and one 2 stars. I will average out the entire thing to 3 stars for this review. Not bad but not really excellent or essential.

Listening diary 22nd February, 2021: Opeth - Burden (progressive rock, 2008)

I'm not the biggest fan of guitar solos, so those who know me may be surprised when I say that this song really just isn't there without the long outro. It's still a phenomenal song, and one of Opeth's best clean tracks, but I do miss the length. But anyway, that's not really why we're here, we're here for the cover of Alice in Chains' "Would?", which I'd go as far as to say is better than the original. I'm probably biased just because Mikael is one of my favourite ever vocalists, but it weirdly suits Opeth's sound, and to me was the first exposure I had to Alice in Chains being actually good and not generic grunge like I always assumed they were.

7.2 (3rd listen)

Part of my listening diary from my facebook music blog - www.facebook.com/TheExoskeletalJunction