HERITAGE

70/100 - Rounded to 3 stars.

Opeth can be regarded as a sort of niche band. Despite their (perhaps misplaced) label of 'death metal' they do not generally appeal to denizens of the corpse slashing and blood vomiting world in which death metal resides. Alternatively, despite their influences from progressive rock, they have not acquired much allegiance from the average cape-wearing, middle-aged progger, either. Instead they have carved out their own groove in the music scene, one in which people who are fans of the bombastic, technical flaunting of progressive rock, but also the hard driving pulse of extreme metal can gather and be both moved to tears and sent to verge of murder by the same band.

That was until now. With their latest offering, Heritage, Opeth have forsaken their signature 'heavy - soft - soft - heavy' template with an experimental album that is difficult to classify. Gone are the lion roars and double bass pounding of old, and what now sits in their place is... well... hard to put a finger on. As a journalist I'd like to be the first to introduce new and ridiculous labels to this album such as 'post-ghost-wave' or 'blackened-folk-prog.' To forsake your confusion, and to name adjectives that may actually resonate with readers, however, one could perhaps call this album 'progressive rock,' 'experimental,' 'folk,' etc. From the album cover alone, it shouldn't be very difficult to determine that Opeth were aiming for the kind of album that you'd find for about $2 at your local record store, but could later sell on eBay for a hefty profit. This album reeks of feigned obscurity, as if Mikael Akerfeldt wanted to craft an artwork that pays tribute to all of the weird albums that he's assembled in his record collection and enjoys teasing his friends about because they've never heard of them.

This is actually Opeth's second time recording an album devoid of metal elements and growling vocals, the first being their 2003 album Damnation. As opposed to Damnation, which was very soft, somber, and beautiful, however, Heritage is a much harder hitting artwork. Opeth have perhaps strayed into hard rock territory in the past (such as Watershed's Porcelain Heart) but it has never been such a central element of their sound until now. Some parts of the album are positively heavy, but never in a way that is overtly metallic. Of course there are some of Opeth's trademark finger-style acoustic passages, but much less, surprisingly, than what we've heard on their past records. One of the problems with this album, though, and what makes it so difficult to describe, is that there really isn't a staple sound. It's not a hard rock album, it's not a prog album, it's not a folk album, and it's not a metal album. Instead, it's a dizzying array of scattered eclecticity, which leaves the listener feeling tired and confused by the time it's over.

The production on this album was obviously aimed towards being 'vintage.' For whatever reason, they wanted to make this album sound like it was produced without any of the modern luxuries that are available in sound engineering but yet actually produced it with those tools. The result is ineffective, in my opinion. Some modern bands have been able to successfully emulate a vintage sound on their albums (Astra's The Weirding is a prime example) but Heritage comes off as sounding muddy, congealed, and, ultimately, cheap. It's dreadfully apparent that the band was trying to make it sound like they used vintage recording techniques, as opposed to actually using those techniques. That said, I have a soft spot for vintage keyboards and this album is chock full of Mellotron, Rhodes, and totally bad ass Hammond organ sounds (which are actually all real - no virtual instruments!) The drum kit that Martin 'Axe' Axenrot dragged out for this album sounds delightfully fat and vintage, as well.

There are virtues to listening to this album, certainly. The musicianship is as impeccable as anything else this band has released. Martin Mendez's bass playing is especially impressive, and Axe's drumming is much improved over his last attempt. Like Opeth's last two records, the keyboards are again a very dominant aspect of the music, and I can't help but think about how much I will miss Per Wiberg's playing while I listen to this album. Furthermore, there are some legitimately beautiful moments on this album, moments that made me yearn to hear more like them, and for them to exist for longer than the brief moments that they existed for.

The musicianship is where the virtues end, however. The songwriting on this album is for the most part, crudely underdeveloped. Every one of the songs on the album has shining moments but when regarded as a full song, or as an entire album, it's a mess. Any moments of gold that the band may have landed upon are immediately vanquished by the next random and unrelated passage that has been tacked next to it for whatever illogical reason. This may have been the case with all Opeth's albums, but for some reason it worked. Perhaps it was the melding of extremes that this album is lacking that leaves the weakness of the songwriting so sorely exposed? As the last track comes to a close, what the listener is left with are a bunch of scattered moments amidst a sea of wankery and weirdness...

' And Opeth loves to flaunt their irregularities. The melodic structure of this album is, vaguely stated, unkosher. Mikael lives to write songs that utilize weird dis-harmonic guitar riffs and are basically devoid of any key or modality. Such music has been successful in the past, but by composers that were already thoroughly versed in 'standard' music theory before they decided to venture into uncharted territory and break the rules. Mikael Akerfeldt is completely unaware that these rules even exist, and most of his attempts at the avant-garde sound simply 'weird' and 'unpleasant'... and not in a good way. (Bartok, anyone?)

The vocals are the worst that Mikael Akerfeldt has ever recorded, and the lyrics are just as bad. Whereas in the past Akerfeldt was quite at home with a gentle, warm, and sort of Greg Lake style medieval crooning, he is entirely out of his comfort zone throughout Heritage. He attempted a kind of hard rock and belting singing style, occasionally aiming for his falsetto, but never actually on pitch. The vocals gyrate in a manner that is most bizarre. Why he could not simply choose a note and sing it, and had to instead warble over every tone that surrounds it, is completely beyond me. Some of the lyrics caused me to literally cringe. I shutter to recall the almost ICP-esque stanza 'Feel the pain | In your brain | insane.' Maybe his 4 year old daughter wrote that one?

In general, though, I think this album is pretty decent. It's listenable, interesting, and, however disorganized, actually has some brilliant material on it. I hope that Opeth continue with this new style, and perfect it. For the sake of the band's future, I also hope that Mikael Akerfeldt finds the writing partner that he so desperately needs, or that at least some of the band members will muster the courage to tell him 'Dude that part was sh!t, let's cut that.' I feel surprisingly apathetic to dish out such a scathing review of a band I once loved more than any other in music... Perhaps I already said my farewell years ago, like an elderly relative who's brain has already withered away in the wake of Alzheimer's but has yet to actually meet the grave? Apathy or something more predetermined, I'll miss Opeth and the music I once loved so dearly.

Highlights: I Feel the Dark, Haxprocess, Marrow of the Earth

Lowdarks: Famine, Nepenthe

What?!??!? Opeth abandoned their death metal roots and the result is a consistent and beautiful album. Mikael has always been clean his 70's prog rock influence, and it was observed in his music. But I never thought that a Opeth's album would sound like a 70's album. Of course, despite the claim of Heritage sounds like a 70's album it's a little different and keep some characteristics of old Opeth's album. The opening song is a beauty, dark piano intro. It's important to note the extensive use of keyboards that occur in practically all tracks. In addition, I highlight the great work of Martin Axenrot. I Feel the Dark was the first song that I loved cause I thought the vocal harmonies so beautiful. After a brake, the song turns dense, obscure and typically an Opeth's song. So, Slither is a hard rock music and is quite different from the another songs. I'll not comment every song. I couldn't fail to mention the presence of flute in the music Famine, good surprise. Very interesting album!

This is the most experimental Opeth i've heard! Folk, jazz, psicodelic. No growls, screamings, Double bass drumming, heavy riffing or 10min Opus sincopatics. Definitely this not an easy record. It will take a couple of listens to see if it grows or not on you.

As one of the most awaited records of 2011, i was expecting a lot more of it, specially after hearing the devil's orchard on July, which is in mho a hell of a song.

For sure has it's momments, but overall i think, there something missing here. Is not the lack of death metal or heavier stuff. I feel a little lack of Dynamics.

Heritage is a really beutiful little dark track, and as an instrumental intro it really works.

The Devil's Orchard is Great song with a Rush like feeling. Some jazz.

I feel the dark sounds actually Really dark . Mikael singing a la damnation. A little lineal structure, specially for opeth.

Slither. I heard somewhere is a Ronnie James Dio Tribute. Despite that, this is, in my opinion one of the worse opeth songs, sounded a lot like Riverside to me (I love riverside By the way) But for Opeth, not sure about that one.

Nepenthe and Haxprocess work as one track divided in two pieces. Lot of Jazz on both songs, Really sounds like a 70s record, with sections that can perfectly be on a camel or King Crmson record.

Famine starts with a Tribal drumming quasi King crimson. The highliht is the flute that appears towards the outro, Jethro tull perhaps?. Despite that quite a boring track.

The Lines in My Hand: One of the best in the record. It ends all of a sudden. Lot of energy, and after 3 slow tracks, it feels like fresh air.

Folklore has a little medieval feeling. Not a bad track, but at this point, Akerfeldt new way of singing sounds monotonous.

Finally Marrow of the Earth starts with an interesting guitar Arpeggio. A linear instrumental song, which sound almost like a Lullaby, again, not bad at all, but weak for the last song of the album.

To me this is the peak of Akerfeldt Obsession with Camel and the 70s prog sound. It was even recorded almost analogous. Of course, another record with the "loud/soft/loud" formula woul probably had nothing to offer, but to me Heritage lacks of a little focus to make the ideas in here, which are not bad al all, sounded solid. If Watershed can be taked as a transition record (and the worst Ever for me) Heritage stablish the new direction that mr. Akerfeldt has Build for Opeth. For better or Worse.

Over all, Not Opeth as it best in here. 3.5 Stars

This is simply amazing in terms of creativity, musicianship and concept.

It's the type of album you can't re-make, it's an Event (in badiouian philosophical understanding of the term). Just like Miles Davis' In a Silent Way or KC's Islands.

Unfortunately many people will dislike it cause they lack the ears for it, mainly cause they like all the shiny and clean modern sounds. Or because they are simple metalheads and can't cope with brilliant originality.

No matter! Opeth created their own hidden gem of their repertoire (which for me is the real masterpiece in one's discography). I hope Akerfeldt keeps this "travel-and-discovery" attitude in his musical journey. Because music is just waiting to be discovered.

Thank you, Opeth, for such a Record!

Opeth's tenth 'observation' entitled "Heritage" is likely to polarize fans into two distinct camps. Those who are disappointed that the death metal elements are gone and those who embrace the change towards 1970's influenced experimental progressive rock.

While there definitely were 70's influences apparent in their earlier work, "Heritage" takes it to a whole new level. One can immediately notice the 70's prog vibe just from the album artwork and vintage production alone. This album definitely stands out as being the oddest one of the Opeth catalogue with virtually every track emitting some form of eccentricity not previously heard from the band. It seems that past Opeth is just one of many artists blended into the sound of "Heritage" rather than the primary identity behind the album.

The opening title track, "Heritage" starts off with a very gentle and haunting piano piece accompanied with stand up bass from bassist Martin Mendez. "The Devil's Orchard" abruptly comes in and provides the album's first single. Guitarist Fredrik Akesson really shines with his guitar solo towards the end of the track. "I Feel the Dark" is one of the more immediately enjoyable songs employing some pretty interesting acoustic guitar grooves throughout. Next is the most up tempo song on the album, "Slither", the band's tribute to the late Ronnie James Dio.

Apart from "The Devil's Orchard", "Slither" and "The Lines in My Hand", most of the album is fairly mellow and laid back with some louder jarring parts in between to prevent the listener from becoming too comfortable with the calm musical climate. This is best demonstrated during "Nepenthe" when a series of very tranquil guitar passages is interrupted by a sudden burst of dissonant jazz energy. There are a lot of ambient and somewhat avant-garde passages in here that are atypical for Opeth such as the middle of "H�¤xprocess" which features serene acoustic guitar work interspersed with sound effects of children playing in the distance.

"Famine" is the longest and 'evilest' track including a memorable Jethro Tull inspired section with a chaotic flute solo playing over a doomy riff. "Folklore" traverses all over the place from a relaxed section with vocal effects to dwelling guitar and piano parts to a very dramatic and thematic outro. The album concludes in a similar fashion as it opens with a very beautiful and poignant instrumental, "Marrow of the Earth". It is primarily acoustic guitar and electric lead guitar until the outro with the rest of the band as the album fades to silence.

Some complaints toward this album are the lack of an elite discography defining track that most other Opeth albums have and the declining (at times rather cheesy) lyrics from songwriter, Mikael Akerfeldt. The clean vocals are quite a bit more aggressive and assertive than what listeners are used to hearing from Mikael. Sometimes the more assertive style works and other times it does not work as well. Some listeners may be turned off by the old school production that sounds like it may have legitimately been recorded in the mid 1970's.

Overall the album is recommended for progressive rock fans, especially those into 1970's prog.

Highlights: I Feel the Dark H�¤xprocess Marrow of the Earth

'Heritage' - Opeth (5/10)

Opeth is a band that is famous for turning metalheads into prog rock fans. It was the other way for me; these Swedish titans introduced me to the world of extreme metal, a sound that I found myself averse to at first, but have since come to embrace as a realm where some of rock music's most visionary talents dwell. Although 'Morningrise' and 'Ghost Reveries' in particular have since engrained an indelible etch on my heart though, the past year saw my appreciation for this band has waned, virtually leading me to renounce my Opeth fandom; while brilliant at first, their style wore thin for me, perhaps from one too many listens to the now painfully familar soft-heavy dynamic. With that being said, let it be known that this reviewer may have had a slight bias against this band's work now. Hopefully however, my fatigue of Opeth hasn't stopped me from judging their latest album 'Heritage' on its merits.

While Opeth is best known for epic progressive death metal with strong acoustic elements and melancholic atmosphere, they are also known to deviate from that course, albeit only once in a while. The first shift away from metal was heard on 2003's 'Damnation', a mellow and depressing interlude between the heaviness of 'Deliverance', and the refined mastery of 'Ghost Reveries'. Although this was certainly a step away from what the band was used to doing, there was still the distinct Opeth-y vibe to it; the riffs were definitely the creation of Opeth main man Mikael Akerfeldt, and the feeling of the music remained relatively unchanged from the band's earlier incarnations. After 2008's 'Watershed', it was clear to many fans that Opeth was on the brink of another change- after all, only three of that album's seven tracks featured any death growls at all. Let me cut to the point; it came as little surprise that Opeth was now going to do something different with their sound. I loved what they did with 'Damnation', but as far as hearing that Opeth was planning on doing a '70s retro rock album, I was disappointed, even months before the album came out. All too many bands already in prog were looking back to the 1970's for their sound, and I was not enthralled by the news that Opeth was following suit.

After hearing 'Heritage' finally, I have a lot of things to say about it, and simultaneously I am both impressed, yet immensely disappointed. I am impressed for the fact that Opeth has been able to make a new style here while maintaining many of their trademark sounds, and the music here does not sound nearly as '70s derived as I feared it would be. On the less positive note, I have been immensely disappointed by the fact that- above and beyond, this is the most unbalanced thing that Opeth has ever done, and hopefully ever will do. I cannot see myself ever having the same appreciation for this record as I do for anything else that Opeth has done. Even still, amidst all of the confusion and disappointment that this record has created for me, there are still things that pleasantly surprised me along the way.

As far as their style goes, we still hear the interplay between acoustic parts and heavier moments, but the big change here is that all traces of death metal have been extracted out of the formula. Unlike 'Damnation', Opeth can still be heavy here, but it is heaviness in the same way that a band like Uriah Heep was heavy; gritty and over the top, with all the bombast but lacking the extremity. It is clear that- true to the reports- Opeth aims for a vintage proggy hard rock style, with pros and cons included. Even by looking at the cover of this album, it looks to me that Mikael Akerfeldt is giving a tongue-in-cheek tribute to his prog rock idols with this one, and it is reflected in the music as well; bluesy rock riffs, jazzy drumming, and plenty of keyboard textures. All the same, Opeth is clever enough here to lean towards a certain sound, without necessarily copying it note for note.

While I was pleasantly intrigued by the fresh take on the '70s prog style that Opeth crafted here, the songwriting that presents this style was another matter entirely. Even devoting several intent listens to the music on 'Heritage', I cannot describe the compositions here as anything but lackluster, underwhelming, aimless, synonyms, synonyms. The songs felt like a continental breakfast buffet at some second-rate chain hotel; there's plenty of variety to choose from, but they don't provide half of the equipment to cook the damned stuff. Much of these ideas felt like gimmicks rather than heartfelt musical observations, with a few moments making me wonder if Akerfeldt's only goal here was to sound strange or obscure to his fans. With a band of this talent, there's definitely aspects to the sound that score, but 'Heritage' is filled with a lot more misses than otherwise. Highlights of this album included the eerie title-track introduction, 'Nepenthe', parts of 'Famine', and the rather enjoyable climax 'Folklore'. While I might even say that each track on 'Heritage' has at least one interesting aspect about it, none of these songs stand much against the true greats that Opeth has churned out in earlier years.

Like most of this album, the performances and production here is given a largely mixed result. The first thing I really noticed about 'Heritage' that impressed me was actually the drumming, provided here by Martin Axenrot. While drums are usually something that takes me several listens before I start really listening in on it, I was immediately struck by both Axenrot's incredible jazz-tinged performance, and the richly organic way the drums sounded. I would even say that this is the best drumwork I have yet heard on an Opeth record. Coming in as my other favourite aspect of 'Heritage' is the keyboard wizardry of Per Wiberg, who doesn't necessarily wow audiences with technical skills here, but instead makes his mark by using a wide variety of vintage key sounds (think Mellotron, or Hammond organ) and using them tastefully. This gives a nice layer over the otherwise disappointing, grimy, and dull-sounding guitar riffs, which- once again- are among the worst that I have yet heard on an Opeth album. With Per's keyboard performance here being so vivid, it's a real shame that this is the last we'll hear of him with the band.

As I've said, the guitar riffs here are boring for the most part, and whatever pleasant aspects of 'Heritage' there are, are usually left to keyboards, drums, or other less expected instruments, like the flute. Lastly is Mikael Akerfeldt's voice on 'Heritage', as well as the lyrics. I'm beginning to sense a pattern in my disappointment here; Akerfeldt's performance here is mixed, with some moments benefiting from his warm tenor, and others feeling more like he's forcing himself to sound like some obscure hard rock singer than making a necessary artistic choice. And the lyrics; while I considered Mikael Akerfeldt to be something of a death metal poet with opuses 'Still Life' and all else, I cringed once or twice with the contrived rhymes that Mikael was trying to pass here; take a look at some of the lyrics on 'The Lines In My Hand' and you might see what I mean.

So there you have it; with another year comes another Opeth album, and for the first time in my life, I've been really let down by them, the band I once thought could do no wrong. There are plenty of interesting ideas on 'Heritage', but while listening to this, I get the recurring image of sifting through Trail Mix when I was a kid; having to rummage through the nuts and berries to get the chocolate crisps. Opeth can certainly be hailed for trying something new with their sound, but as far as experiments go, I would consider this as lukewarm, rather than the dazzling masterpiece some may have hoped it to be.

Having enjoyed Damnation (can't stand the growling stuff, that's not music if you ask me, just as screeching car brakes aren't music) and really seeing the potential of the band, outstanding musicians all-round, I am glad they are back with a great album with singing.

I am enjoying it a lot, I like the mix of acoustic and tougher rock songs, the drummer even sounds jazzy at times. I just hope they'll continue down this path of more musical prog and they'll be a healthy and interesting addition to my regular music menu as is the excellent Damnation.

It must be tough to make the death metal fans happy, but I believe there isn't much of a musical future in that style, as it lacks the nuances of progressive rock, that needs space, air, pause, introspection. Yes, energetic can be fun, crazy too, but you can't live like that every day, every minute, life is about variety, strong, delicate, harmonic, disharmonic, loud, quiet, etc. So I believe Opeth may finally be maturing (oh what a shunned word) :-)

Great album, from what I've hear a solid 4 star, tending to 4.5, outstanding, keep it up Opeth!

PD: The the reviewer having trouble classifying this record's genre, I'd say it's quite easy: Progressive Rock :-) - I know you all love the gazillion genres created here on this site, but it's all prog to me ;-)

I love how Mikael Akerfeldt lives his musician life. With his amazing record collection and love to try new things in his music, this guy made growls fine for me. I'm thankful to Mikael Akerfeldt that now I can enjoy great bands like Death and he showed me a lot of new bands with his inspirations. And not just progressive bands either. (Lastly he's done ten radio shows which goes deep in his record collection.)

And now here's Opeth's new album, everybody talked about it like it's gonna be written "70's" all over it. But Opeth is still Opeth, with their 70's love and greeting to their music. New elements from 70's here are flutes, hammond organs and such popular keyboards from 70's. So yes it's a bigger step that Opeth took to 70's. But you can almost hear everything that what makes Opeth Opeth in this record. All that is missing is those crazy [&*!#]-ass "I'm totally losing it!!" death growls and attacks. But for me they did enough of it in the past anyway. Instead we get a more heavy rockish sound, which I don't regret hearing, I'm nearly to think that this new sound is better for Opeth. By the way, let's not forget that 70's were about creativity and art that's cared and loved by the artist and listeners. So it would not be so wrong if I said Opeth already lives in 70's anyway!

We get the mellow parts and the acoustic parts and even jazz drums at some point. Axe is really doing good on drums, it's nice to hear that Mikael and him now getting so well and Axe contributes wonderfully. Great guitars and vocals as expected from Opeth. Keyboards are working pretty well too, I hope they do fine without Per Wiberg though. The new guy played only the first song, which is such a lovely and depressing piano suit. If that's how he rolls, I'm sure I can deal with it! But that's probably just him getting warmed to the band. And that's a song that Mikael wrote actually.

So no matter what they'll do with their sound, in my opinion this record is a very successful one.

I actually gave 4 stars for this record but now surprisingly I think it's a solid 5. I can't stop listening to it. It's such a wonderful record that has so much inspiration and deep feelings. The new way Mikael composes his songs is so artistically successful and meaningful. Mikael and Opeth did a really great job. Looking forward to anything that Opeth will do.

When Death Met Prog ( my personal review of Opeth latest album)

There was a point in time when a death-brutal band attempted to creat a create a prog album ( damnation):

By doing so the band become a truthfully prog rock band by the end of it and almost abandon all their death metal darkness ( things of past childhood? an immature genre?)

Opeth literally attempted to to make a prog rock album with damnation however with heritage they didn't just try to make no. they did and successfully succeed. they created an album that prog fan of the glory days of prog will adore years later.

. An album seriously will become one of the greatest prog rock album ever made.

A masterpiece you can hear strongly influence of bands yes, king crimson, camel, early genesis and I can bravely say that I even heard Caravan and harfield and the North. As well a fusion/jazz influences plus pure psychedelic Elements never visited by opeth. bright and brilliant future will arrives to Opeth one the greatest prog band of today.

As you can see so far I didn't mentioned death metal not even once well I did several times ( lol) because Mikael death metal's vocals aren't present on any of this records' songs. According to Mikael this is a direction that he wants to take opeth and put his death in the past. Many Opeth fans will be disappointed and I can honestly say that Opeth might loose some fans but gain many new one. ( hardcore prog fans)

Now I will review each song from the new album

1) Heritage

opens with a sort piano intro and acoustic guitar that brings to mind early opeth song like melinda and many typical opeth tunes, but then moves quickly to pure jazzy improvisation that makes you think that you are listening to keith jarrett album yes keith jarrett . Jazz master and alumni of Early Fusion Miles Davis who become on of the most appreciated jazz improvisation innovator player of today's jazz.

2 The Devil's Orchard

Start with fearful rich guitar riffs accompanied by dark doom organ/ mellotron sounds. perhaps the greatest track of the whole album but you might change your mind by the time you finish listen to the whole album.

with chorus like god's is dead" Mikeal breath taking melodic voice gives the illusion as he was trying to rescue your from your miserable pray where God is not listening or wouldn't listen.

when god don't listen to you prayer is as he was dead.

in about 4:50 the master song transforms itself to a the glory days of prog as bands as caravan, camel. defiantly one of the best.

3) I feel the dark

it start with Mikael calm voice and extraordinary beautiful melodic acoustic guitars riffs that resemble to some of the material of watershed. again beautiful accompanied by the mellotron. by 3;01 min of the song it gets brutally assaulted by this great loud sound and amazing vocals by Mikael. @ 3;36 the song became a great great loud drums & bass guitar that we all love of Opeth. By the time the songs end it had become a very mystical psychedelic track. brilliant stuff

4) Slither

to my prog and mature ears can easily be mistaken by any song of late porcupine tree but with a bit of modem metals elements as well. the only song that isn't real prog but it has a great riffs. real cool.

5. Nepenthe

opeth return when they left on track 4 with track number 5. it gives me the impression that song number 4 was a filler and it shouldn't be in between this 2 songs.

again soft magical acoustic intro giving you an illusion that you are listening to early genesis however once the bass hits the first notes it transform into King crimson meddle section of cat foot and again once Mickael start singing it brings you to the Canterbury hartfield and the north. Again rapidly and brutally like song number 4 meddle section the song get different direction by the brutal rhodes piano notes setting the next mood. it continues with this loud and angry guitar but economical solo and fantastic drums and bass duet. by the end it goes back to the beginning theme of the song. I can honestly say this track is completely like nothing Opeth has done before. A pure prog rock song . very dark, folkly/jazzy/fusion song extremely well done.

6) Haxprecess

continue as well with soft acoustic guitar intro. it gives more folky feels. perhaps this album is more acoustic than electric. ti has the whole mood with the exception of track 5 , No death, hardly any metal riffs. Just pure prog rock like the bands i mentioned before.

7) Famine

the few minutes of the song is pure experimental nothing like the opeth you know. until 2:24 of the song it become a folky again accompanied by the beautiful sound of the mellotron. It can easy be mistaken by a king crimson or jethro tull song. by 5:00 Min of the song metal riffs are present reassembly early Sabbath by accompanied by solid flute solo yes a flute solo. I said before like nothing like opeth has doesn't before. the song end with the same experimental percussion taking you the unknown.

defiantly one of my favorite songs. Alex acuna the legendary percussionist of fusion band weather report.

8) The Lines in My Hand

start rapidly with the rhythm section and a solid bass solo finally Martin has brilliant chance to shine. demonstration how well accomplished bass player he is. well all the player truthfully shines on the song. an very collective song and simply brilliant. Opeth reinvented themselves in this song.

9) Folklore

for some reason the intro riffs reminds of the doors The end but only for a few minutes but t moves to a solid prog rock song embracing once again prog heroes. more acoustic guitar, more beautiful vocals, about 4;35 all loudness come to an end.and the tranquility of the acoustic guitar takes place.but by 6:0 min of the song it rock but this time to a modern sound of bands like porcupine

tree, Riverside, aknedoten.

10) Marrow of the Earth

heritage Finnish with the beautiful acoustic and electric melodic song that reminds me how wonderful this journey had been listening the whole album. it intend to give a happy ending of a love story of how brutal became beauty

Mikeal in my personal opinion ( well the whole album is my personal view) had successfully succeed it with this album. and hopefully more of this fashion will come in the near future. I am not saying with this that I don't want to do his death metal riff or vocals that is why I got to extreme metal thanks to him but it is his choice and i am happy with it.

A true masterpiece 5 stars. Abel A. Adames ( darksideof)

OPETH - HERITAGE 5/5

What a fantastic record. To me this is by large their best album so far. I know that some of Opeth's fans may be a little disappointed with the release of Heritage for even though it has almost all of the elements that previous Opeth album had, there has been a change of direction. And yes it has a very powerful scent of 70's rock all through it as some previous reviewer has noted but for me this is a very good thing. There are no death/black metal voices which were an element I disliked in previous albums. I enjoyed most of them but I'd preferred that kind of voices to disappear? and finally? here you are. It has to be said that even though this is still progressive metal music there are a lot of calm moments and you can hear space rock, jazz rock and even classic prog-rock moments through it. I'd say that if you are into Porcupine Tree, Black Sabbath, 70's rock? you will enjoy this record. One of the albums of 2011 along with Graveyard's Hisingen Blues and Phideaux' Snowtorch.

Fascinating album! How many times can a band re-invent themselves? Like Conor above, I was immediately impressed with the drumming on this album. It is absolutely stunning. ANd, overall, I have to say that this is my favorite Opeth sound. I love the keys, am blown away by all musicians' skills and touch, actually really enjoy the vocals, but agree that the music seems to never really go anywhere. There is so little structure and/or point to each song's development as to leave me wondering--after almost every song-- what were they trying to do there? These are not so much songs as impressionist pieces, or, better, Zen pieces: every moment could and does lead to something raw and unexpected. More RIO/Avant, to my ears. I am more reminded of YUGEN, HENRY COW, and UNIVERS ZERO (and maybe a little JETHRO TULL??--even ZAPPA) here than anything else. Still, this is a very interesting album-- one that I will return to many times, I'm sure--which is more than I can say for "Still Life," "Blackwater Park" or "Damnation"--all of which I appreciate. I just don't feel the desire to revisit them very often. Nice job, OPETH. Check this album out. It really is worth it.

After listening to the first single from Heritage, The Devil's Orchard, I admittedly had low expectations. Often low expectations are followed with a pleasant surprise. This was not the case for Heritage. The album doesn't flow from song to song- it sounds like one [&*!#]piece separated into shorter segments.

Opeth has released solid album after solid album culminating with Ghost Reveries, which is probably the best progressive death metal album ever written, or at least that I've heard. Watershed had it holes (pun intended) but still had some good moments. A band of Opeth's stature can be expected to have a weak release every now and then, particularly after some major changes in the band lineup. With Heritage, it is clear that Mikael has either hit a creative block or that he has completely burned out.

Under normal circumstances, each individual song would merit their own review, however pretty much all songs fall under the same category. Amateurish songwriting, unoriginal melodies, boring, rushed, rehashed, uninspired, with only a few moments on the entire album deserving an exception from these descriptions. There's maybe two noteworthy songs on this album. Folklore is what you might expect as a 'good' song on a typical Opeth album. The Lines in My Hand has a nice pace, a typical cool Opeth acoustic hook and some energetic vocals. The Jethro Tull-like flute in Famine, the plagiarized Nietzsche quote in The Devil's Orchard, and overall lame lyrics didn't do anything for me.

I think Mikael has great clean vocals and that Damnation was a solid album so this was not a contributing factor to the overall low opinion of the album. If Live at the Royal Albert Hall is any indication, Mikael's guttural vocals are shot or he is going too far with experimenting. For the sake of Opeth fans, I hope that this is not a trend and that the creative juices have not run dry. If Opeth releases another weak album, it would be safe to say that it is time for them to hang up the gloves and call it a career. Actually listen to the album before rating it, so that some poor sap doesn't buy this album because it has high ratings and it says "Opeth" on the cover. When it comes to prog, a brand name doesn't cut it. Save your money.

I would have put more effort into a review if Opeth had put some effort into releasing a half-decent album. Pain of Salvation, Opeth's Swedish counterpart, released an album in the 70's prog styling last year and they not only beat them to the punch but released a far superior album. It's called Road Salt One if you're looking for something decent to listen to.

I'm going to do what most of who know me thought I would never do; say I LOVE an Opeth album!!! I've given Opeth alot of grief in the past over their cookie monster vocals; but I never denied thier talent as musicians.

With Heritage, Opeth have released a great album!!! They've managed to encapsulate a wide range of influences and still sound like Opeth. They've done this without making themselves sound like a clone of any one band, quite an achievement!

This album reminds me of ITCOTCK; don't get me wrong it sounds nothing like it but it captures the dark, melancholic mood of ITCOTCK perfectly. It is also a perfect album to listen to on a dark, rainy day.

Like always the music is amazing on Heritage, with the added bonus of the vocals also being amazing. Why didn't Mikael Akerfeld use his voice like this more??? He has a very natural singing voice with great tone.

Special mention goes to Per Wiberg for his marvelous use of vintage keyboards!!

I've been criticized by a few on this site for being pretentious:( Nothing could be further from the truth. I love music and I am sometimes overly opinionated(and Passionate!) about music I either love or hate.

So with no pretension with out whatsoever I say Ilove this album--- BUY IT:)

I think it is shameful to give this album 1 star as some have here, Most of the complaints here and elsewhere are the cliche' "not metal", Even some reviewers are crying sellout, The most shameful of critiques, Heritage is no sellout, Heritage is in My opinion the best and most original True Prog Rock album I have heard in quite some time, Unfortunately when you build a fan base upon a certain style, and build a niche audience, you will no doubt alienate many a fan, But this Alienation is not like say Metallica or Megadeth Going commercial and selling Millions upon millions to new fans and causing old fans to gnash their teeth in disgust, A huge and different risk, this direction is for Opeth, I will spare you the track by track analysis, King Crimson, Jethro Tull seem to be The biggest influence, But this music is original, The drumming and bass in particular really shine. The guitar and vocals are superb. I don't know if Opeth will continue this direction, after all, if The record Label doesn't sell enough units, They will get massive pressure to return to the death metal style. That will be OK, but I really like Heritage for what it is, A great progressive rock album. One complaint I have about Death Metal and Progressive Metal in general, I always feel as if to many nuances of the music gets lost in the Heavy Guitars. I can't remember a one of those albums where the bass is all but lost in the mix, Not so on this Non Metal Album.

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.

When a new Opeth album is released, I feel a tentative mixture of invigorating excitement, nostalgia, hesitancy, and preparation for disappointment. If you're reading this, there's a good chance you're an Opeth fan, so perhaps you can relate to the following sentiment. Please excuse an autobiographical note.

My introductory Opeth album was Damnation. In retrospect, I think that I was at the end of my heavy metal years, and open to something new, which could incorporate a greater range of stylistic elements and broaden my musical tastes. In this sense, Opeth turned out to simultaneously be an enormous breath of fresh air, and a solid payload of the musical styles I already knew I loved, as well as confronting me with challenging new sounds that I wasn't receptive to at first. After falling in love with Damnation, I backtracked to Still Life (a great masterpiece), Blackwater Park, Morningrise, and subsequently the rest of their discography, which at that time, only extended to Deliverance.

Upon the release of Ghost Reveries, I was quite sorely disappointed. A friend played for me some of his favorite moments, and I felt nothing. I could not detect a single carefully crafted melody in the entire album. The guitars seemed simplistic at times, and many songs were empty and boring. It was experimental, even for Opeth, and I was skeptical of the more liberal use of keyboards, uncharacteristic vocal styles, and strange musical modes and scales, edging toward a major/blues/gospel feel at times.

I wrote the album off for a short time, then revisited it. I listened to it carefully from beginning to end, and found that while it did not compare to the caliber of Opeth's previous work, it had a few shining moments. Time passed. I listened more. I realized that there were more quality tracks than I'd first noticed. This caused me to descend into a behavior of "album worship" which possesses me from time to time, where I listened exclusively to Ghost Reveries, and explored each track in detail. I emerged from this beautiful exploratory time with a new album to love, a little humility, and, I hope, a little wisdom.

My reaction to Watershed was quite similar, but it has taken more time to gain a less deep appreciation. I am almost certain to still be adjusting to it, and my feelings will continue to change. You may know this already, but I have learned that absorbing a new album can be a slow and unpredictable experience, and that first impressions may ultimately have little relevance.

Having made this disclaimer, and having only listened to the album twice, in it's entirety, uninterrupted, I can only report my initial impressions. The album is so dense, confusing, unstructured, bizarre and abominable as to be intimidating. After long and wearying stretches of incomprehensible alternating guitar riffs, which made me feel as though I was falling and spinning through the bowels of a giant malfunctioning clock, I would occasionally be teased with a beautiful melodic reprieve, only to have this ripped away almost instantly, and I may say quite predictably, by another disharmonious guitar riff of an odd number of notes, which would loop repetitively. Compared to veritable oldies, such as Blackwater Park, Damnation, Morningrise, or especially Still Life, Heritage seems much less thoughtful, much less composed, much less meticulously crafted. As a lifelong lover of guitar, I was disappointed at an apparent total lack of accomplished and beautifully written leads, and I mourned the lack of deep layered harmonies which Opeth has conditioned me to expect. As long as the music flows nicely, I don't need to know where one track ends and another begins, but the entire album felt like an unorganized and hideous pile of broken cogs and springs being dragged through my brain for no purpose. Interestingly, this is only mostly a bad thing. The hallucinogenic, trip-like quality of the album was perhaps one of it's most hopeful features. Some of these complaints are applicable to varying degrees to other recent Opeth releases, and I am curious to see whether they dissipate in time. One positive effect of the schizophrenic structure of the album was to encourage the me to exist in the moment with the music, trying to channel the feeling of whatever was playing as I heard it, as I knew it would inevitably be discontinued shortly, and replaced with one of a few simple possibilities, including a fairly simplistic looping acoustic guitar line, scratchy and nervous sounding guitars looping in an unusual time signature, a pretty but short lived piano piece, or a few others. Because it's such a convoluted mess of notes and drums, the album does have a dark and mysterious quality to it, which makes me want to listen and listen, trying to untangle the chaos and form a mental map of the music, so as not to be disillusioned by what seem like multiple hectic and confusing routes to nowhere. It occurs to me that if this album inspires in me such vivid and descriptive notions, it may be artistically rich.

My main reaction to Heritage has been that Opeth has deliberately veered so far from the mainstream so as to lose sight of the musical principles which have always distinguished them. A melodic and beautiful passage is much more striking when dynamically contrasted by a powerful, aggressive, and energetic guitar line. This kind of synergy is not possible when the album is entirely homogeneous. An attention-grabbing and strange musical section is only attention grabbing and strange if it stands out amongst the rest of the music, but this is not possible when one hour's worth of similarly unusual and quaint guitar lines are simply strung together on a record. It is shocking to realize that Heritage is actually very narrow, and does not encompass a plush range of musical styles like virtually every other Opeth album. These elements of musical composition, namely, dynamics, synergy, surprise, thoughtful composition, etc., seem sadly to have gone ignored in Heritage, which has instead, while trying desperately to be different, committed the same sin as many mainstream pop albums.

While this review may come across as overtly negative, I must emphasize that I can already feel the gravitational lure of certain tracks pulling me in. "I Feel the Dark" is a high point toward the beginning of the album, but much of it's appeal is probably rooted in it's comparative orthodoxy. "Haxprocess" has begun to impress it'self on me as a track which may have genuine merit. While "Folklore" shares the unfamiliar character that defines Heritage, it is an overwhelmingly positive quality for this track. This song showcases strangeness in a most positive way; Bizarre, but also immediately likeable, it's beauty is accentuated by it's weirdness, which makes it exotic, and all the more beloved. I expect that as I sift through Heritage, I will find more and more gems.

In the meantime, I'll keep listening, to see what I find in that dark smoky pile of notes and sounds, drums and words, cogs and springs. Opeth seems to never deliver what I want or expect, but instead hands over a dense and mysterious entanglement. A musical puzzle cube, waiting to be opened.

Perhaps Opeth's most controversial album yet.

There was a lot of talk about it before we even got a listen, how it was going to suck, how could Opeth just rip off 70's prog rock, how it was going to be either a totally mellow album or jazz fusion (something I'd like to see)! Sure enough upon its release there was plenty of criticism thrown at it, either due to the lack of growls and death metal, that you might as well just listen to 70's prog, that it's aimless and incoherent and even that you shouldn't bother because Opeth has been a "hipster band" ever since after Still Life.

I only say all this because it pains me to see that one of my all time favorite bands has gotten to a point where so many seem to have stopped really listening/look to find reasons to hate it... but onto the review.

"Heritage" is the superior clean Opeth album,(and I really like "Damnation"). If you need growls and death metal heaviness, well you won't find it here. However, this is NOT a Damnation 2, it's quite different from it actually. There is still heaviness, in a 70's way, and sometimes even outright (though never death metal levels). There is even double bass drumming and lots of rocking out.

Musically, Opeth has done it again, with great guitar work from all over the map. The keyboard/mellotron is quite prominent as is the bass, (usually not high in the Opeth mix). Mendez can really be heard on pretty much every song. Also the drumming is quite good. Axenrot had a tough seat to fill replacing the awesome Martin Lopez, but his work on Watershed was just too straightforward. He is much improved here, with flavorful jazzy tinged drumming and there are quite a few drum breaks, like Akerfeldt made a point to defend and showcase him.

I personally don't find the music aimless and incoherent. With all songs under 9 minutes, and 8 of them under 7 minutes, I'd think they'd be a bit more direct actually. Opeth fans are used to the clean/heavy/clean/heavy format, which has been abandoned on "Heritage" and instead the songs are more genuinely progressive.

I'm glad, because while unique and successful, by the time "Watershed" came around the band could use a change of pace. Some songs do indeed sound drifty, but I like that. I guess if you crave structure and obviously crafted songs you may feel a bit lost, but the driftyness is relaxing and often beautiful. Also, be certain that all these songs are definitely composed and move somewhere.

I'll admit, on first listen "Heritage" can be sound a bit underwhelming, especially with it's pretty prominent use of silence at times, but there is a lot going on. Not only are the songs more progressive, they are pretty textured. The song structures are good, with great melodies, rhythms and sections, and shorter lengths actually allow it to get to the point a bit quicker and not ramble.

So, "Heritage" is still Opeth but just a bit cleaner and lighter, but with songwriting just as strong. There is no weak song, but some standouts are the awesome and progressive "I feel the Dark" and the rocking "The Lines in My Hand". There is good variation as "Slither" is more up tempo while "Nepenthe" is quite mellow. The album starts with the piano ballad title track, and ends with the light, acoustic guitar ballad of "Marrow of the Earth" (which unless in name only, does not appear to be a tribute to Agalloch).

A different, but strong output by Opeth. Fans of the band, I urge you to listen with an open mind and keep any talk/rumors out while you form an opinion, and do give it some time. Most fans of Opeth should be pleased. Now if they would just make a jazz rock album my dreams would truly be granted.

Four Stars

This album starts off okay, then makes itself irrelevant for large swaths, beginning with the highly disjointed acoustic outro to the HORRIBLE "Slither". The band seems to think that substituting destinationless guitar noodling and spooky atmospheric sounds is a valid substitute for musical structure and melody. The lyrics as sung seem an afterthought.

Overall this album wears its influences on its sleeve a little too prominently, and it's strikingly obvious that one of their primary criteria for this album was that it NOT be metal, and as a result, something is missing.

I can't say that Heritage isn't a daring move for such an established band, but effort and intent does not equal results, and the result here is poor. If I want to listen to a band do 70s prog, I'll listen to a 70s band do prog, and not a band who has essentially helped create an entire genre that ISN'T 70s prog.

Big swing and a miss.

This was huge dissapointment this is nother crap cd of the year award cd,Here they go psychedelic on us here no metal.I think with clean vocals it be good this is worst cd of there catalogue,Nice idea to make prog cd but not drone music.Lyrics have no direction music is meh sounds,like cd to end all careers here.

With cds like watershed and ghost revieries and deliverance,You have this u think to yourself this cant be opeth u heard akerfeldt open his mouth remove all doubt.One your fave bands has sold out to make cd to end there career,You screaming no it cant be trying to pretend it not opeth just to hear akerfeldt cmfirms your doubts its nightmare on wheels.

top songs 2. The Devil's Orchard 10. Marrow of the Earth Avoid this for love god if u thinking of buying this,Listen to this review it sux.You will want to shoot yourself that one you fave bands has done this to you.

2 star cd really 1.5 but since no half stars have to go with 2

If you know me, you know that I have a deep and heavy obsession with Black Metal and the like, so when I actually found out there would be no harsh vocals on this record I was a bit disenchanted but as always the good fan boy I give it a chance. The first thing that came to my mind was that Akerfeldt is going to do a seventies prog heavy record because its well documented that he's completely obsessed with that decade (and rightly so). I'm not surprised in the least that that is exactly what he's created and after three years its come to fruitation. Opeth are well known for shifting about styles over and over, trying something new, being a different band for a while, with Akerfeldt in the drivers seat there's naught much that can go wrong, untill now. Don't jump to conclusions here, I don't think its a bad record at all, in fact I rate it fifth in their discography. 'Heritage' is a criss-cross of 70's progressive worship and their 2003 release 'Damnation', minus the darker and ethereal sounds which originally drew me into Opeth and started my savage love affair with them. So, more about a few of the songs...The record opens with the title track, a slow Jazzy Piano melody, clearly inspired by Jan Johansson. It has Johanssons trade mark style painted all over it. Being a big fan of his 1962 release Jazz på svenska the intro appealed to me greatly. Next up The Devil's Orchard kicks in providing a potent antidote to the notion that prog rock and metal are genres bereft of substance. Definitely the radio favorite. Slither, theres plenty of rugged prog amid the labyrinthine of riffage, the stalwart guitar parts amist a parabola of Hammond Organ will leave your mind spinning. Famine is a perplexing squall of musical dynamics, calms and rasping flutes, easily my favorite track from the lot. It's a beautifully arranged work of art. It is just simply, amazing. Its brave and melancholic, its heavy rock that revels in the warm, analogue tones and shimmering mellotrons of the pre-punk seventies while still oozing forth a sense of wonder at new ideas. Folklore ends with an wildly exaggerated David Gilmore like guitar solo ? this is both timeless and tasteful enough to lure in the progophobes. The whole song is proudly mired in indulgence and doesn't leave you cold. For me this is both a disappointing and enlightning release, on the one hand, it's a great record but on the other hand it's so far from the Opeth I knew that it could comfortably carry a different band name. If I want to listen to seventies prog, I'll dig out some from my murky record collection and listen to the organic stuff from back in the hayday. If they really wanted to pay tribute to it, they could've done it as a side project or something. This isn't the album many of us have been waiting three years for. It's horrifying to think that there will never be new Opeth material in the world again. It's almost like the death of an actual person. To sum up, Opeth Heritage in two words: "Very Palatable"

This is just one of those albums that will either loved or hated by Opeth fans for years to come. And that's quite understandable. It's a departure from their usual mix of genre-bending death metal, and the first time they left the "metal" part of the equation out since Damnation. Having said that, I happen to really love the record. Even though there's really no metal here, it rocks fairly hard at times and has some very dark passages reminiscent of their other work. Moreover, the melodies and songs are fantastic. Each one adding it's own little something to the overall listening experience. Mikael A. has not hidden the fact that his love for rare 70's LP's has only grown strong with time. In fact, it's something he's quite proud of. It's also not hard to see that he's also wearing some of the influences from those records on his sleeve here. But rather than diminish this effort, I think it strengthens it. Music should always come from the heart. And there's no lack of heart here.

For those who listened to the single "The Devil's Orchard" and got turned off, my suggestion is to buy the album, listen to it from start to finish, and then form your opinion. Since purchasing, that's the only way i've consumed this record, and can say with confidence that it's the only way to get into this music. All of the songs bring something to the table, so it's hard to pick favorites.

Again, it's hard to argue with fans that are rejecting this record, it's different and anyone who lives for those furious death metal passages will be disappointed. I just think that it's healthy for a band as talented as Opeth to explore new avenues, and here they took the road less traveled, and ended up creating something special.

Highly recommended!!!

A stunning masterpiece tribute to the 70s.

No death metal growls! I would like to personally thank every reviewer here who stated that fact. Okay, now we have got that out of the way we can commence (I loathe the over abundance of death growls in prog). Allow me to get personal for a moment. I love this album for the same reason I loved 'Damnation'. Akerfeldt has a great voice and he uses it well on this album, and the band are inventive virtuoso musicians and they are incredible on this release. I discovered Opeth on 'Damnation' and adored every part of it. I was completely dismayed after this that 'Deliverance', my next Opeth album, was infested with death metal growling. I had discarded that style years ago, it simply is not for me. I don't mind that others like it, I used to also, but I can't stand it now. So I decided that Opeth was not for me. Opeth get rave reviews such as the incredibly diverse Watershed and Ghost Reveries that I had to dip my toes in again and I was actually quite pleased with what I heard, thinking perhaps Opeth is for me, I just have to skip the tracks that don't appeal. Not ideal I know but they are excellent musos and deserve recognition. Anyway, I read the reviews for the new album and all of them said the same thing ' no death metal vocals. Okay, here we go. I had no idea I was going to encounter a throwback to the 70s! Here are the tracks.

1. Heritage and 2. The Devil's Orchard - After a quiet melancholy piano intro accompanied by bassist Martin Mendez. Track 2 seamlessly begins with the gorgeous Hammond sound of the 70s. Then we are treated to a King Crimson guitar polyrhythm ' The Black Sabbath dark lyrics and atmosphere is unmistakeable.

3 I Feel the Dark - An acoustic intro, a steady beat, inspired singing, spacey effects, time sig changes, lots of beautiful flute.

4 Slither - A heavier sound but still no metal distortion. More classic Sabbath guitar and keyboards, awesome riffs, a Hammond organ shimmering, an excellent lead break and some minimalist acoustic.

5 Nepenthe - Begins with soft acoustics, and weird jazz improvised drums, very slow pace and key pads. Akerfeldt is great with clean vocals sounding like like Camel. There are Psych prog embellishments, and reflective lyrics; 'in my darkest hour, yes, trust me with the light'. A King Crimson style guitar riff locks in, with soaring lead guitar, then more jazz drums. This is a real oddity, but quite entrancing, then a screaming killer lead solo breaks in, but suddenly drops out for an ambient passage of keys and guitar with those brush drums. Vocals return, singing, 'She would haunt my dreams,' and after a verse it's over. Opeth are a new animal here, and I love it. It's not prog metal, its eclectic mixed with jazz fusion.

6 Haxprocess - This incredible track features some very strange time sig that almost feels improvised, and thee is a very strong dark atmosphere. Akerfeldt is extremely quiet, and sounds like the early 70s. Ambient effects of acoustic and dark sustained key pads create a bleak feeling of despair. Finally a rhythmic guitar begins and some Gothic lyrics with surreal imagery focussing on 'one eternal winter' and 'one forgotten season, secrets in the mire, moon is riding high, save your children, drenched in poverty, tracks in the snow,' The guitar solo is completely devoid of any rhythm, and all other instruments drop out. There is beauty in the playing, and I am in awe of how much this sounds like Latimer or Hackett. The sound of children's playful voices is heard and later a haunting piano in the distance. The atmosphere is uninviting but very Opeth.

7 Famine - This is a long song at over 8 minutes beginning with a Jethro Tull flute, strange crying effects, a low drone and then African tom tom drums. Sad vocals and lyrics sing slowly over a lonely piano, 'I can't see your face and I can't breathe your air, so I wonder why I get caught inside when I hear your name.' Immediately a Fripp like guitar chimes in, and then blasts of drums and a massive Hammond crashing on the chords, sheer prog bliss. Akerfeldt's voice rises in pitch and it is a stand out moment on this album. The musicianship is unrepentant of the 70s sound, it seems it is designed to pay tribute to those classic 70s prog bands. The lyrics are even as weird as the 70s psych prog, 'Into the fire of my youth comes the devil again, when you feel your way, feel your way'. The song gets surreal and detours into new time sig territory, with very sporadic metrical patterns and crazy freakout Hammond and flute. There is a dissonant jazz feel and a bizarre riff that is impossible to pin down at first but it settles into an ethereal warbling flute over acoustic flourishes. The music draws me in as Akerfeldt sings with longing and pain, 'I would die, my heart was empty, come a ghost in perpetual void and neglect our reasons why'. Cue an echo and Ian Anderson must have channelled his presence as that is his flute. The droning organ caps off one of the best Opeth tracks, certainly the most experimental. The sepulchral laughing voice at the end is downright creepy and preternatural. How could you not be mesmirised by all this high strangeness? Opeth are going out on a limb and just taking too many risks but it actually works. Check this track out as it typifies the new Opeth approach.

8 The Lines in My Hand - This one returns to good old classic rock with cool riffs and spacey psych synthesizer. Akerfeldt sounds great on vocals and the verse is repeated over and over speaking about 'dying in the wake'. The acoustic breaks are well executed and there are so many various time changes and instrumental breaks to indulge in. The song changes mid way through with a kind of Camel style, as Akerfeldt sings 'the writing's on the wall'. I loved this track, and perhaps this would be the one to check out along with Famine to find out whether this album is really for you.

9 Folklore - Guitarist Fredrik Akesson presents a wonderful clean guitar for an intro, but it sounds great and the riff is missing a beat or two which is unsettling to the ears but very progressive for that reason. The vocals sound like the effect on Sabbath's Planet Caravan processed through an effects vocoder, very 70s, 'Hey you, will you, be true, when you can.' The shimmering Hammond waits around the corner and blasts now and then like an old friend. I like the melody that is consistently out of sync, if that makes sense. I like the part with the lyrics, 'lost control, call your name, left me home, pouring rain, in the sea, of guilt and shame, we just stay'. The music even feels uplifting for a change, and the guitar solo is excellent old classic rock style. It fades away like an old 70s vinyl album.

10 Marrow of the earth - The last one may be one of the highlights in terms of beautiful guitar playing for Opeth. It is a dominant acoustic feel throughout, and very mellow vibes are created so well, the finger work is excellent.

So now we have two Opeths - the heavy death metal Opeth such as on 'Deliverance', 'Still Life' and 'Blackwater Park', and we have the other Opeth that is full blown progressive such as on 'Damnation', 'Ghost Reveries' and now 'Heritage'. You will perhaps be a fan of one or the other, but not both so this will be a test for Opeth's fanbase and how they will incorporate these tracks with the likes of those on 'Ghost Reveries' is beyond me, but they will.

There were always quiet proggy moments on Opeth albums but this is their most progressive album I would suggest. It actually goes to great lengths to be as progressive as eclectic and symphonic bands of the 70s and even reminds me of Pain of Salvation and Riverside and of course Porcupine Tree, as Steven Wilson helmed the mixing again. This will no doubt alienate the huge fan base, but Opeth were never going to remain in one genre, they never have and that is why they are so endearing. I for one am pleased with this new approach and hope they stick to it as they do it so well. This is my favourite Opeth album hands down, and I am a dedicated Opeth convert if they continue on this path.

I love the record! Imagine if Opeth made a "Watershed pt2" album, how much would that suck? Music stays alive through evolvement, not regurgitation. "Heritage" makes Opeth relevant as a band and gains them more respect overall. Look at Motörhead, the've made the same record for the last twenty years, how refreshing is that? Basically same music over and over again, this is not to bash Motörhead in any way, i love them! Metallica has tried to do what Opeth is doing, but Metallica failed numerous times because they lack the musicianship that Opeth possesses.

I've had some listening sessions now and I'm just blown away by this album, it grows and attaches itself in a way very few new albums does for me these days. The progressive rock influences are very evident and tasteful on this album, but they still manage to maintain the Opeth signum across the album. The fantastic musicianship really shows its presence in this sort of vintage sound production, I am just amazed at the performances across the album.

ANYWAY: "Heritage" is a result of Mr. Åkerfeldt inspiration. And I l o v e it! A great album from start to finish. That is all.

Since their formation back in 1990, Swedish progressive death metal band Opeth have never been a stranger to experimentation. After establishing themselves as one of the most unique bands on the metal scene with Orchid and Morningrise, the band constantly pushed the boundaries of their sound with every new release. 2003's Damnation even saw Mikael Åkerfeldt's brainchild abandon all of their metal influences in favor of a mellow progressive rock sound. Heritage, the tenth studio album from these extreme progressive metal legends, is sure to be met with more controversy than any of their previous releases. Not only has the band entirely shifted away from their death metal roots, but they've seemingly abandoned their melancholic and bleak style of progressive rock as well. Unlike Damnation - an album that had Opeth's trademark sound all over it - Heritage is a radical departure from everything we've come to expect from the band. This is retro 70's progressive rock in its purest form, and whether or not it is enjoyable entirely depends on the listener. Don't expect any growls, death metal sections, or crushing dynamics of their earlier releases - if you come into this album expecting a progressive death metal masterpiece, you'll be in for the disappointment of a lifetime. I personally miss the bleak atmospheres, crushingly heavy death metal portions, and light/dark dynamics of their previous releases, but there's no denying that Heritage is an exceptional observation.

The most important thing to mention when discussing Heritage is that it is not an easy album to get into. The compositions (for me, at least) initially felt rather disjointed and lifeless, and the true beauty of the pieces didn't begin to shine through until about seven or eight listens. Even then, Heritage still leaves you with plenty of room to explore the deep soundscapes that Opeth have created. My biggest initial complaint was that all of the songs seem to jump from one section to another without any warning - something that still holds true even with a greater understanding of the album, but things do eventually begin to make more sense. The seemingly random electric piano lick in "Nepenthe", for example, does eventually feel less jagged than it does during your first spin of the CD. All of Opeth's albums can be considered "growers" to some extent, but Heritage is possibly their most inaccessible and demanding work to date. The death metal purists may dismiss this album after a mere few listens, but people looking for a deep musical experience should make sure they give Heritage all of the attention it deserves before reaching any conclusions.

The album begins with the tranquil acoustic piano title track that segues right into the heavy progressive rock of "The Devil's Orchard". This song kicks things off in high gear, and is filled with complex riffs, soaring Hammond organs, and jazzy drumming. King Crimson is a very obvious point of reference on this track - very different from anything Opeth have done before. The highlights of Heritage are the very moody "I Feel the Dark", the fusion- influenced "Nepenthe", the stunning "Haxprocess" (one of my favorite Opeth tracks of all time), the epic "Folklore", and beautiful instrumental track "Marrow of the Earth". "Slither" is a more straightforward heavy metal piece, and sounds like something straight off of a Deep Purple or Ronnie James Dio album. The fast riffs, soaring Hammond organ, and blinding guitar solo characterize this song until the serene acoustic outro begins. "Famine" is the longest track on the album, and features a rather eclectic mix of sections - just listen to that Jethro Tull-influenced flute section in the middle! I find this to be the most incoherent song on the album, but it isn't without its strong points either. "The Lines in My Hand" is a shorter track that features some nice keyboard playing from Per Wilberg and excellent vocal work from Mikael Åkerfeldt.

From a purely objective point of view, Heritage is one of the most impressive Opeth albums to date. The sheer strength of the musicianship and the retro-sounding production show a band at the top of their game, and the strong music to go along with it makes this one hell of an album. The first two things that jump out to me when we're talking about the musicianship are the remarkable retro keyboard tones from Per Wilberg and the jazz- influenced drumming from Martin Axenrot. Both deliver the performances of their careers on Heritage - it's a bit of a shame that Per Wilberg parted ways with Opeth shortly prior to the album's release. Martin Mendez's fluid bass playing is also excellent, and Mikael Åkerfeldt and Frederik Åkesson's dual guitar work is spectacular. The acoustic guitar sections are especially impressive here.

So there you have it - one of the most controversial albums in 2011, but also one of my favorites. Opeth may have abandoned a large portion of their fanbase with Heritage, but this just shows that these guys are always willing to experiment with new sounds and never succumb to treading on previously covered territory. Fans of retro progressive rock will find plenty to love here, and I think the more open-minded metalheads should be entertained as well. Opeth have really taken a risk with Heritage, and I'd say that they've succeeded for the most part. These Swedish legends have done much better than this throughout their twenty-plus year career, but there's no doubt that it is an excellent addition to their catalog. 4 stars are very well-deserved in this case. I do hope that Opeth eventually returns to making bleak progressive death metal, but as a one-off experiment, Heritage is a refreshing change of pace.

This band has been high on the 'favourites' list for prog rockers for many years, and not without good reason. They are incredibly talented, are great musicians, and crucially to some they are not one dimensional. This is what I love about this band - the ability to 'mix' it up and draw on a number of influences - but really well. This is a brilliant album. Sure, it reminds me, in parts, of some of those older bands, Crimson, Purple and so on, but Opeth are going their own way, too, on here. If you like their music for the quality of the muscianship,and appreciate real musical talent (as is on offer here), it's worth every penny. Some reviewers have said it takes a few listens to get into it, and that is fine, but I got this on the first listen - don't be afraid! It's recognisably Opeth, moody and melocholic, with great rock passages. They can throw as much or as little death metal in their music as they want, as far as I'm concerned, as this band are great at putting it all together. Thank you Opeth, and another essential prog album in my book.

Respect your heritage.

Clean vocals, 70s Prog and Classic Rock, transition away from Death Metal, homage to influences: Camel, Floyd, Rainbow, Jazz Fusion. Sink or swim time for Akeldfeldt and Opeth. Death Metal fans estranged.

That just about sums up Opeth's attempt at a tradionally-styled and themed Progressive Rock album. On early listens I was entranced by Akeldfeldt's attempt to re-invent the band as a Prog behemoth and I still find the album an enjoyable listen. I was never a fan of traditional Death Metal vocals but their absence seems to have taken away the pure visceral excitement of their best albums from that genre. As an experiment it is interesting and worthy but ultimately I have downgraded my original assessment to 3.5/5 but am happy to award 4 stars.

For months before the release of Heritage the word from Mikael Akerfeldt was that the next Opeth would be totally different to anything the band had done before - their seventies prog album. It's also their second album to dispense totally with the death metal vocals, the first being Damnation, but Heritage is totally different. Where Damnation was a very mellow and largely acoustic album, Heritage, whilst sharing some of the qualities evident on that release at times is not by any stretch in the same ball park containing heavy elements, though not metal which is dispensed with entirely. How the death metal contingent of fans deals with this I can only imagine! However if you're a fan who was open minded enough to enjoy Damnation then you should have no problem accepting this.

Akerfeldt's love of seventies rock and prog is no secret and has always been an influence on Opeth. That Heritage is influenced by seventies prog is not in dispute - take a look at the cover, but they've been clever enough to not make those influences blatantly obvious and despite the dissimilarity to anything they've done before, strangely enough it still sounds like an Opeth album. In fact the only really obvious inspiration is from Deep Purple and Rainbow, the best example being the excellent up tempo Slither which is Kill The King in disguise. The bulk of the influence being in a feel rather than a particular sound, having a warm organic prescence.

Despite Watershed, their last album capturing them on home turf in prog metal mode, it did stray from the bands formula (upsetting many long term fans in the process) enough to lay the groundwork for some of what we get here. For example, parts of I Feel The Dark does bear a resemblance to the end of Hex Omega and the mood of the mellower parts shares a similar vibe at times. Yes, Heritage does have many mellow reflective moments, something they've always done of course and if I had a complaint it would be that there's perhaps a few too many, sometimes the music taking off only briefly before returning to peace and tranquillity. This however is only a minor complaint as Heritage is a brilliant piece of work, not an immediate album by any stretch of the imagination, requiring perseverance, but the rewards are more than worth it. Its major strength is the subtle haunting melodies that prevail throughout, interspersed between heavier moments, which are not in short supply despite my earlier comment. There's also funk, on Nepenthe for example, something of course that Deep Purple weren't averse to.

The band play brilliantly with drummer Martin Axenrot seizing the seventies challenge and putting away one of his kick drums in the process, rolling double bass patterns not to found anywhere. It's a shame that this is keyboardist Per Wilberg's last outing with the band, his vintage sound and parts being integral to the overall feel. As already mentioned death metal vocals are totally out and Akerfeldt's clean tones, which have always been there of course, are in fine fettle.

Heritage is not an album to dip into, being best digested as a whole. It's a very brave album destined to upset many fans but for the open-minded an excellent piece of work. It probably won't be regarded as their best by many though (but for me it's not far off) and whether the band go further down this road remains to be seen. I for one wouldn't mind and if death metal vocals are gone for good that's also fine by me. This album however is going to, even if only for this one release, gain a lot of new fans for the band. One of the albums of the year for sure. 4 ½ stars.

Been a long time since I wrote a review - so here goes. I actually felt so strongly about this album that I wanted to review it here to share my thoughts. I saw Opeth during the Ghost Reveries tour and then again on the Watershed tour. In my opinion Ghost Reveries was/is a classic album and Watershed was an acceptable follow-up. Opeth tour Scotland in November again and as I turn 50 in that month I was looking forward to seeing them. That was before buying Heritage - the special edition of course. The album opens with 'The Throat of Winter' and features melanchony meanderings on piano. Its not a demanding track to listen to and it sets the tone and would have made a nice final track on Watershed. The next track 'The Devil's Orchard' is retro-prog and sounds quite 'muggy' in places. It's one of the better tracks and has a quiter passage in the middle. 'I Feel the Dark' opens with nice acoustic guitar and builds slowly. The vocals are crisp and clear, and as everyone knows by now, there are no death growls on this album. I can live with that because I really like Mikael's vocals. This track actually sounds like Opeth, and if that sounds a strange thing to say then read on. The next track 'Slither' is where I think Akerfeldt is taking the piss. This song is a traditional rocker and sounds like Rainbow. I appreciate that it might be some kind of tribute to Ronnie James Dio but the guitar lead halfway through is pure Rithchie Blackmore. This track should have been a bonus track added on at the end. I don't want to hear Rainbow/Dio tributes on an Opeth album to be honest. 'Nepenthe' only comes alive two thirds in and then fades away again. It's not a classic. Haxprocess is pretty dire and belongs (as Opeth might say) 'in the mire'. The next track 'Famine' opens with free form jazz flute - not a good sign. Demonic rumblings follow and then piano. This track has elements of Tull/Gentle Giant/VDGG in it. I don't like it. The next track is more my cup of tea - 'The Lines In My Hand' is a busy-sounding song with the drummer to the fore. 'Folklore' has a Wishbone Ash intro which is quite pleasant. The vocals are absolutely Jethro Tull-ish. I think this is the problem with this album for me. It's not enough like Opeth. Certainly not the Opeth that I have seen on the previous two tours. I've decided to go see Dream Theater in February in Scotland. At least their new album was not the disappointment that Heritage was for me.

Opeth are a band I once wanted to like, and indeed I have tried to in the past, but one thing kept putting me off - barbed-wire gargling, growling, cookie monster vocals, call it what you will. In my mind although this expression of aggression can and indeed does have its place, especially within the context of what I believe is risibly termed "death metal", when an album's entire vocals consist of unintelligible grunting, it comes across to me as pure laziness. Do these death metal bands have lyrics in their songs? If so why go to all the effort involved in the creative process only to have the "singer", and I use the term loosely, destroy any veneer of comprehension by growling and grunting all over it? I can see how judiciously used growling would have a good effect, but like I said earlier, doing it all the time and as a default setting puts me off completely.

Right, now I've got that off my chest, let us turn to the band in question, whose music is undoubtedly intriguing but past albums have not got past the first "Grrrrrghwaaargh" on my hi-fi for reasons already stated. Yes, I know they've put out a couple of albums with minimal grunting, but by then I'd lost interest.

I described myself to a reviewer colleague as an Opeth virgin, so putting Heritage in the CD player was an act accompanied by no little trepidation. I need not have worried for Mikael Akerfeld and his buddies have come up with an album of homage, as the title may suggest. The homage in question is to all kinds of 70s prog influences, and it soon becomes apparent that there will no growling here, no siree. This surprised me to say the least, so God only knows how fans of the band take it, for Opeth are one of those groups that inspire a rabid fanaticism. I would have loved to have been a fly on the wall while a death metal loving Opeth fan sat through the opening title track to be greeted by two minutes of what sounds like Chopin warming up, just a lone piano and nowt else! This is followed by The Devil's Orchard which starts as a fairly run-of-the-mill prog metal work out, before a jazzy middle section slows things down, ending with a short Steve Wilson sounding guitar solo, with Mikael singing in his plaintive but fairly unexpressive voice throughout. A decent start.

The scene is set as things slow down with some nice acoustic work on the third song I Feel The Dark which has a stop-start feel about it before becoming more doomy about halfway through. The drumming on this and on the the rest of the album is well up in the mix, and it must be a relief for the drummer to be released from the shackles of metal stylings to show his chops, which are right up there with the best. A heavy riff eventually enters, stops and is mirrored on an acoustic. It's almost as if the band are going "Whoah, stop now, we're getting back in the heavy groove". in fact there is a feeling sometimes that they are straining at an invisible leash, imposed on them to remain in a largely 70s style, but on a modernistic framework.

The leash is dropped briefly on Slither, where dues are paid to all kinds of 70s hard rock (not metal, hard rock). Akerfeld, if his voice was half an octave higher could have done a good Coverdale impression on this! The very brief guitar break too is very Blackmore, until again, there's a pulling of the leash and we're back into gentle acoustic territory. This is now becoming a theme, or possibly a symptom?

I'm sure I heard some keyboard Gentle Giantisms in Nepenthe, which is all angularity and has probably the best guitar work of the album. This song really grabs me, I must admit. We're back to more playing on the leash and within self-imposed boundaries on Häxprocess, not to say that it doesn't have some nice musical touches, including a laid back and effortless guitar break near the end that reminds me of Wishbone Ash circa 1973. King Crimson mug Jethro Tull on Famine, but the leash still holds them back just when you think the song might take off. The Lines In My Hand almost gets funky in places and reminds me of Uriah Heep towards the end. Folklore at 8:17 is the longest song here, the main theme featuring runs up and down the scales that has a lilting, lyrical quality, acid folk running through its core. The Hammond sound also frequently reappears in the heavier sections, and there's a lovely Steve Howe like acoustic break in the middle before the song hints at shifting gear, but of course it doesn't, the leash being pulled at again. Finally two minutes or so from the end a mellotron led guitar solo speeds things up. This must sound fab in the surround sound mix, no doubt overseen by the ubiquitous Steven Wilson.

We end with Marrow Of The Earth which concludes the album in much the same way as the title track opened it, but this time on melancholic guitar. Actually, it is quite lovely.

A strange album this one. Although I've now spun it half a dozen times, and it is slowly growing on me, it still leaves me with the feeling of a band slightly unsure of where they are going, and the unresolved tension of not rocking out is palpable in places. Still at least it's an Opeth album I've played more than once and I'll certainly play again. Of course, the other eagerly awaited 70s homage album, Steven Wilson's Grace For Drowning is now out, and it will be interesting to see how it compares. It is surely no coincidence that SW and MA have both decided to ditch metal at the same time, as they are big buddies.

The guy from earlier who I was watching as a fly on the wall would probably have written this, which I found on Amazon "I really hate to say it but this album is terrible. Why have they released this under the name Opeth?". Actually, no it isn't and why shouldn't they? For once, a band that gets lumped in as "progressive" has actually lived up to the label with this album, a brave move that will no doubt alienate their more rabid fans, but hopefully win just as many new admirers. It's where they go from here that will be the clincher.

3 out of 5 musically, 5 out of 5 for bravery!

In the last year I have slowly been eating through Opeth's discography and getting some exquisite dishes. This album is no exception. I always hear that Opeth is always changing, to me, until this album they really hadn't swayed too far from their sound. Damnation is similar, but only because it also has no death vocals. While it still sounds like Opeth,Heritage is much different than any previous releases. There is little metal style riffing on this and it has a definite 70s feel to it. Despite less metal, this album has more shredding than any of Opeth's previous albums. Fredrik is allowed to let loose and there are some ripper guitar solos(though definitely still tasteful) such as his solo in Slither. The keyboards are more prominent than ever before which further adds to the 70s feel. This is not just a copy of a 70s album though to me. It stands on its own as a unique musical identity with its own style. This album has broken new ground for Opeth and I am really pumped for the next one. Each track to me is stupendous and I see no weak points in the album.

Every band must have a bad album...thus; here is Heritage.

First let me say that I am a HUGE Opeth fan. I love their range, and style. From Damnation to Morningrise, every album has a uniqueness that makes Opeth, well..Opeth.

Ok- so this album supposedly is a tribute to 70's rock- and a tribute to Mikael Akerfeldt's favorites. This sounds like a tribute album. That's not a good thing!

There is NO completeness to this album- it is disjointed and after listening, I can't hum, nor remember any crushing riffs, or soothing melodies like I can in other Opeth albums. The drum sound is terrible, and the soulful guitar licks amidst the heavy cords are nowhere to be found. This juxtaposition that makes Opeth unique isn't here.

I want to like this album. I REALLY do- but there is just an incompleteness here that I don't think will get any better with more listens.

Come back Opeth, come back!!!

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.

See what happens when Mikael Akerfeldt pays attention to my reviews? We get a fine Opeth album that I can be proud to listen to in my car, with the windows open.

Seriously, this is an excellent album. Not quite a masterpiece, but it is my favorite Opeth album so far, even better than "Damnation".

With the title "Heritage", and the pre-release announcement that this album would not have any "growling" vocals, I expected this to be something of a tribute album to Opeth's idols. And it may be. But other than the very beginning of The Devil's Orchard, which sounds like it was inspired by Yes' Heart Of The Sunrise, for just enough bars to get the idea, and Ian Anderson-like flute in Famine, this album sound totally original to me.

The compositions are mature and layered, with nuances that come out after repeated listenings. The only things taking points away to my ears are too heavy a reliance on Middle Eastern motifs, and a muddy, washed out bass sound (as an ex-bass player, that's a sin).

So far, my favorite album of the year.

I've been holding off on my review for "Heritage" simply because i've been trying to find the right words to express how I feel about this latest OPETH album. Maybe I should take a step back so you know where i'm coming from. I'm not big on growly vocals but on albums like "Blackwater Park" and Still Life" I think they serve to make the more laid back sections sound even more amazing. So while i'm thankful they toned things down it's not without it's consequences."Damnation" will always be my favourite OPETH album and it is unique in their catologue not just because there are no growls but because the music is atmospheric and non-metal. It's a seamless album with mellotron, melancholy and atmosphere throughout and it moves me incredibly. "Heritage" is a big change in style for this band and again it's not just because there are no growls. There's also none of that low end distortion and the mixing of metalic sounds. The instruments here all can be heard clearly and the drummer certainly gets a chance to show what he's got, and he has plenty by the way. There are several sections that remind me of "Damnation" which I enjoy but overall i'm far from being blown away by this.Travis Smith did one of his best ever album covers here. It's fantastic !

"Heritage" is Per offering up some laid back piano melodies throughout. "The Devil's Orchard" opens with outbursts of sound including some powerful organ. I like when the vocals come in around a minute. When it settles 3 minutes in i'm reminded of "Damnation". Great section. It kicks back in and we get some soaring guitar late. "I Feel The Dark" is mellow with reserved vocals and acoustic guitar. A beat and mellotron-like sounds roll in. It kicks into gear around 3 minutes and guitar comes to the fore before 4 1/2 minutes. It settles back a minute later. "Slither" is dedicated to Ronnie James Dio. This is an uptempo rocker although it calms down before 3 minutes to the end. "Nepenthe" has a quiet intro then vocals come in just before 1 1/2 minutes. It starts to build then settles back as contrasts continue.

"Haxprocess" is dark and melancholic. Reserved vocals before a minute then it kicks in fuller at 2 1/2 minutes. The mellotron-like sounds bring "Damnation" to mind. It's laid back with guitar before 5 1/2 minutes. "Famine" opens with atmosphere as percussion joins in from none other than Alex Acuna (WEATHER REPORT etc). Piano at 1 1/2 minutes then reserved vocals. Guitar before 3 minutes as it builds then kicks in. It settles then kicks in heavily as contrasts continue. "The Lines In My Hand" is a little more uptempo than most of the ttracks on here but it's not heavy. The vocals and drumming standout. "Folklore" picks up after a minute then distorted vocals come in. It kicks in before 2 1/2 minutes with normal vocals as themes are repeated. "Marrow of Then Earth" has this "Damnation"- like guitar throughout. Very nice. It's a little fuller after 3 minutes.

A low 4 stars and far from their best in my opinion, and this is from a guy who's not big on growly vocals.

The Heritage of the 70's

It seems Opeth tries hard to convince people like me, who love 70's prog, to get at least one of their albums. Even at the risk of annoying old Opeth fans. It seems they reached their goal. 'Heritage' is the second album out of ten, which does not sound metal-ish and does not contain any growls at all. While the first one 'Damnation' sounds more like another Steven Wilson project (Porcupine Tree, Blackfield), this latest album is more like a homage to classic prog rock of the 70's.

The first song 'Heritage', an instrumental, has the character of an intro and starts with mellow romantic piano tunes. Later the piano is joined by a jazzy type of bass. When you hear it you immediately forget that Opeth was originally a death metal band. Then the second song starts quite heavy in the sense of King Crimson's '21st Century Schizoid Man' or early Genesis. And it continues in the same atmosphere. The well played acoustical guitars, the mellotron sounds, the few electrical guitars, the ambitious bass and drumming, the whole instrumentation is reminiscent to the best of prog of the 70's. There is even a Jethro Tull like flute sound (on 'Famine'), and the same track contains a bit like The Talking Drum, or something reminiscent of the Jamie Muir era with King Crimson. I even hear a Supertramp keyboard on 'The Lines In My Hand'. The last song 'Marrow of the Earth' with beautiful acoustical guitar pickings evokes a similar atmosphere as Genesis' After the Ordeal, and is an adequate postlude of the mainly dark sounding album. The singer Akerfeldt sings clear vocals, a bit in the style of Adrian Belew. The overall musicianship is impressive. The album is full of sometimes abrupt rhythmic, dynamic and atmospheric changes, mysterious chord progressions and beautiful harmonies.

If I may utter a criticism (I always have to criticize anything), then it would be, that the songs overall lack a bit of structuring. It is sometimes hard to say, when a song starts or when it stops, and when it reaches its climax. The climaxes are there, and the intros, the outros, the interludes, but not at the places where you expect them. Maybe there is a concept behind it, then it might make sense, but I haven't grasped it, yet. It would explain why the first and the last song as a whole sound like an intro and outro, respectively.

All in all, fans of 70's classic prog rock will love this album. Metal heads probably not. So from my standpoint I can only say: Well done, Opeth!

Review of the CD/DVD Deluxe Edition

Mikael Akerfeldt (guitar, lead vocals), Martin Mendez (bass), Fredrik Akesson (guitar), Martin Axenrot (drums) and Joakim Svalberg (keyboards) are Opeth.

It has been a long time since I sat down and reviewed an Opeth album (Lamenations: Live at Shepherd's Bush Empire-2004). They have always been one of those bands that made Death Metal livable. That dynamic along with the fact that they are incredibly talented musicians that can make ferocious progressive rock and beautiful passages all within minutes of each other in one song has made them a favorite of mine. In fact, they literally define the term progressive in every sense of the word.

It has been a long wait for the next Opeth opus. Watershed was released in 2008 so the band's fans were more than ready for this new release, but did they know what was in store? Several years ago I mentioned in a review that I thought all the from-the-belly growling was unnecessary because Mikael Akerfeldt has a great voice and one fitting for rockers and the ability to carry the beauty of softer soundscapes to another place. I still don't get the growling thing and probably never will but have accepted the fact that it is part of the style and genre. That being said Heritage (engineered by Steven Wilson) was a welcome addition to my collection because the band decided to leave the growling behind for the first time and let Akerfeldt lend his golden pipes to their complex and intriguing compositions. I would think the Death Metal fans out there will be disappointed with what they will hear on this release however if they are hardcore Opeth fans and appreciate excellent music; they will forgive them and enjoy this presentation and everything it has to offer.

So if it is no longer Progressive Death Metal what do we call it now? I think simply Progressive Rock fits the bill with influences of psychedelic and even some jazz rudiments thrown in for texture and flavor. Metal is no longer a prevailing influence but it finds its place when necessary throughout this release to remind you from whence they came. Although many of the lyrics would have worked on previous albums this is very different with a lot of acoustic guitars and other elements that makes you forget you are actually listening to Opeth sometimes and that is the cool thing about this. 'The Devil's Orchard,' depicted in a cool 3D cover on this special edition, spews out lyrics such as 'God is dead' and features music that carry those lyrics a long way. 'Famine' is an excellent track that starts off with a haunting atmospheric soundtrack then the guitars and the rest of the band kick in while the lead vocals sound like they are more in the background echoing and pleading for release. It's an effect that works. Primarily this is music that is very cerebral, it is in constant flux and things like flutes come in accompanied by an ominous guitar line like in 'Famine,' reminding one of Jethro Tull in their prime although Tull was never this heavy musically or lyrically. This kind of music will not leave you alone, it forces you to pay attention as you wait for the next change or lyric that is going to come snapping at you to make you think even more.

This particular Special Edition was quite an experience. It offers the listener a stereo and 5.1 surround sound version which is simply enthralling to put it mildly. I have always appreciated Opeth for various reasons but have never been enamored with them. I think that is about to change as I hear this music more, the more I find an appreciation of what a tremendous accomplishment this recording is and the complexity and beauty of the music is astounding. The packaging emulates the LP gatefold style with a booklet in the middle and a second tray holding the bonus DVD which has the surround version of the album with several bonus tracks, most notably 'Pyre' and 'Face In The Snow,' which are also offered as free downloads from the band's site. The video portion of the DVD starts off with Akerfeldt explaining how the album took shape, which was ok but when they actually step in the studio to take you through the recording process they decide to start speaking in their native tongue because it was the best way to present this'wrong answer. If you were selling this album exclusively in Sweden that would work, so I am not too sure what they were thinking. After about 10 minutes of subtitles I felt like I was watching a foreign film and that was all she wrote for me. This was a disappointment as I really wanted to continue taking in the studio experience but I just could not deal with the subtitles anymore!

In the end the part of the DVD I did not enjoy took a backseat because the music was so incredible. Opeth have created a true masterpiece and what makes it even more prolific is the fact that they changed their style entirely and took a huge chance. Nice work gents you looked at the possibility of failure square in the eye and gave it the proverbial finger and kicked some major arse on Heritage. This is evidence of their total confidence in their abilities and proof once again what outstanding musicians they are regardless of what type of music they produce.

Key Tracks: The Devil's Orchard, Famine, Folklore

The concept has turned into a more "classic" progressive rock sound.

Beyond of any possible critic, Opeth has made one of their most elegant and sophisticated works to date. Once again Mikael & company have broken all the rules of Metal standard, they dared to take its music one step further.

If you have never heard Opeth, maybe you have only two options after trying this "Heritage": be really open minded and enjoy all its music wealth or throw it away, simple as that. There's no middle point here, there's no point of return.

This time I personally think they have elaborated a very personal tribute to all their most intimate and personal music roots (in some way, a bit similar as they did on "Damnation"), taking what they are as musicians to recreate and suggest soundscapes full of infinite sensations and atmospheres capable to hypnotize anyone.

I must confess that I felt a bit disappointed when I did not hear any growls vocals (a characteristic trademark on their sound) along the album, but sometimes the music process it has to be selfish and it's obvious for a band get some motivation to go ahead, and Opeth (I don't know if Mikael only) chose that path for now.

I'm not going mention one by one each track, everybody it has to discover it, taste it, it's a challenge for joy, for reflexion, for mind and for each one of you.

You reader, if Opeth's music never been for you, probably this one is not going to make the difference. But I'm sure this one is a good excuse to try to enjoy music made with a huge sense of honesty... don't miss that chance!.

By: Epsilon.

Time Travel

In the year 2008 Opeth, my favourite ever rock band, have released WATERSHED, album of such a variable artistic quality, that I often had problems with listening to it in its entirety. It is, therefore, small wonder I was worried about their future. When I read that Opeth leaves extreme metal for 70s prog rock I really didn't know what to think. On the one hand, it ruled out the possibility that I would waste my money for another mediocre prog death album. On the other hand I was afraid that Opeth would lost its identity. The second one turned out to be partly true after all. Don't worry though, HERITAGE is much better than their previous record, and what's more, it shows that Mikael Akerfeldt still has a lot of musical tricks up his sleeve.

There's a tendency in Mike's songwriting, tendency that made itself noticeable in GHOST REVERIES to become almost intolerable in WATERSHED. What I mean is his gradual leaning towards conceptual(banal) atmospherics("Porcelain Heart") and technicality at the expense of musical/emotional value, known from such albums as MY ARMS YOUR HEARSE or DELIVERANCE. If you've noticed the same thing, I have good news. While HERITAGE is dripping with synthetic atmospherics more than any other Opeth album, it doesn't really sound cheap. In fact it is an extremely eclectic blend of 70s progressive rock and Opeth signature atmosphere. Prog rock means abundance of vintage synthesizers, mellotrons, rhode pianos etc. It also indicates multi-layered structure, in HERITAGE taken to extremes at times. As for Opeth signature atmosphere, it means dark, a bit gothic/chamber feel known both from GHOST REVERIES and WATERSHED. There are also distinctive vocals of Mikael A., who experiments with his voice more than ever before. As a result we've got a modern sounding prog rock record in the vein of King Crimson and Jethro Tull, with distinctive, still quite emotional, feel of Opeth.

As I have already hinted above, the songwriting seems to be a little bit abrupt at first and even if the impression mostly fades away with subsequent listens, it doesn't completely disappears. That's another thing I have already noticed in WATERSHED and didn't really like it. It's pretty strange to me, but as Mikael is a musician who doesn't have to prove that he's able to write well flowing 10+ minutes epics, I'm inclined to forgive him this time. Especially as it suits the eclectic nature of the record.

The only thing that makes me a bit sad, is that Opeth lost a big part of its identity. It's the first time that they abandon their musical core and replace it with a whole, pretty much unchanged, genre. That's why I think it would be better if HERITAGE was a side project album, a tribute to progressive rock of the 70s. Yes, it is still Opeth in a way, yes, it's well performed and well written but... But being unpredictable, what Mike is so proud of, is not a good thing when you abandon your own style, almost completely, and start to experiment with this and that. And no, I don't mean growls and I don't mean heavy riffage.

TRACKS BY RATINGS: 9/10: Häxprocess; The Lines in My Hand; Folklore 8/10: The Devil's Orchard; I Feel the Dark; Slither 7/10: Heritage; Famine; Marrow of the Earth; Nepenthe

There's been a lot of talk about the band's so called sudden shift of direction, which in my opinion didn't seem sudden in any way. But instead of getting in on the (un)flattering rumors I gave Heritage a few open-minded spins. The album I heard was neither a big surprise to me nor any disappointment, but the big question was whether this was an excellent release or merely a good but ultimately a non-essential one? It really felt like the former at first, even though I was clearly not set on giving it an essential rating of any sorts. Unfortunately, my initial enthusiasm began to fade over time and finally came down to a level that I now feel comfortable of sharing in a review form.

As I said, I don't consider Heritage to be a major departure of any sorts when it comes to the evolution of Opeth and their unique sound. Mikael Åkerfeldt has clearly stated his intention of moving the band's sound away from death metal and morphing it to the vintage sound of the '70s for new inspirations. This was expressed in numerous interviews that were conducted with him ever since the release of Watershed and can be found by a simple search through any major search engine.

The best qualities of this release can be considered somewhat of a double-edged sword; The band covers a lot of ground with these ten songs but lose the feeling of consistency in the process. I'm also not sure what to think of the lack of any growl vocals from Mikael. He has been a master at constantly shifting between the two styles in the past. I guess this departure makes Heritage sound a lot more vintage but wouldn't it have been every more exciting to have death growls on a record that otherwise sounds like an offspring of the '70s?

Either way, it's the compositions that ultimately make up the bulk of my final decisions, or rather, the lack thereof. It would be unfair to say that there isn't a single great piece of music here. Quite the opposite! Unfortunately very few of them manage to keep things interesting for the entire duration of their running time. In fact only the album's single Devil's Orchid is worthy of being the biggest highlight, which is strange considering the previous hardships that the band had undergone with their commercial material.

Even though Heritage has not managed to convince me of this new direction that Opeth have been heading for I'm still really looking forward to their concert in December and hope that they will be able to lift there compositions even more in a live setting. The direction of this release is an interesting one and I'm sure that there is more left to explore here for the band so let's hope that they won't make this a one off type of experiment!

***** star songs: The Devil's Orchard (6:40)

**** star songs: Heritage (2:05) I Feel The Dark (6:37) Slither (4:00) Häxprocess (6:58) The Lines In My Hand (3:49) Folklore (8:17) Marrow Of The Earth (4:19)

*** star songs: Nepenthe (5:37) Famine (8:32)

The most highly anticipated release of 2011 for me! I have been a die hard Opeth fan since Blackwater Park. When they announced that this would be an album without grunting I was excited. Not because I dislike grunting, but because they were trying something new (and because I liked Damnation).

So after spinning the album a dozen times, seeing them perform pretty much all of it live, what is my opinion? Well i gotta say, it's "meh" ... Akerfeldt's singing is very good, the drumming is good, the bass playing is outstanding, the keyboard is roaring, the guitarwork is...well its there and it doesnt bother me, so what is it? The problem I have with this album has been described by other users before: it just sounds like a series of repetetive riffs, and everytime a song should get to an exciting climax, it just stops. On the entire album there are only 3 interesting songs for me: "the Devil's Orchard", "the Lines in my Hand", & "Marrow of the Earth". The rest of the songs are basically either an incoherent mess, or very boring.

In my opinion Akerfeldt is trying too hard to incorporate as much styles as possible. The irony is that this open-mindedness results in a lack of criticism towards the high-standard of the music that Opeth usually provides. To me it seems like everything Akerfeldt wrote ended up on the album because it sounded different, not because it sounded good or even interesting. He is also getting abit carried away with the mellow stuff. During their last concert, they not only played alot of mellow songs, they also tuned down the heavy riffs from their previous songs (face of melinda, a fair judgment). He reminds me abit of a kid who's just gotten into the gothic scene, and now deems everything not gothic to be lame..

Disappointing

After Opeth's front man's announcement of them removing death metal elements to their sound, it left not only hardcore and casual fans intrigued of their future music, but also music listeners who cannot stand the iconic deep growls yet enjoy the musicality of the band.

Given the band's decision and their non-metal sections introducing acid rock, 70s prog rock, and jazz-fusion (as opposed to their older acoustic folk passages), the album is not that surprising to me. Despite lack of death metal elements, the atmosphere and songwriting continues being unmistakeably Opeth. Not to say that the music is predictable or lacks surprises, but this is not as much of a shift in personality as some would have expected. You have here an album full of terrific sections. The experimentation is both a strength and a weakness. The strength is the inspired, virtuosic musicianship and the abundance of terrific passages of music. The main weakness is that the structure of songs are loose, resulting in some awkward transitions and odd dynamics. While this keeps elements of surprise and mystery, sometimes you wish more proper climax and conclusions to songs. Another weakness is Mikael's singing which sounds strangely detached at times, as if there's more technicality and less raw emotion.

It begins with a piano instrumental accompanied with a bass guitar. The single "Devil's Orchard" has all the strengths and none of the weaknesses, making it my favorite song in the album. The vocal sections are memorable, the riffs complex, and the twists and turns exciting. It includes a hypnotic instrumental section and a fitting climax led by a guitar solo.

"I Feel The Dark" starts with an acoustic motif and is folkier in nature. A dark, mysterious instrumental section with outstanding percussion follows. A church organ interrupts and the theme is revisited with a heavy metal riff and soaring vocals. An undeniably fantastic moment. However, this climax is in the middle of the song and the rest seems to have less direction.

"Slither" is an unusual song for Opeth as it sounds more like the band Rainbow or Deep Purple with its driving 70s hard rock guitar riffs and stabbing hammond organs. While the acoustic outro has the haunting mood that is typical of Opeth, this song would have worked better as a bonus track. The upbeat and short "The Lines in My Hand" has some of Mikael's most detached vocals I've ever heard from him. My wife believed I was listening to Nickelback during this song. Instrumentally it's still Opeth, but this could have been another bonus track.

"Nepenthe" is as strange as its name applies. It is a jazz-fusion track driven by meditative percussion in a very slow tempo. The vocals are brief yet leave a very good impression. The highlight is a funky synthesizer riff reminiscent of King Crimson and Gentle Giant. The wailing guitar solos are also impressive. The vocal melody returns and the song just stops. It feels like it could have been more if they made it longer.

"Hax Process" is extremely minimalistic in the first two minutes with its simplistic mournful melodies. Suddenly an upbeat acoustic riff bring the song into a dynamic progressive rock song. The last segment is a weeping guitar solo played over a meandering bass line. This is a very proper ending and it is incredibly beautiful.

"Famine" has a very fragmented structure and sounds more like musical ideas crammed together. It is a shame because these ideas are very very good. The tribal percussion in the intro gets inexplicably cut off by a piano (?). A loud electric guitar riff fades in over that piano (?). Luckily the second half makes more sense with some surprisingly good falsetto singing and a doom metal riff with aggressive flute.

The psychedelic first half of "Folklore" has processed vocals, mellow guitar riffs and natural dynamics. The song transitions well into a mix of themes that gradually progress into an restrained yet fitting climax to an album that is restrained in itself. What is interesting about this climax is that it actually sounds positive, one of the main surprises of the album for me. "Marrow of the Earth" is a very pleasant instrumental conclusion.

Be sure to pay close attention to the intricate detail of the musicianship. The bass and drums are particularly breathtaking and the keyboardist steals the show with his wide variety of very organic (never digital) sounds.

Opeth's Heritage was being looked at by curious eyes back in the time of its release. Its announcement of a change in sound from the band's traditional metal to a more classic prog rock approach left some excited and some skeptical. Regardless of style, what we have here is a very boring album that should be approached with caution by everybody.

While I have heard a couple past Opeth albums, Heritage is really my first experience with the band. I can't speak much about the change in sound, but I can comment on what is present. The album is guitar led, achieving a folky sound usually and occasionally drifting into hard rock territory. There are no growls to be found, and the music never comes close to anything that could be called metal. Piano, organ, and occasional Mellotron and flute are used to fill out the sound, as well as the odd guitar solo, but most of the music is driven by guitar riffs and vocals.

Here is really the problem with Heritage. Each song plays around with two or three riffs and uses them to death to the point where I'm tired of them before the songs are even over. The vocals are fine but are never strong enough to carry the slow, boring tunes that play underneath. The more interesting parts of the music, like the short solos, are better, but can't save the songs they're within.

Unfortunately or fortunately depending on how you look at it, the album gets its two best tracks out of the way right at the beginning: an absolutely beautiful classical piano piece, and a very exciting and dynamic hard prog song. After these two though, there's little to invigorate you until the end of the album, and by then, you've had to sit through so much tired music it's hardly worth it.

Opeth took a risk when they made this album, and it seems they've failed. I haven't seen any long-time fans loving this, and from an outside perspective, it's not a success either. Regardless if you're a newcomer or a fan, take caution when approaching Heritage because it seems like an album that is made for neither.

Many people compare this album to Damnation. I think nothing is further from that. Damnation is their most straightforward and easily listenable album (in a way of mellow Steven Wilson's projects), though dark, hypnotic and beautiful. Heritage on the other hand contains musically some of their most demanding material.

The shifts and twists are unpleasant and require full concentration. Moments of silence are contrasted by sharp dissonances. The are no steady rhythms, very little rules. Still, after months of absorbing music, I can't judge it easily, but it works in the result still well. There is a strong attention to detail of sound. Acoustic/electric guitar sounds are crafted with sensitivity, sometimes they scream, then caress. Dynamics and palette of keyboards are composed into surreal paintings. Drums are often wild, unrestrained, but precise and so are bass lines. Album isn't cohesive and probably it is not intended to be. I must admit I feel there are several "empty" moments I still can't appreciate. Mikael's vocal performance, despite I rather welcome his departure from growling, is also kind of weaker.

I don't see many comparisons to classic prog-bands, often mentioned in other review, with exception of the use of vintage instruments. Good example could be flute in the end of "Famine" - yes, it is the same instrument Ian Anderson used to play, but there all Jethro Tull comparisons end. The context of its use is so weird, there are hardly reminiscences to their music. Despite new direction, Opeth aren't reminding anybody more than themselves. Some moments remind grandeur of Watershed (mellotron crescendos and keyboard arrangements in "Folklore" or "I Feel the Dark"). Acoustically driven "Haxprocess" recalls "Hessian Peel" (its second part). So, big resemblance I see still in its predecessor. However, the band turned themselves again more experimental, rather chamber and less metal.

In total, I consider Heritage to be weaker than Watershed or Ghost Reveries, which represent their peak to me. Still, Opeth continue their musical journey in welcomed direction. Valuable addition for open-minded Opeth fans and good, non-traditional, dark and bizzare album suitable for proggers who enjoy retro sound with eccentric approach. Very solid 3 stars.

7/10

"Heritage" is one of the most radical retro-Progressive Rock albums ever.

With a little bit controversy accompanied by a bit of confusion by the fans, here comes, after three years, "Heritage", Opeth's tenth studio album already. An almost dramatic turn of direction is why people are confused really: instead of the Progressive Death Metal album, we have a soft, retro prog rock release. Comparisons are thrown to "Damnation" which was considered the softest Opeth album, and still is. But "Heritage" is one of those rare retro-prog albums that gives just as much impact as a good Prog Rock album of the seventies, feeling like one of them, instead of "Damnation", which didn't at all feel that way, even though the two albums end up being approximately at the same level.

"Heritage" has a very impressive atmosphere that truly captures those magical moments that obscure Prog bands of the golden age were able to create so wonderfully, instead of perhaps influences such as Yes or Genesis, even though admittedly there are more than a few hints to King Crimson. The fuzzy guitars are far from the distorted ones of the previous Opeth albums, the keyboards much more abundant, as well as flutes, acoustic guitars, organs, spacey mellotrons, and all the typical elements of the genre. Because, looking at it musically, it's a pretty standard Prog Rock album, but it unfolds so much more with repeated listens.

What seemed to be the most impressive about this album is how the band can perfectly create a vintage and magical sounding atmosphere, especially in their mellower, creepier moments. The more lively moments can be a tiny bit disappointing in a few spots, but mostly, even these are almost always top-notch. Not only the melodies for the most part tend to be beautiful, but the arrangements and the instrumentation are always extremely ambitious and complex. Behind the quasi-biblical theme that echoes in every song, there is a strong, earthly feel to the music, especially in my beloved mellow moments, where you feel like it is music that comes from the inner parts of the earth, it's so visceral.

Many of the songs here require multiple listens before they can be swallowed properly, that said even for the single "The Devil's Orchard", a multi faced six minute piece that almost always maintains great quality. The claustrophobic and sinister "I Feel The Dark" is just as great, with impressive performances by all the musicians. The more Jazzy songs like "Haxprocess" and "Nepenthe" don't quite deliver as much as the previous tracks in their softness, but the other more lively songs do: "The Lines In My Hand" and "Slither" sound like old, mystic Hard Rock songs, extremely catchy and once again boasting great musicianship by each member. The two longer songs of the album are very different from each other, "Famine" and "Folklore": while the first one is darker, more tense, and has a unique Oriental- esque section in the beginning (with the percussions and everything), "Folklore" is much more lively, epic sounding in many spots, especially the mighty presence of the mellotron at the end of the piece.

With "Heritage" Opeth have massively changed their sound in a way that I didn't at all expect. This is one of the most radical retro progressive rock albums I've heard, remaining extremely faithful to the sounds of the seventies. If they should go on with this kind of music, I personally wouldn't complain, even though I miss the metal passages.

"Heritage" is the 10th full-length studio album by Swedish progressive metal act Opeth. The album was released through Roadrunner Records in September 2011. There's been much speculation about how "Heritage" would sound after the band made it clear that they would drop the growls and focus on playing progressive rock. Of course we've heard Mikael 'kerfeldt talk about this before, being the prog rock head he is, but he has talked about other projects before that hasn't materialized yet. For instance I remember he talked about releasing a black metal oriented Opeth album once, and that project certainly hasn't surfaced yet. With "Heritage" it turned out to be more than words though as the band have completely left their progressive death metal roots behind and focus on playing a 70s influenced progressive type of rock.

...especially keyboard player Per Wiberg, is given a lot of space and opportunity to flash his vintage keyboards (ironically Per Wiberg left the band before the release of the album), but everything from the jazz rock influenced drumming, the warm bass sound to the dynamic and structurally challenging compositions, to the fuzzy distorted guitars, scream 70s progressive rock/hard rock.

The album starts out with a piano intro and then "The Devil's Orchard" kicks in. It's one of the more energetic tracks on the album even though it's quite dynamic too with some mellow sections thrown in. "I Feel the Dark" and "Slither" are pretty great too but "Nepenthe" is kinda dull to my ears. From that moment on it's like the album only captivate me in glimpses. The last track "Marrow of the Earth" is quite the beautiful instrumental piece though. My issue with many of the tracks is that they don't sound like fully developed compositions, but more like a lot of ideas put together to form tracks. The interesting thing is that the earlier material by the band is also structured like that, but that type of songwriting approach works much better within the context of a progressive death metal album than in does on a full blown progressive rock album.

...so while the playing is excellent (I'm especially impressed by drummer Martin Axenrot, who really shines on the album) and the production is warm and organic, the songwriting simply isn't strong enough. "Heritage" is loaded with great ideas and for the most part the album is very enjoyable but the full promise is too seldom fulfilled. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is warranted.

8/10

This is a remarkable change of sound - and for someone who hates growls and stuff, this is a change for the better. I do not have much experience with Opeth, having heard so far only Blackwater Park (which I gave 3 stars) and Damnation (4 stars). I began to get curious about a recent Heritage, because of all this "controversy" about your style is radically different from other albums (even Damnation, although many can compare), and I can say frankly that is more than I expected.

I love the voice of Mikael Akerfeldt ... when he is not growling. And thank God his voice is 100% clean here (one of the points in common with Damnation). In fact, as I said before, Heritage is totally unlike anything the band has done before. No death metal (and I am grateful to them for that), just a retro-prog rock and healthy touches of jazz-fusion - courtesy of the excellent Martin Axenrot, it really is a primacy on drums. While the title track, which opens the album, it seems more like a jazz of the first half of last century, with piano and double bass, other songs like Famine go more along the lines of heavy prog, sounding like a crossover between Black Sabbath and Jethro Tull. Other great songs here - and that is my favorite album for sure - the last three are: The Lines In My Hand (with strong bass lines), the fusion-psychedelic Folklore and the instrumental beautiful Marrow of the Earth. In general the songs are very diverse and I love it.

But Heritage is not something specifically retro as some albums we've seen in recent times, as Wobbler's Rites at Dawn, for example. There is no intention in the band recording with analog equipment or anything like that, but it is a feeling that permeates the album all the time, and there are times when even "metal" is not as heavy as seen in works such as Blacwater Park. Abundant elements throughout the album are the wonderful keyboards Per Wiberg - an amazing batch of pianos, mellotrons and the best : many, many organs! (why you left Opeth, Per? I imagine he would have other wonderful contributions to the band's future albums, even if she returned to their old sound).

A great and heterodox work. I do not care if this proposal remains Opeth sound to their albums, but I know that many fans will not share my thoughts. 4 stars.

This is the second review I am posting which was written while listening to the CD carefully during my train commute. The review is "live" without much editing.

I have been sampling Opeth's CDs on Amazon and their albums have been moving in and out of my shopping cart. I love the progressive metal and their softer songs but the death growl vocals have never appealed to me. When I sampled this album, I felt this would be a good place to start and yet ironically, this album is likely the least Opeth-like in their catalogue. On with the review.

Heritage

Piano and bass instrumental. Slightly jazzy atmosphere. When's the lazy tenor sax solo?

The Devil's Orchard

Rapid, tripping heavy guitar, Hammond organ sound. Rollicking riff and drums with a tripping time signature. Wavering organ chords. Song rocks on then goes laid back and cool, heavy again and laid back again. Mood keeps changing. Ends with really cool solo of effects and mood. Finale: piano and vocals.

I Feel the Dark

Acoustic guitar, rock vocals, flute. Electric guitar, drums, Mellotron? About 3 minutes in, the song gets heavy with rapidly sprinting drums. Next, the song alternates between soft but rapid music with organ and drums and more guitar-driven heavy parts. Still strings or is it Mellotron?

Slither

Like heavy Deep Purple circa The Battle Ranges On. Guitar sound similar, heavy organ, too. Guitar solo quite Blackmore-esque. Ends with Heaven and Hell-like acoustic closure.

Nepenthe

Again a mellow jazzy tune. Shuffling drum rhythm, soft jazz electric guitar. Partway in song turns electric with more experimental style guitar. Stops for mellow moment, then goes into a heavy funky rhythm with a lame leg, like a giant robot dancing with a broken knee. Soft again, then wild soloing like Steve Vai. Mellow again with organ keeping a steady repeated note. Soft jangling electric guitar. Nice mood. Finishes with mellow shuffling drums and electric piano sound.

Haxprocess

Hard to describe this one. Kind of jazzy start but as I keep saying jazzy I should add that it's a haunting style. Something seems to be up. By now I am also really digging the drumming on this album. Perhaps it's the drumming that gives the jazzy flair. The song slows down to a percussion-less segment for the vocals which precludes an interlude of soft empty piano with voices in the background. The song moves into full gear with drums and bass and passes through moods with Mellotron and flute. Once again, Opeth have a song that can be divided into several parts. Bass and electric guitar are the only instruments to carry us through the guitar solo, a lament of bluesy guitar. Piano slowly and quietly finishes off the song.

Famine

A flurry of flute notes introduces the song which suddenly turns dark with an Eastern flavour. The drumming is all hands and no sticks, it sounds like. As is becoming typical of this album, barely a minute later the mood changes and we have piano and slow clean vocals. Then a crazy rolling electric guitar creeps in and the song busts open with more wild drumming. Then the sound gets edgy, a bit King Crimsony for a moment before dropping back to a mellow pace. Gears keep changing. Suddenly we're hearing doomy Jethro Tull with flute and heavy guitar and organ. How does one write a song with this many parts? Back to a creepy clean electric guitar solo and dusty dry flute bursts like brief dust devils on dry sand. Heavy again. The song wraps up with some distant piano with a demented feel to it.

The Lines in My Hand

Boom of bass and more crazy drums. Mellotron, organ, acoustic guitar, quick pace. Electric guitar. Cool bass going with the drums. Sudden change to organ and flute then all out metal. Heavy rocker now but still clean vocals. The song ends abruptly.

Folklore

Electric guitar intro. Meandering blues. Goes slightly renaissance before drums and bass join in. Nice groove here as organ comes in just before the vocals. Then heavy rock with organ and Mellotron joining the distorted guitar, but soon the song returns to its groovy pace. After the second heavy part acoustic guitar follows. Very beautiful. Then piano. Then quick bass and drums. Bass over piano. Power metal sound with synth choir and more melodic guitar solo. Song finishes in this vein.

Marrow of the Earth

Acoustic guitar and clean electric guitar. Slow, bluesy. Reminds me of something but can't place it.

Overall: great variety in sound and style, songs with many changes in mood, tempo, instrumentation, wicked drums, beautiful delicate parts and heavy rocking parts. A very eclectic album. Love the flute, organ and Mellotron joining the various guitar sounds and Hammond organ.

For a prog album, I think this sure has a wide range of sound and most songs go through at least a few changes. In a way, it's as if Mikael Akerfeldt was trying to put as many different parts to many of the songs as he could. Either creative genius or exploitative madness. Considering, however, the variety of guitar sounds and playing styles, the remarkable drumming, and the use of various keyboards along with flute, and the difficult and abrupt shifts in the music, I think this album is an excellent example of someone's attempt at doing something different and possibly unique. I'm going to suggest a full 5-star rating but Opeth fans might have strong mixed feelings about this album. It's not totally my cup of tea, at least not yet, but it must be the most creative modern prog album I have heard among all my recent purchases.

Here comes another calm and introspective progressive rock record by Opeth. "Heritage" is maybe a little bit more metal orientated than the weak acoustic sleeping pill "Damnation" but cites a lot of influences from famous progressive rock bands such as King Crimson, Deep Purple and Jethro Tull. There are no growls on the album, no fast paced tracks with a bleak atmosphere, no melodic metal guitar solos, pumping bass lines or energizing drum parts. This album really is quite down to earth, spiritual and also has a few folk vibes which adds a new element to the varied sound of this unique Swedish band.

One of the best and most essential songs on this album is the strong "Nepenthe" which truly kicks this album off after some weaker tracks in the beginning like the boring Dio tribute "Slither" and the not very well chosen single "The Devil's Orchard". "Nepenthe" has a great relaxed, floating, almost psychedelic lounge feeling with some progressive changes in style that keep a minimum of tension high. Opeth succeed for the first time to create a mysterious atmosphere without losing their dynamics and sounding too pointless.

Another highlight on the record is the folk anthem "Famine" that has some great tribal drum passages, flute tones, piano interludes and harmonious mellotron sounds. The spacey vocal effects and dominating keyboards make this track sound like a tribute to the legends of progressive rock of the seventies and this song has the special kind of magic and creativity that the others on this record don't have.

This track kicks off the strongest part of the record that continues with "The Lines In My Hand", easily the heaviest song on the album but still rather soft compared to the band's humble beginnings. Once again, progressive sounds and psychedelic vocals meet acoustic guitars but also for the first time some dynamical bass guitar licks. This song is short and sweet, gets to the point but still invites you to dream along while you listen to it.

"Folklore" is the last outstanding track on the record even though it is not as great as the previous songs that I just mentioned. The song is maybe a few minutes too long like many on this record but I like the song's spiritual atmosphere and the beautiful, inspiring and calm guitar solos in the tune. That's what the entire album should have sounded like but the track also creates some wrong expectations with its title as there are no dominating or convincing folk sounds at all in the song and I really expected more and something like a continuation of the amazing "Famine".

The problem I have with this album is that there are too many overlong and calm tracks that have nothing special that distinguishes them from stuff the band had already done on "Damnation" or in the calmer moments of "Blackwater Park" for example. The track "I Feel The Dark" is a good example for this lack of focus as it is divided into two parts that just don't fit to each other and still feel worn-out and come both back to the same tranquilizing melodies in the end. The opening and closing "Heritage" and "Marrow Of The Earth" are too long to be only considered some atmospheric introductions or outroductions and feel stretched and pointless after all. The bonus tracks have also a lack of unique edges and fail to truly convince me.

The most convincing tracks are those that have some guest musicians that play folk instruments and similar stuff or when the band experiments something new. Many things on the album are already good and convincing but some parts could also have been more elaborated, intense and focussed. That's why I would classify this record as a really good one but it's almost as far from being perfect as it is from being a failure. In the entire Opeth discography, I would put this album somewhere in the middle. One thing where this album is easily on the top and surpasses many of the other Opeth releases is the great cover artwork and booklet, though.

Originally published on www.metal-archives.com on September 18th of the year 2011.

The Dark Trilogy, Part I - Opeth's Heritage

Here it is, Opeth's most controversial release yet, excluding the anomalous Damnation which was hardly an Opeth record at all. Heritage is in one way an incredibly apt name and in another an awful choice. In the first way, this record is essentially a tribute to Mikael Akerfeldt's musical heritage - the music of acts like Camel, King Crimson, and Black Sabbath who formed his early musical tastes and, at least before he discovered a tasty little thing called death metal, dominated his listening experiences. However, in the 90s when death metal made its debut, he spent his time writing illicitly evil music of the far more extreme style. Seventeen years after the release of his new band Opeth's debut record Orchid, though, he changed his mind on the whole thing. While we could see a shift in his musical outlook on 2008's Watershed, the death-ness was still present, so at least most of the hardcore fans were pleased. But what made him drop the growls entirely?

This is no psychoanalysis of Akerfeldt's musical tastes, so I have no definitive answer to that. All I know is that in 2006 Ghost Reveries was released and hailed as one of the most critically acclaimed progressive death metal albums of the last decade, and five years later Opeth released a hard rock album. What happened? How are we supposed to react? Is this even Opeth? In short, Akerfeldt got tired of doing the same thing over nearly 20 years. Fans of the band should recognize that this is simple a progression of the band's style and we should go with it. And is it Opeth? Did you even listen to the damn album? It's got Akerfeldt written all over it! So yes, despite the fact that Opeth has dropped distortion and death growls for overdrive and Hammond, this album is textbook Opeth and should be evaluated as such.

So let's see here, ten tracks ranging from two to eight minutes. Not too bad, although right off the bat we're missing those killer ten-minute killers. We'll live, don't worry. Track one - self-titled - stars off with some nice acoustic piano work. Okay, now I'm getting worried. But wait, Watershed started with the acoustic ballad "Coil" and was kicked off an awesome album. Phew, we'll be fine. After two minutes, in comes the single "The Devils Orchard," and here it begins. Aggressive and classic overdriven riffs as opposed to ferocious distorted chugging, gritty Hammond lines to go along with it, and Mikael already excellent clean vocals with a bit of a, uh, "natural" tone from the lack of studio-fix ups or enhancements. Not a bad thing, although his vocal lines can seem like warbling from time to time. A nice mellow and dark interlude, some Opeth-y Mellotron flutes, eerie guitar lines, and a coda back to some nice overdriven riffs again. Hey, look! A pretty standard playing card for an Opeth song. We're off to a good start.

Fine, I won't go through every song on the album displaying how the music is still Opeth, not a rip off of Camel (whoever says that is just plain wrong), you get the picture. You have your obligatory acoustic lines, diminished-scale riffs, precision drums, quintessential keyboard parts, and Akerfeldt's gruff clean lines, which are quite different from Andrew Latimer's whispered vocal parts. Not a Camel right, right? Right??

Alright, I've drilled into your skull that Heritage is indeed an Opeth album, so I'll actually review it now. And here I'll contradict myself: while of course this is an Opeth album, this music is incredibly stylistically different from their previous material (obviously), so in no way can I evaluate this as if it were part of the tech/extreme genre. This album is an excellent example of modern heavy prog. All the aforementioned qualities of this album come together in an absolutely wonderful way, and with the Opeth stamp and sound in it, it's even better. Akerfeldt had incorporated blues elements in his older material, but it really shines on this album. Riffs are trilled, blues scales are favored over diminished most of the time, and lots of the arrangements are in a far more blues/jazz-fusion oriented way.

However, while the music is interesting and engaging throughout the first half of the album, I can't help but feel a sense of ennui as the tracks of the latter half of the album come. By the time the slow-starting but in-the-end-exciting "Famine" ends, the songs start to get 'samey.' Compositional distinguishability starts to blur, ambience sound the same, and those same tricks from older Opeth songs are used over and over again with a new guitar tone. While of course any Opeth is good Opeth, I can't help but feel that even with the new direction, Akerfeldt is still stuck in the same rut of songwriting. He has a new pallet of sound to paint with, but he only knows one style in which to paint. For a huge Opeth fan, I can enjoy the songs, but at the same time I crave some truly new.

In the end, I'll say it loud and clear: this is a different kind of Opeth album. You won't find any growls or evil riffing, but you'll still find Opeth, dressed in a new outfit. If you're looking for a crazy Swedish 70s prog-fest, look somewhere else, because while this is certainly influenced by that era, this album is not retro prog. Retro although it may sound stylistically, the music is still very modern. However, expect much of the same compositionally, as Akerfeldt has covered no new ground here, and expands on many of the same ideas quite a bit, leading to a bit of a stale sound by the end of the album. In the end, however, this is a solidly good Opeth album. 3+ stars.

Now I've covered the music, what's this whole "dark trilogy" business, you might ask? As most know, this album was mixed by Akerfeldt's best buddy and prog extraordinaire Steven Wilson. The two have been attached at the hip since Opeth's Blackwater Park, and in my opinion Wilson has helped Opeth create some of their absolute best material. In 2011, though they worked together more closely than they ever had before. Within a month of each other both Opeth and Steven Wilson had released albums, and immediately after that, they began collaborating directly on their own mysterious project, Storm Corrosion.

The three albums, the third of which was released half a year after the other two, are intrinsically connected in an interesting way. The three albums are all incredibly dark musically - dark riffs, dark lyrics, dark art, and a darker perspective on each musician's usual material (or at least in Akerfeldt's case a different kind of dark). Interestingly enough, this darkness is sopped up by the prog public, and I would not be surprised if Storm Corrosion tops most prog lists just like Heritage and Grace for Drowning did. An interesting trend, and one that I'm sure the dynamic prog duo will pursue further.

"Heritage" is a 10 track album by the Swedish death metal band Opeth, that starts a new era for the band. Even though the album seemed a lot of times as a really bad one (at least for the criticizers) , it is still one of the best selling prog albums. The album starts with a beautiful melancholic yet very delighted piano piece, it has a very interesting style which we never heard before from Opeth or from any band at all.

The new album of Opeth is a new gate for a new world, The fantastic new Opeth. even though the band is considered as a Death Metal band, they have reached a decision to make a new album with the music that Mikael Akerfeldt , the band vocalist listened to as a teenager, 70's progressive rock, bands like King Crimson,Genesis and more have built the base of the musical taste of Mikael the young. The delicate, noble and the difficult to understand sound of the prog in the 1970's was exquisite, even though it was not suited for everybody, and because of that it was never really popular.

The album Heritage that was produced on 2011 is one of the most qualitative and best prog albums that I had the pleasure to listen to in my life. Even though the album had been criticized a lot, the new album of Opeth still was a great success in the prog world. I think that it was mentioned negatively a lot of times because of its mellow, soft yet complicated sound, a jazzy yet progressive sound that reminds me a lot of King Crimson.

I think that most of the people just cannot understand the emotion that Mikael Akerfeldt tried to express while writing the songs for this album. Even though there are some pieces in this album that tend more to the 70's hard rock like "Silther" with very simple riffs that are played again and again along with some clean and soft, yet hoarse and agressive vocal of Mikael the vocalist, that almost always expressed himself by brutal music with unique, high quality growling vocal, but, this time Mikael decided to try something different, what he always wanted and started writing an progressive jazz-rock album that includes some really complex, heavy and well though riffs and other melodies.

It is impossible to mention the album without noting the artwork which can be found on the album cover. The artwork wraps you in a 70's prog-like feeling, that is probably exactly what the designer of this artwork tried to express when he drew it. The artwork mentions, in my opinion at least, some kind of a runaway of the group from the hell ( the demon that is found underground ) to something more gentle that can express itself as The tree of knowledge too, something fantastic that can lead to some very bad situations, Opeth lost a lot of fans because of the album, they have also gained a few new fans (as myself ) but they tried a new more gentle sound, and I love it.

As one of the few albums that really made me excited, I started listening to it on the strength of the artwork and my first song was "Famine" I give the album an overall score of: 93/100

1.4 Stars. Tangled in their roots

Heritage is the 10th Opeth album and can be marked as a brand new chapter in the band's career. The Death metal part of their sound is completely gone and has been replaced with a very deliberate 70s retro sound. Everything from the sound production to the choice and arrangement of instruments has been done to make it sound as much like a 70s Prog album as they possibly can.

Now while I think Opeth should stick to what gave them success in the first place I'm happy for them to try new things out and experiment. They did this with Damnation and were quite successful. But the problem with Heritage is that the band are obviously out of their depth which has resulted in them producing a very sloppy and incoherent set of songs. The biggest problem with this album is the complete lack of flow within the majority of the songs. It feels like several incompatible ideas have been stitched together in each song which leaves me baffled and confused every time I listen to Heritage.

The album starts with the title track which is just a piano driven instrumental to set the scene. It could fit nicely on a classical album but bears little connection to most of the other songs. The Devil's Orchard is one of the few coherent songs on the album and is quite fast paced and hard rocking. It may leave older fans like me a little underwhelmed as they have been much more aggressive than this. The quieter instrumental sections are good though, even though its extremely 70s derived. Its a nice song.

I feel the dark is probably the best song on Heritage. The introduction is very atmospheric and utilises the flute and mellotron very well. There is a steady build-up in energy and tension which outpours towards the end of the song. This is the only song on the album that I fully enjoy from start to finish and the main reason I'm not rating it 1 star.

Slither is probably one of the worst songs they have ever written (along with Folklore). Its a one dimensional hard rock song that is so generic and boring that it amazes me that they wrote it. After this song my main problem with the album becomes very clear as the next two songs have lots of half baked ideas that have been clumped together to make a incoherent mess. Nepenthe is the worst of the two as it consists of mostly aimless drumming and little other ideas. Haxprocess starts and finishes strong by using a very depressing atmosphere (which reminds me of Storm Corrosion), but the middle rock section is quite forgettable and just does not go anywhere interesting. Its too safe and is neither aggressive nor catchy.

Famine starts with some interesting atmospheric effects and tribal themes which are quite tense. The tension remains untapped and instead they go for a short and bleak ballad. Then all of a sudden they decide to get aggressive which instead of sounding cool comes across annoying. There was no proper build-up for such a rush in energy, it comes across totally random and like the band have no idea what they are doing. The second half is better as they go for a angry Jethro Tull/King Crimson instrumental with a flute that sound's exactly like Ian's. But even that is too stop start and only half works.

The lines in my hand is better and is much catchier and fluent compared to most of the other songs. It leaves a lasting memory and is definitely a highlight, shame it was not longer. If famine was disappointing then folklore is a disaster. The opening few minutes are promising but they never make use of it and to be blunt the entire song is a mess. I would go into detail but its so forgettable that the moment I stop listening to it I forget it. Also the outro is just embarrassing, they try to sound dramatic but the tune is so simple and clichéd that I cringe every time. The album finishes with Marrow of the earth which is another forgettable and very slow instrumental in the same vein as the title track.

Overall this album does very little for me. Every time I start to get into a section of the album the mood changes randomly and the momentum is lost. Opeth are one of my favourite bands but Heritage does not sound like a Opeth album. They are both Prog albums that occasionally use the acoustic guitar and have Mikael singing, that's it. I don't treat this as a Opeth album because it does not sound like one nor deserves the Opeth name. Don't get this and if you do then get the one with bonus tracks as they are better than most of the songs on Heritage. With the bonus tracks it approaches the 3 star mark but without them its a clear cut 2 stars. What a shame!

Edit. After listening to the new Pale Communion album the poor songwriting present on Heritage has become even more obvious and dominating. PC also surpasses any of the strengths present on this album, so I have no reason to listen to it anymore. Therefore I can only recommend Heritage to die hard fans which means I have to give this 1 star.

Opeth's first true nonmetal album (sure, Damnation was softer, but with its themes of resignation and withering had an unmistakable doom/gothic feeling). Heritage sounds like depressive, meandering psychedelic folk/hard rock album. Keyboards are decidedly vintage-sounding and the second part of the album is largely acoustic. At the time of its release, due to the unfocused nature of the songs, I wasn't sure if this was an awkward tribute to the seventies, or a new Opeth. Turned out later, it was the latter. And I like this Opeth. In fact, if you strip away the death metal epidermis, this was Opeth all along - somber and folkish. True, the songs on Heritage structurally lack focus, but every one contains at least a good idea or two, so I have confidence this Opeth will succeed among the dedicated proggers.

A clever way to call it as "Heritage" ...

It took me quite a while to take a deep breath on what Opeth have done with this album when I listened to it for the first time. There were two main issues I faced by the time I got this album and both of them were critical to ask and answer as they form a foundation for me to write this very late review - by the time I write this I already received the new album "Pale Communion" which actually I am about ready to write a review. But I was surprised when I looked at this site I have not written anything yet with respect to Heritage album. That's definitely the results of posting those two critical issues that I raised.

The first issue was: If this is called as a heritage from previous legends, what forms in this album that I can refer to the legends?

Typically when we call legends it's all about those who shone in the glory days of the 70s ...the hey day of progrock and other styles of music: disco, funk, blues , rock, pop as well as R&B. I did not count jazz into it as by that time I did not pay any attention to the development of jazz music until found the music of Chick Corea and Dave Brubeck with his Take Five fame. Talking about legends of prog you can bet me with names like Yes, Gentle Giant, King Crimson, Pink Floyd, Van der Graaf, ELP, Genesis etc. In fact some new prog bands already labelled as they are heavily influenced by Genesis or ELP or Pink Floyd etc. For example when I mention RPWL, people will automatically associate the band with Pink Floyd even though it's not the same.

But now ...look at any track this album by Opeth features: where is in the segment of the music in any track that I can easily refer to legendary bands? Is there any segment that I can say something like ..."A ha ....this sounds like Genesis!" ..."Aha ...this looks like Gentle Giant" or whatsoever. Having spun this album for many times, I think it's been more than 8 times, the critical numbers enough to give fair views about any prog album irrespective its complexities. Unfortunately my friends ... I failed to identify anything (even a small chunk of segment) where I can say it's influenced by legends like Yes, genesis, ELP and the like.

If that is the case, is it fair enough to say that this album is influence-free? Not really ....!!! I can sense it ... I can taste it ... I can feel it that somehow the music has a very deep connection with the spirit of 70s prog music but I fail to identify any reference in the music where I can easily say its connection with legendary bands. So what is the conclusion? Well ... what I can say is that Opeth is really CLEVER in a way to compose an album that use that spirit and nuances of legendary progrock music and translate them into a beautiful composition where any part or segment in the music has no direct relation with the past. It's really clever!

The second critical issue is how I should rate this basically new style of progressive music where I can find little reference as comparison?

This second issue has caused me to defer the review for such a long time until now. Actually partly due to my busy schedule in my real life profession. But as far as review concern I tended to delay because I was quite confused with the rating. Honestly I do not quite put this album as my favorite largely due to I do not get used to listen to music like this album. It's not fair to review based on liking or not liking the album. For sure it's a definite a good one but how good? Should I consider it as excellent? In fact ...after long time thinking about it I land into a conclusion that this is really a four-star rating album. I enjoy the album even though not really love so much. But I admire the boldness of Opeth making this new avenue of prog whenre maybe in the future I will love this kind of music. I remember vividly that in the past I was not happy with Yes "Tales from Topographic" but then I admired it highly as it grew on me really.

SALUTE for Opeth who has made this excellent album! Keep on proggin' ..!

Peace on earth and mercy mild - GW

I always wanted to like Opeth. I found them musically interesting, but one thing prevented me from listening to them - the "cookie monster," death metal vocals. I tried listening to them, but once those growls came in, I immediately lost interest. The one exception, prior to 2011's "Heritage," was, of course, "Damnation," which I thought was very good. But, with Mikael Akerfeld claiming that "Damnation" was a one-off album, and that the band would return to its death metal form, I left Opeth behind. With the release of "Heritage" my interest in Opeth was restored, and my faith in great new music being made was fulfilled.

"Heritage" is a turning point point for the band and I can understand why many long-time fans were unhappy with the album. I, too, have been disappointed when some of my favorite bands have turned in a direction not to my liking. However, as long as a band is changing direction in order to stay true to their musical interests, and not merely trying to go with what is more commercially viable, I have always had respect for those bands, even if I did not like the new music they were making. So, with "Heritage" being far from a commercial "sell-out," I am puzzled by many of the old-school fans' contempt for Opeth's new direction.

I feel "Heritage" is a great, classic prog rock album. I have read many reviews bashing the song writing and complaining about a lack of flow, and I strongly disagree. When first listening to "Heritage," it can come off as disjointed, or lacking in flow as an album. However, this is a truly progressive album, with complex, non-traditional songwriting, and can only be appreciated after many listens. While you can certainly hear the influence of 70's prog rock, Opeth injects their own style into the songs, making it a truly unique listening experience.

To conclude, Opeth's "Heritage" is wonderful piece of heavy prog that can only be appreciated by repeated listens and having an open mind. It is a stepping stone to Opeth's next effort, "Pale Communion," which I feel is less progressive than "Heritage." I give it a solid 4 1/2 stars. If you only gave "Heritage" a few listens and were unimpressed, try listening a few more times. You may end up changing you mind, like I did.

Opeth, I have not explored so much of their discogrophy, only a metal album in the middle and the real prog album of this year "Pale Communion". That was a story they began 20111 with this record "Heritage" the band's tenth record. When I started to listen to this record a long time ago had I hard to understand it and I found it too melancholic for me. Now that has changed. Heritage is, and I am sure most people think that a good record. It features Mikael Åkerfeldt on vocals, guitar, mellotron and grand piano, Fredrik Åkesson on guitars, Per Wiberg on organ, mellotron, fender rhodes, wurlitzer and grand piano, Martin Mendez on bass guitars and Martin Axenrot on drums together with percussionist Alex Arcaña and Björn J:son Lindh, a fabulous flutist who unfortunately died recently and the pianist Joakim Svalberg.

The cover is one of the best things with the album. It is an amazing paintign with the heads of the band members and in the background we see a burning city and under the tree we see hell. The album is a heavy progressive album with so much interesting notes. It has its ups and downs and for me it's hard to keep my interest through it all but the highlights are worth picking up. The opener and the closer are almost only piano and the melody feels like Swedish folk music. For those who have heard Jan Johansson's jazz record with Swedish folk tunes will these tracks remind you of them. "Marrow of the earth" is honestly the album's most nice track (10/10) like massage for my ears. Second best is "The Devil's Orchard"(9/10), an explosion of melodies, riffs and strong progressive music where Åkerfeldt's vocals do a fantastic job. He sings very well on the whole record. "Nepenthe" is another example of song with wonderous vocals and the song is jazzy too(8/10). "Famine" is a long and lovely song also, a varied and story telling track with J:son Lindh's flute and lovely vocals(8/10). "I feel the dark"(7/10) and "Folklore"(7/10) are also more than good and the rest of the songs are good as well.

This is definitely an interesting record with high quality music and some very interesting tracks. Opeth has big potential to be an even better prog band if they become more pretentious. Perhaps is it also the sad feeling this music bears that holds down my feelings and so also my rating. For me it's a strong three star record and a little preview of what's going to come three years later.

This album had Opeth's fans divided before its first notes were even out there. Basically, one part of the fans were die-hard (black / death / whatever) metal fans who took it as a personal offense that their favourite band would "betray" them or their "community", while the other part consisted of people who were excited that this wonderful band would just follow their music wherever it took them, not caring too much about people's opinion (I'm reminded of Metallica as I write this ...). For some reason, this change of direction was less well-tolerated than the one they tried on their previous experiment -- Damnation. My guess would be that everyone saw Damnation as just that -- an experiment; whereas the direction they picked for Heritage sounded like a permanent change.

I guess you could put me in the second category. I was not at all repelled by the idea that one of my favourite bands would get rid of the heavier metal part of their music, especially at a time where I began to explore other musical horizons myself, including prog: while I still enjoyed the metal sound, no matter how heavy, the whole scene was beginning to sound extremely repetitive to me and Opeth were one of the very few metal bands I was still listening to.

However, I had my doubts.

What I always found interesting in Opeth's music was their way of switching from very heavy parts to softer and moving ones; their mixture of progressive elements with straightforward and brutal ones; the blend of acoustic guitars and distorted ones; and so on. Deciding to give a more progressive aspect to their music and dropping the metal elements was a courageous move, but would they be able to make it sound interesting?

Well, I was surely interested in finding out, so I went for the limited edition and refused to hear anything from that album before it showed up in my mailbox. And then I played it, and ...

... and boy, what a disappointment. I must have played the album in its entirety only two or three times, and I had to force myself to keep listening all the while. I'm forcing myself yet again as I write this review, hoping to hear something that will prove me wrong, hoping to understand all those positive reviews that I've read. But I can't hear anything remarkable on this record. Yes, they are trying to sound different, but that's exactly the point: you can hear that they're trying, and exploring new musical grounds without really knowing where they're headed. Although, to be fair, I must admit that I enjoy it a little bit better than back at the time of its release; maybe I've grown more indulgent towards it, and I must admit that there are a few enjoyable moments, but nothing that will keep me coming back to it. I still have to force myself to keep playing it, and I usually either stop after the first three or four songs, or I start skipping. This piece of music may sound impressive to someone who is just discovering that there is a whole musical world outside (black / death / whatever) metal, but if you come from a more eclectic background, let alone a progressive one, you'll find there is nothing here to write home about.

I don't want to be too harsh on Opeth. I'm fond of what they were previous to that album, they still are wonderful musicians, and they deserve praise for fleeing their comfort zones and trying to reinvent themselves. But still, I can't figure out why so many reviews (not necessarily on PA) praise this as a masterpiece. If anything, it's merely a good first step in the right direction, but I'll take Transatlantic any day over this. That's not what Opeth has to become, of course, but I think I'll wait a few more albums before I give them another try. Meanwhile, I'll keep spinning their previous records.

Opeth takes a sharp left turn on this release and moves away completely from it's trademark death metal sound and veers completely into the progressive metal genre. Gone are the growling vocals completely, which was my only complaint that I had about the band before, even if they did alternate from dirty to clean vocals in the past. Now, this is not the first album where Opeth turned away from dirty vocals completely. In "Damnation", the album was completely mellow and featured all clean vocals, but they remained true to the acoustic aesthetic of death metal. This time, on "Heritage" all death metal leanings are left behind. What you get in replacement is a great reward, 10 top notch progressive compositions that stay completely true to the genre and it's heritage.

In my opinion, this is the best Opeth album up to this point. Opeth has always been know as a band that always improves, but never have they taken as huge of a risk as this. These tracks are all elaborate and heavily progressive songs through and through with variety in abundance. There is still a heavy presence of guitar, but there is also a lot more keyboards with a lot of mellotron. You'll hear all kinds of influences in this music, but even with that, the sound is original. Acoustic is meshed with electronic and with hints of jazz oriented prog thrown in for good measure. This is very apparent in "Nepenthe" which starts on the mellow side and suddenly explodes in a jazz/prog fusion that sounds very much like UK. They also tap into the arpeggios that were made popular by King Crimson and they expand on this beautifully. And Mikael's vocals are amazing. I don't know why he had to hide them under his growling vocals for so long

Of course, most metal heads were furious at this album at first. Some of them never came around, but others, for whatever reason, were intrigued with the sound and eventually fell in love with the album. I love the fact that Opeth could open some minds with this album and with their music. I could never figure out why or how anyone could just stick to one genre anyway, there is so much great music out there under several genres.

Those of you, on the other hand, that thought that Opeth was a great instrumental band but couldn't handle the growling, this is your album. This one has all the prog that you could want and all the variety that you crave. Songs are constantly changing meter, dynamic, timbre, even style. This really almost sounds like another band, but those who have been familiar with Opeth know without a doubt that this is the real band. It's so great to hear them break away from the sound that could really get repetitive and allowed for very little exploration beyond what they had already perfected. This album represents the breaking away of expectations of a narrow genre, even though the band was consistently stretching the boundaries to there limits. Now there are no limits. Now the band is free to explore so many avenues of music, and this is what they do. And it is amazing that they can reach masterpiece status on their first attempt. Yes it's true that they have been honing their skills and musicality on past great albums like "Ghost Reveries" and "Blackwater Park", and now we have the culmination of everything. This is an excellent album and it is a shining example of a band that continues to progress. Amazing! Beyond your expectations. 5 stars.

On September 14th, 2011, Opeth brought forth the unexpected. Once a group supposedly impervious to criticism and showered with praise from critics and fans alike, their tenth effort Heritage displayed to us all that even the most sacred of musical cows could be brought down to size. It's not like a more subdued style wasn't tried before by the band, judging by the even-softer Damnation back in 2003 - what caused the backlash here? In fact, Heritage has much stronger roots in classic progressive rock, each song sounding as if it's a tribute to Mikael's past influences - hence the album title. Each song exudes either classic 70s progressive rock, folk, jazz fusion, metal, or a combination of any (or all) of these influences to create a more satisfying and diverse package than a number of the band's previous efforts, each song an interesting experiment in the band's fresh new direction. The lone piano of the intro tune is an immediate sign of Opeth's change in pace, but "The Devil's Orchard" comes out of the gate with its toned-down guitar distortion and precise rhythms of drummer Martin Axenrot - and that's where you start to notice the serious changes in style.

The band aren't letting their musical fury loose with any massive death metal segments on this record (or perhaps anymore, given the sound of the new release Pale Communion), instead preferring more balanced and natural dynamic variations within each piece. One of the common complaints given to Heritage is that things tend to "blend together" after a while, but this is ironically one of its greatest assets. Gone are the abrupt changes in tempo and volume to slide each musical "block" into its compositional slot, each song instead balancing its changes more fluidly. "I Feel the Dark" eventually reaches a climactic flourish of heavy guitars and keyboard chords, but it has an entire quiet acoustic guitar portion to build up to this moment. Either this, or the songs are simply consistent with their moods and styles. Closer "Marrow of the Earth" is just fantastic in the way it concludes things in such a melancholic fashion, the sparsely adorned instrumental folk ballad serving as a reflection of all that was heard on the record prior to it. Or there's "Slither" which garners the title of being the heaviest and most straightforward effort here, much of the guitar riffing and drum work resembling classic speed metal. While the more long-winded tracks tend to lose their way or end up being slightly boring (I'm looking at you, "Famine"), they don't detract a whole lot from what's on Heritage. When you're walking along a sunny road and suddenly it snows out of nowhere, what do you do: adapt with the weather change or give in to your struggle with the elements? Opeth, musically speaking, were presented with a similar scenario with Heritage. Do they take the progressive elements of Watershed and reconstruct those influences into something really different, or do they continue making the same progressive death metal that has served them well over the years and give in to what the metal-oriented fans want? Thankfully, Opeth adapted to the stylistic changes featured in Watershed and took them to a new level of adventurousness with Heritage. If you didn't like it the first time around, I implore you to try it again... it takes a while to unravel, but ends up being one of modern progressive rock's more rewarding gems.

(Originally published on Sputnikmusic)

This review was a long time coming for me. In part because the largely instrumental Heritage is among Opeth's most intricately nuanced and complex albums to date, so it simply took a long time for it to sink in. Secondly, it is probably one of the most magnificently artistic, elegant, musical, and engrossing albums I've heard in a long time... so I've just been having a ton of fun listening to it many, many times!

Heritage is an amazing release by an already amazing group, known for their straddling of genres and impeccable compositions. Opeth is at their most consummate professionalism with this release, abandoning their (excellent) death- metal styling in favor of a rich, emotional, and intense experience that falls much closer to a classic prog sound than any of their previous work. It's still aggressive and energetic, and heavy, but not a metal album. It's like a straddling of prog-folk and heavy prog, without much in the way of amplification. This gives it a unique tone that sits very well alongside the traditions of classic prog.

From the opening track's gorgeous, melancholy atmosphere - featuring fast-paced guitars, drumming, and dark sense of beauty - the listener is in for a treat. The songwriting is amazing, dense with variety and class, while the band's performance is achingly good. From the dynamic and ambitious drumming of Axenrot, to the fuzzy bass riffing of Mendez, and the lush mellotrons and keyboards of Wiberg, and of course the warm, melancholy sound of Akerfelt's guitar and voice - everything is just right. In fact, this is probably some of Akerfelt's best vocals; all clean, all powerful. Heritage is amazing at creating moods, dark, bleak, torpid, and frenetic. The end result is a wonderful example of what can happen when all the pieces a great band is known come together in just the right combination.

Heritage will doubtless appeal to Opeth fans who explore Prog Archives, and are willing to hear music from the group that doesn't have growling, and will probably be the album to convert those who shied away from the group BECAUSE of the growls. This album has all of the intensity, and more of the art, of other Opeth albums, and probably of many of the band's peers. Heritage is an amazing, dark, elegant experience. It may take a few listens to get there, but it reveals itself in short order as an excellent addition to any prog lovers library. Highly recommended.

Songwriting: 5 - Instrumental Performances: 5 - Lyrics/Vocals: 5 - Style/Emotion/Replay: 4

In December 2011, I bought Opeth's then-latest offering Heritage. Prior to that I had paid little attention to the band. Perhaps because I was never a fan of death metal, and it would be very difficult for me to hear death metal growls without laughing. I bought this because I heard that Mikael Åkerfeldt had lost the monster growls and went a more prog direction. Actually this wasn't the first growl-free album they did, that goes to Damnation way back in 2002 (actually 2003, but was recorded during the same sessions as Deliverance, released six months earlier, but apparently record company politics prevented Damnation to be released together at the same time or part of a 2 CD set). So Damnation was basically a preview of what Opeth will be doing the following decade, some eight years before the decade actually began! No surprise that Heritage really disappointed many fans. Death metal vocals gone, a more prog approach. To be honest, I look back at it, and I felt the album really needed more room for improvement, as it frequently seemed disjointed. I own the two disc version on Roadrunner that includes the CD (with the gimmick lenticular cover, similar to the Stones' Their Satanic Majesties Request), as well as DVD that includes two bonus cuts (including the wonderful "Pyre", which has a nice psychedelic vibe and nice use of Mellotron flute). The DVD also included The Making of Heritage, and it clearly shows that their then-keyboardist Per Wiberg was using a real Mellotron, the M600, and they also openly admitted to using sampled Mellotron on previous releases. It's as you expect, sessions showing you how they recorded. Part of this was recorded at Atlantis Studios, which was formerly ABBA's Polar Studios. As for the album itself, it's not bad, but the flow seems quite disjointed. I do like the heavy prog approach they do here, but sometime memorable material went astray. This was to be their last album with Per Wiberg, who was replaced by Joakim Svalberg. In my opinion, if you don't mind that Åkerfeldt has dropped the growls, and don't mind the proggy approach they now do, I suggest Pale Communion or Sorceress, as they have certainly improved quite a bit on those two efforts, plus it has a much better flow. Still Heritage has some worthy material, but a three star is what I can cough up for this album.

Good bye death metal, welcome boredome!

Heritage changed it all... One of the most well crafted and influential prog metal bands of the last decades suddenly left the style that made them big to derivate into an attempt to replicate the 70's prog rock sound that Akerfeldt loves so much. And they clearly succeeded in achieving this goal buty the forgot the good and catchy songwriting in the process. Where is the overall quality that this band always had? Gone!

Per Wiberg gained a lot of protagonism (and he left right after finishing the album) in the sound of the band and that also happened with the ambiental and jazzy parts too, decreasing the decibels and eliminating the growls. But the album sounds good... Well, that's not accurate. The music has a great production and mixing! Steven Wilson helped, of course. But what happened with the songs?

Heritage is a beautiful and melancholic intro wich introduces us in the album's mood effectively, leading to The Devil's Orchard, the best song of the entire record, very dynamic and with a superb guitar and keyboard work. The ending of the song is astonishing! And the vocals are also adequate here.

But the comes I Feel the Dark... Why are you shouting all the time, Mikael? Where are your mellow and soft vocals? Are you trying to be someone else or it's just my imagination? The song is to bad, but the singing is. It just doesn't fit with the mood of the song. And them comes Slither, a mediocre attempt to recreate the 80's NWOBHM style, with a Mikael trying to sound like Dio... What the hell were you thinking, guys?

Nevertheless, Nepenthe is even worse. A boring jazz oriented track with a lot of psychedelia on it but with an absolute lack of direction, apart from a great guitar solo. Häxprocess starts with almost three minutes of nothing, and at this point we are irreparably bored to death. And the slightly better final part of the song can't repair that.

And of course Famine and its eternal and boring percussion part is not better. The good instrumental work can't disguise the complete lack of inspiration this song has. Fortunitely, The Lines in my Hand and its pompous mellotron, good acoustic guitars and the typical Opeth's sound save us from cutting our wrists. One of the best tracks of the album!

Folklore is not so bad like Nepenthe or Famine, but it's also far from the band's best moments. Echoes of Damnation but again with unfitty and lame vocals. Marrow of the Earth comes as summary of this album: sad, unloved and unispired.

Conclusion: it's not the lack of death metal vocals, or the style change. The problem with Heriage ist he bad songwriting and the endless boring parts. And of course, the Mikael Akerfeldt's singing, wich is strange, loud and just lame in occassions. What happened to you? I think this man was trying to became a different musician, a different singer... And he failed miserably.

After all this years, I'm still amazed... How managed one of my favourite bands to release an album so unispired? This always be a mistery for me.

Best Tracks: Heritage, The Devil's Orchard, The lines in My Hand.

My rating: **

The first Opeth album with that features a dramatic change in the music direction of the metal giants. Gone are death metal vocals and instrumentation, the foreground belongs to prevailingly metal guitars, clean vocals (sometimes a bit lost in the mix), versatile progressive rock drumming and increasingly used keyboards -> mainly Hammond.

The band is on the crossroads between not very convincing progressive rock and for the band more conventional progressive metal or heavy metal. The music is adventureous albeit not very experimental since the band showcases influences by various bands such as Dio or Judas Priest.

"Heritage" track is a soft intro, probably a bit similar to the sang beginning of "Watershed". "Devil's orchard" is a classic live progressive metal piece; the sound of hammond and lack of extreme metal signatures is the biggest alteration in the sound. Ominous riffs and acoustic sections have not disappeared, fortunately. The last walking part with excellent drums and guitars is very original and shows greater band involvement. Then comes a memorable guitar solo.

"I feel the dark" is quite the opposite for the first track with subdued electric guitars and mellotron before a creative climax and shift changes. There is even a metal-jam-session reminiscent short moment. "Slither" is a retro nod to 70's hard rock, a good but not exceptional song. "Nepenthe" is a progressive-rock track notable for the sliding guitar.

"Häxproces" is a typical Opeth track minus extreme metal and Floydian guitar ending. "The lines in my hand" is compositionally uninteresting but has great drums and bass guitar lines. It could have stayed as an instrumental track. The end is marked by a typical evil Opethesque guitar solo which results in a perhaps heaviest moment of the album. "Marrow of the earth" is the only instrumental track, melancholic as Opeth can ever get and contrasting to the previous tracks - acoustic guitar leading with tasty lines.

Although the album was criticized upon its release by many old fans, in the advent of newer Opeth albums and further changes, it has actually stood the course of time quite well.

I don't think Heritage is a bad album, but it is perhaps a confused one at times. Opeth took a very bold move on this record fully committing to a sort of folky prog rock sound after their final progressive death metal album Watershed. The result is a bit mixed, but I very much respect their artistic integrity. With Heritage it's all about the atmosphere, many of the songs have very quiet/minimalist sections that pay off with darker heavier riffs. The keys and acoustic guitars on this album are wonderful and are really create the "sound" of this album. On top of this, the drumming is wonderful, its very light and jazzy. In general, I think the drums are much more developed and interesting then they were on watershed (and I think they get even better on the next album).

The album starts and ends with these two atmospheric acoustic tracks. I'm really not a fan of bands doing this as I think it tends to add nothing to the album. I always prefer when the opening song just starts with this atmospheric buildup and pays off with an actual song (The Moor for example). The real album starts with the devils orchard which I think is a very strong track with some great riffs and several really nice sections. The middle section exemplifies these awesome quiet parts with very subtle instrumentation. The next track is my favorite on the album: I Feel the Dark. The song builds this fantastic atmosphere for the first few minutes which is rewarded with this nasty dark, heavy, doomy mellotron/guitar riff about halfway through which continues to develop into a somewhat chaotic jam. The next track is the first misstep in my opinion. "Slither" is a tribute to Dio who had recently passed away and besides the ending, it's a pretty straightforward hard rock song that ultimately feels out of place after the wonderfully complex tracks that proceed it. Besides feeling out of place, I just don't think its a very strong song. It's redeemed in the next track "Nepenthe" which is also a favorite of mine. The first minutes are very subtle and jazzy, this really cool electric piano riff starts to fade in and it segues us into a really great full band jam and guitar solo. The song kinda winds down into this really neat ethereal sounding mellotron ending. Haxprocess is another favorite, it's a very delicate song with soft, lush instrumentation that develops into a really strong acoustic/mellotron song. This is another song that doesn't really have a big ending but rather just kinda fizzles out. That may be offputting to some, but it doesn't bother me personally. After this song, the album kinda dips in my opinion. Famine is just a bit of a confused song and kind of has too much going on at times. The intro starts to develop into this thing with tribal sounding percussion, but it just ends up abruptly stopping and not going anywhere as this minimalist verse takes over. This sort of happens again with this verse as it kind of just stops as a somewhat awkward guitar riff fades in. This issue is repeated and in turn the song feels very touch-and-go. The song climaxs with the doomy guitar riff overlayed with flute playing, if I'm being honest though, I think they miss the mark here in what could have been a really great section. I think if the flute was turned up in the mix and the playing was a little more interesting they would have something really cool here. The next track "The Lines in My Hand" has some great bass and drum work, but overall I think it's a sort of insignificant song on the album. It's another more straightforward rock song like "Slither." The last main song besides the aforementioned closer is "Folklore" and I know its actually a favorite of many, however, I cant say it is for me. The song has really some of Opeths worst lyrics: "Feel the Pain, In Your Brain, Insane." I know they're capable of better, the whole song has these elementary level rhymes and it feels rushed on that front. My biggest gripe with this song is that it just feels like they took two songs and merged them together. The first half is alright, kind of more of the same that we've seen throughout the album, the last couple minutes are this more epic closing "Wheels of Confusion" style jam that just doesn't hit in the context of where it is. It feels like it's missing the proper buildup and I feel like it could've been very effective if it had any relation the the rest of the song.

Overall, there is a lot of very strong material on Heritage and it is a very unique album in the Opeth discography. When it hits it hits, but sometimes it swings and misses. The next album "Pale Communion" is a much more strong and successful experiment in this style.

This was the beginning of a new era for Opeth, a turn from Prog Death Metal to Prog Rock. This is very similar to The Raven That Refuse To Sing, only about 2 years earlier. The musicianship and writing is really well done, Mikael Åkerfeldt did quite the job with the rest of the band. This really sounds like an attempt at writing both Steven Wilson's The Raven and Wobbler's Hinterland, although it has some classic Opeth Metal tones here and there. The songs are all wonderfully written, the title track is a very Romantic era classical piece, The Devil's Orchard is very much like The Raven again, it's very melodic and dark with a Steven Wilson undertone. The flamenco style nylon opening to I Felt The Dark continues to a dark spot, very similar to some material on Damnation, and then the even dark and heavy sections are also great and well done on this song. Slither reminded me of the heavier section of Bonnie The Cat off The Incident by Porcupine Tree. Nepenthe is a very soft and warm song for sure, it has it's very calm and down moments, and then it's slightly busier sections. The harpsichord played on this song is actually really well done and just adds to the texture and tone of the song. Häxprocess is a quirky piece, with the soft and more busy parts. Rhodes and Mellotrons, these keyboards improve the texture of the song overall. Famine is quite the busy piece on this album, it's one of longer songs on the album with a bit of an inconsistent structure. The keys are loud and blaring, this song fits on the album incredibly well, enough said. The Lines In My Head is a bit more of a heavy piece, it's a shorter song with a darker hook (I like to refer to all of the songs here as dark, but it's true, this is quite a dark album). Folklore, is a very melodic song, one of the better melodic pieces on the album, it's long and busy. The mostly instrumental song is very well written, with some very interesting hooks. Of course we reach Marrow Of The Earth, which is the final melodic song on this album. It settles this rather inconsistent album with a soft and warm song. I have been a fan of this album for a while and I absolutely give Opeth credit for successfully turning from Prog Death Metal to Prog Rock, congrats to the band but there was better to come.

I'm one of those who don't like death growls and by implication didn't like Opeth in their beginning, although I have some respect for what they did there. I still don't know all of their catalogue, so I can't say Heritage is my favourite of them (it surely is of those about six I know), but I was motivated to write this review by its somewhat lowish rating compared to other Opeth albums. Obviously my four stars are not going to improve this a lot, however I recommend this album warmly to listeners who come from a different direction than most Opeth listeners, namely neither from Death Metal/earlier Opeth, nor from Neoprog or say Dream Theater or PT, nor from the more symphonic and mainstream prog of the seventies (although I love quite a bit of the latter), but rather from a more experimental, RIO-like angle.

Actually this one came to me later than 2018's "Collaborators Album of the Year" A Drop Of Light by All Traps On Earth, but in fact it achieved something quite similar and in my opinion even better seven years earlier than the (also Swedish) Traps, admittedly without the Zeuhl element, but still dark, complex, and adventurous. "Compensating" for the lack of Zeuhl, we get a good dosis (if somewhat less than on some other albums) of Opeth's well known delicate acoustic guitar work that I admire, and that has always set them apart from their Death Metal roots. Although the album has obvious links to 70s prog, there are some clear characteristic Opeth elements in this. It is certainly not just a nostalgic album based on elements of prog's golden years, but an album that stands confidently on its own feet.

A problem with much new prog is the sometimes routine and soulless seeming showing off of instrumental skills and complexity. A problem for me as a reviewer is that I find it hard to pin down what makes the difference between a superficial showing of skills and some musical magic that really grabs me. Anyway, Opeth manage to do that here. I can connect to much of the music emotionally and things seem to be properly in their place despite no lack of virtuosity, harmonic and rhythmic complexities etc. There is tension, relaxation, vulnerability, sudden outbreaks of energy, beautiful melodies, you name it. Apparently the contrast between heavy and delicate acoustic parts is something of an Opeth trademark, and both is still there, but far more elements are mixed in. which makes the whole thing far less predictable and more interesting than what I know of their earlier material.

The album has been called "messy" for a reason, and indeed you find a dazzling and sometimes bewildering variety of different parts. One valid criticism is that rather than the 5-6 minutes average official song length in fact there are far more "microsongs" here, as cohesion within a song has obviously not been their first priority. However according to my taste they give the different parts enough space to breathe and show their beauty, and I don't mind much that traditional song structures and the notion of coming back to the main theme to remind the listener that it's still the same song are sniffed at here. Another tiny criticism is that the singer may not be the most exciting one in the world, but I think he is largely OK for what he does here, so no complaints really.

If you like some traditional prog virtues combined with an experimental approach that gives you something that is still tonal and accessible but at the same time delightfully unpredictable and more on the dark side of things, even if you haven't liked some other stuff by Opeth, check this one out. A special recommendation goes to those who love A Drop Of Light. This Heritage is a rewarding listen and shows Opeth in proper and successful progression. 4.0 stars.

I know this album since its release, and it is thanks to this one that I understood that OPETH could play something other than what I had heard before. My previous experience was the Still Life album (the highest rated at the time on the Progarchives). I had not tried any other listening experience because I had wrongly judged that this band did not play for me.

Now, looking back, I see Heritage as the pinnacle of OPETH's career. Situated at the center of the five best productions of this band (Gost Reveries, Wateshed, Heritage, Pale Communion, Sorceress), and certainly a pillar of progressive rock of all time, it crystallizes all the emotion, the know-how and the intensity that Mikael Åkerfeldt was able to infuse into OPETH. It is purely incredible!

That said, you have to keep in mind that to appreciate its full depth and immense subtlety, Heritage requires careful listening and good audio equipment. Recently, I did several tests with my new helmet (DT 990 pro). The first with streaming on the computer, the second still on the computer but with the cd and a good audio interface (Scarlett Solo), the third with headphones still but on my Hi-Fi system. The result is unambiguous! Listen to Häxprocess with powerful hardware, the differences are immeasurable. The bass is clear, the drums incredibly amazing, every whisper and background noise just hit the set. The stripped down moments will make you want to cry as the recording is so deep!

Review Nº 499

"Heritage" is the tenth studio album of Opeth and was released in 2008. The album signals a departure from the musical style of Opeth's previous studio albums, being one of the two studio album of the group not to feature Akerfeldt's signature death growls. The other was their seventh studio album "Damnation". Akerfeldt was very clear when he said that he decided that the band is going to embrace progressive rock more openly and depart from the metal sound that Opeth has been pursuit for much of their preceding career. So, somehow "Heritage" represents a new starting point.

The line up is Mikael Akerfeldt (vocals, guitar, Mellotron, grand piano and sound effects), Fredrik Akesson (guitar), Per Wiberg (grand piano, Mellotron, Rhodes piano and Hammond B3), Martin Mendez (bass guitar and upright bass) and Martin Axenrot (drums and percussion). The album has also the participation of Alex Acuna (percussion), Bjorn J:son Lindh (flute), Christopher Wadensten (flute), Joakim Svalberg (grand piano) and Charlie Dodd (sound effects). "Heritage" has t en tracks. All songs were written and composed by Mikael Akerfeldt. The first track is the title track "Heritage". It's a short but beautiful, simple and eloquent instrumental entirely played on grand piano, by their new keyboardist Joakim Svalberg. Per Wiberg left the band after the recordings. The second track "The Devil's Orchard" is probably the only track that follows closest from the usual musical style of the band on their last two studio albums. This is an excellent song with some intricate musical moments, great musical passages but that maintains a very strong musical atmosphere. The third track "I Feel The Dark" is another great song that opens gently with its looping bass lines, chilled acoustic guitar work and Mellotron. The song fluctuates between happy and dark musical territories. There's definitely a "Damnation" feel in some parts of this song. The fourth track "Slither" is a song barrelling along on a hard rock guitar riff backed with strong Hammond organ work. It's a song with some good electric guitar work. Curiously, the song ends just with a folksy acoustic guitar playing. This is a song very influenced by the Akerfeldt's love for Deep Purple. The fifth track "Nepenthe" is a beautiful atmospheric piece of music, with an almost ambient feel. It has acoustic guitars, brushed drums, jazzy bass and Akerfeldt's warm and deep vocals. This is a very different song from the rest of the album, until now, with a very strong influence on the ambient and jazz styles. The sixth track "Haxprocess" is perhaps the perfect companion to the previous song, in terms of style. It's, in general, a slow song with calm and tranquil musical sections with the space between notes seeming as important at times as what is being played. The seventh track "Famine" opens with a very strange way with a burst of flute, before some bongo percussion, layered over an ominous sonic backdrop, leads us into the song, which starts with gentle piano and voice before a catchy riff kicks in and moves things forward. This is, in my humble opinion, a great song with strong influences from King Crimson. The eighth track "The Lines In My Hand" opens with a very interesting drum work, which manages to be simultaneously tight but loose, over with Akerfeldt delivering the lyrics. Gradually the track shift gears, with some great guitar work and nice driving rhythms and a strong chorus, and in the end the song ends abruptly. The ninth track "Folklore" is one of the strongest pieces on the album. It starts with some jazzy guitar work which gradually comes together with a short solo piano piece that leads the song down another path, with the rhythm section fading in and out of the mix, and the effective employment of celestial choirs, assuming conjured up from the Mellotron. "Folklore" is with "The Devil's Orchard" and "I Feel The Dark" the greatest highlights on the album. The tenth track "Marrow Of The Earth" ends the album in the same mood of the opening instrumental piece, only this time utilising acoustic guitar instead of piano. This isn't a strong way to finish the album but it represents a beautiful and gentle close to the album.

Conclusion: "Heritage" is another great album of Opeth. Everything on it sounds rich and full, mostly thanks to the use of analogue recording methods and other old hardware like real Mellotrons and Hammond organs. The vintage musical treatment of Akerfeldt's signature melodic sensibilities helps to consummate a unique world teaming with the beauty of the Scandinavian folk and jazz, while exuding the aura of some of the 70's darker psychedelic style. His vocal melodies are perhaps the most brilliant he's ever delivered, perfectly accenting each and in an every instrumental component. This is undeniably the album that will have most divided their fan base. If they have lost probably a lot of long time fans with "Ghost Reveries" with the addition of a keyboardist, with this last album the divorce was definitely consummated. Akerfeldt assumed more the progressive musical side and dropped more the metal side. Of course, his musical collaboration with Steven Wilson isn't strange to that. Steven had also declared that "Heritage" is the first part of a trilogy, alongside Wilson's solo album "Grace For Drowning" and "Storm Corrosion" the self titled album of both.

Prog is my Ferrari. Jem Godfrey (Frost*)

In some ways, prog metal stalwarts Opeth putting out an album which is all-prog, no-metal wasn't so unprecedented when Heritage was released. After all, Damnation had come out nearly a decade earlier.

However, come to Heritage expecting Damnation Part 2 - or, for that matter, something sounding anything like Opeth releases past - and you'll find yourself extremely surprised. You see, that Damnation comparison overlooks the fact that Deliverance and Damnation were always meant to be one album, and when they were split in two the harder, heavier, more energetic numbers ended up on Deliverance and the softer, gentler numbers ended up on Damnation, accounting for the sedated, tranquilised feel of that album.

That's not the case here: Heritage has a mixture of gentler numbers and more thunderous ones, that blend being captured by gentle piano intro - the title track, Heritage - which then leads into The Devil's Orchard, one of the more energetic tracks on the album. And it's on Devil's Orchard where you really hear the difference - because it's very much a prog rock track, not a prog metal track.

At most, you might be able to catch a hint of fury in Martin Axenrot's drum work, but even then he's hardly pulling out the blast beats, and the rest of the band really are not playing in a metal mode at all, instead shifting to performances mixing classic prog of the past with more modern takes. Sections of I Feel the Dark take on a very Porcupine Tree- esque sound, perhaps inevitably given Steven Wilson's presence at the mixing desk, whilst the heaviest moments on the album are more reminiscent of, say, Atomic Rooster rather than Black Sabbath (or perhaps, as at the start of Slither, one can detect a shade of Deep Purple).

Naturally, more or less all the vocals are clean, which I feel is the album's weak point - Mikael Åkerfeldt just isn't that exciting of a lead vocalist. Other than this, it's another interesting departure in the Opeth catalogue; I personally enjoy it, but those who only find Opeth interesting when they have at least a pinch of death metal in their formula will likely be disappointed.