Opeth unveils a new song from their next album Heritage
 

http://stereogum.com/766792/opeth-th...ng-the-chapel/

I have not a clue how to process this song at the present time, it definitely has the most exotic feel out of any Opeth song I have ever heard.

First impressions-
-I like it, I think.
-Every member had a chance to shine, Axenrot easily put in his most impressive drumming performance to date, Mendez came in with an exotic bass line in the latter parts of the track, the keyboards were quite jazzy and unique, and Fredrik had an incredible solo at the end of the song.
-Mikael’s vocals and creativity seem to have reached a new level with this track.

I will definitely be listening to this track throughout the night to further develop my opinions, but I must say, I am impressed at the first listen. I cannot wait for the rest of the album, if this the single from Heritage, imagine the content of the rest of the tracks!

ehhhhhhhhhh

It's actually got guest percussion and flute. Swedish flautists Bjorn Jason Linsdh appears, and Alex Acuña, the drummer for WEATHER REPORT, plays drums here (which is why the drumming on this song sounds so much closer to Martin Lopez' play than whay Axenrot usually plays).

I love it, then again I'm a huge fan of Mikael’s clean style vocal.

Very cool....love the old school fusion influence - I'll definitely get the album when it's released

I can really hear the Sugarbomb influence in there.

I actually wondered if Acuña played on this track as well, but I found an interview with Mikael that revealed that he is only featured on the song "Famine," What were your impressions of the song, Reaper?

This is awful. Opeth fans are so jaded by their obsession with the band that they can't admit it, but this seriously sucks. If you have to listen to it 6 or 7 times to decide whether you like it or not, that usually means it's not good.

*shudder*

Hmm. Stereogum lied to their readership then.

My impressions? I like it, I guess. It sounds like an Opeth song; sort of derivative in that sense. I don't wanna' analyze it until I can listen to it in the context of the full album.

Haha, I am unsure about that, a good portion of fans on the Opethforum are quite alienated by the release. However, I am excited that the band is at least attempting to go in this new direction, as much as many of their fans would have loved a re-hash of Still Life, they are experimenting with a style that they have always wanted create, and I believe there is something to be admired in that.

90% of the comments on facebook are like "OMG THIS IS SO ****ING INCREDIBLE!!!!"

The people that comment on official Facebook fan pages, of anything, are never the most discerning, objective individuals. I mean, it wouldn't be pretty if all Chiefs fans were generalized out of the behavior of the people who comment on the Chiefs official FB page.

meh - to each their own - though I agree that some "fans" will like anything their beloved bands release, even if it's crap. I never really cared for Opeth in the past except for a couple of tunes. I'm certainly not a "fan". I just happen to like fusion/progressive music. This song, more than the others I've heard by them, appeals to me on that level...

Totally, I cannot tell you how many CASSEL IS THE BEST comments I have seen on the chiefs official page.

While I hold Opeth in high respect, my opinion comes not from Homerism.
Opeth's - Damnation was my favorite album of theirs, so this album will very well appeal to me.

As a singer myself, I am attracted to a beautiful, crisp, and clear voice coming from the mic... and with death metal growls, I cannot acheive this sense. They do not take much skill, they do not take a lot of melody to use, and you can barely understand the lyrics... which is another issue I am critical of.

Music is all just subjective to the listener, and for one I am glad a greatly talented band such as Opeth are going to put out something that caters to someone with a more experienced ear for clean vocals. Which is something the metal genre's need more of imo.

I'm not much of an Opeth fan but thought I'd give it a listen to at least. Except it's already been pulled by youtube. Anyone else know where I can find it?

Ah, sorry about that, Here you are!

http://stereogum.com/766792/opeth-th...ng-the-chapel/

Not you're fault, youtube and copyright bullshit.

Thanks for the link!

"experienced ear for clean vocals" LMAO that's about the most self-interested way to phrase a preference I've seen in a long time.

Seriously though, metal needs more clean vocals? There are plenty of bands that do great clean vocals. Plenty. Unless you're insisting that the subgenres that utilize harsh vocals begin to produce bands that use clean vocals. To that end, I'd ask 'why?' There's a bit more room in black metal for clean vocals, but those bands have to be heavily influenced by folk or post-rock or etc. to make it work (basically, then need to be Agalloch worshippers). Clean vocals in pure or Technical death metal would be awful; the harsh vocals are utilized in DM because the vocals are a rhythm instrument in that subgenre.

Nothing like a clean vocal verse to really hammer home a song about botched surgeries, shark attacks, nuclear holocaust, and corpse fornication.

I'm an Opeth fan, I think it's just okay. It reminds me of late seventies alternative music, as I would call it. I'm more into the death metal stuff they do, but I like their renaissance stylings and euro progressions also. This is not that. Thx for putting this thread out.

how can death metal play out the way you explain it should? I don't think you can have that edge, that sloth, the sound of disaster without the growls & screams, shrieks etc.

Dio style stuff is what you want, maybe. Or, something else, but death metal genre is all about the sound of satanic overtaking and the wicked. It must sound brutal and there is nothing more brutal than the sound of evil.

It would be like taking the swirling flanger effects off 'darth vader' and just hearing JE Jones normally. It would be okay, perhaps, but it wouldn't have near the effect it had in the film. Evil sounds unworldly.

On the subject of clean vocals in Black Metal, have you ever heard of the band Ulver?

I didn't see your post before I wrote the comments above. Good explanation - I especially appreciate the view you have on "harsh vocals as a rhythm" as opposed to carrying out melody.

Of course! I've heard their whole discography. I prefer their early stuff, but they're so unique that it is always worth giving each new Ulver album a few listens.

I realize I may have sounded like an ass with that comment, but how that meant to come across was that I have an experienced ear for clean vocals. By experienced I mean that I've listened to a ton of different music over the last 10 years, and in depth... I'm by far not your average radio listener. I do admit that I've listened to very little metal sub-genre bands with consistant growls, because to me it is an instant turn-off. I do understand the reasoning behind growling in certain metal genre's and I respect that some people find beauty in it, I'm just saying that I do not.


What I mean is that I am glad that opeth is doing something that a lot of metal bands don't do... which is make something suited for a different type of listener.

But yes please Reaper, fill me in with some talented metal bands with a cleaner style vocal for me to give a try. I'm always open for good tunes I haven't heard.

And sorry for coming across an ass. I had a much more subtle response originally and my webpage crashed, so I was annoyed when I posted the second time around.

Just looking through some playlists on my iPod, mostly band's who have put out albums in the last three years, in roughly alphabetical order:
Angra, (newer) Amorphis, Ark, Blind Guardian, Briton Rites, Celesty, Cage, Cloudscape, Devin Townsend, Enforcer, Falconer, Heathen, Hell, (newer) Katatonia, Pain of Salvation, The Lord Weird Slough Feg, Lost Horizon, Manticora, Symphony X, Wolverine, Voltax... the list goes on and on. So many sweet progressive metal bands and power metal bands and doom metal bands and heavy metal bands use only clean vocals.

1st lesson of Metal: No one gives one **** how long you've been listening. Accentuating only confirms poser status.

Stick to what you know, which is fringe Metal music.

http://youtu.be/NBdICUT50vA

PS: this has leaked.

Personally I'm enjoying it.

Do like man! thanks!

I've got the whole album posted in the "Now Playing" thread, if you're interested

What do you get when you combine a kickass band with one of the best movie quotes ever? This shirt:

http://www.omerch.eu/shop/opeth/prod...rushTS&cat=489

http://www.omerch.eu/shop/opeth/prod...ur_Enemies.jpg

Just now saw this. Glad you like it!