Opeth

There's something extremely evil happening in the snowy forests of Sweden. Whatever Satanic spirit that calls those woods home must've heard that old story about the Devil at the crossroads. You know the one where the young guitar player meets Satan at midnight to sell his soul for the Hendrix-ian power to turn a guitar into a symphony. A similar situation definitely happened in Sweden with Opeth's Mikael Åkerfeldt and some erstwhile apparition. Opeth's new masterpiece Watershed does nothing to disprove the notion that the band is tapping into some kind of otherworldly evil. There's no other explanation for why it's so damn good. Opeth are one of the few metal bands that get better with each record, and make no mistake, Watershed is their masterpiece, up to this point. In fact, it may very well prove to be one of the top ten hard rock records of this year. Glancing at it, the album may seem sparse. There are only seven tracks, and cover displays nothing more than an ominous funeral home scene. However, across those seven tracks, Opeth takes the listener on a journey through Hell that could only be described as a cross between Lord of The Rings and Tool.

The record begins with a faint acoustic guitar melody on "Coil." It may seem uncharacteristic for a metal record to start off so muted, but don't forget the strum of an acoustic note ignited both Ride the Lightning and Master of Puppets. "Coil" transports the listener into a dreamy, druggy soundscape. It's warm and inviting with the female siren-style vocals strewn about. However, there's a pronounced underlying fear and impending sense of doom. The devil is always there, but he hides sometimes. "Coil" is one of those times. The song is nothing short of gorgeous and uplifting nevertheless, and after it, the record's got its claws in you. "Heir Apparent" build slowly with a thudding riff that builds into a death metal growl as the track functions as a pure head-trip for nearly nine minutes. Next up, "Lotus Eater" incorporates a creepy Haunted Mansion-style organ heightening the album's pervasive sense of dread. A standout track, "Burden," segues from a huge metallic melody to a classically-infused acoustic passage that channels Robert Plant and Co.'s trips to Mordor.

"Porcelain Heart" is as darkly fragile is it sounds in title. Meanwhile, "Hessian Peel" sees the band once again tread the acoustic path to darkness. Åkerfeldt paints another strangely inviting portrait of death. The last track is the kind of metallic apotheosis that you'd hope for after such a weighty trip. The riffs snarl with a snaky fluidity, and there's a strange psychedelic flourish to the instrumentation. There's a question that ran through my mind while listening to the album: what or who is in the coffin on the cover? The record's much more than just the seven songs that comprise. It's got a strange vitality. The devil pops up when he has to, but then again, there's no doubt someone's soul was sold to make a record like Watershed. Off to those snowy forests for inspiration, now.

—Rick Florino
05.29.08