Opeth, release another single to prepare all of us, and tease us a little bit with what we can expect from their latest album ‘Pale Communion’.
More than 20 years have passed since Opeth put its own wheels in motion, and in that time, we have seen a band changing, evolving, and metamorphosing itself to create songs dramatically different from one album to the next. From very solid and defined death metal of their early days to what we have heard so far in the previous single release ‘Cusp Of Eternity’, it seems that Opeth has gone way far, but still, there is a death metal vibe into it.
‘Pale Communion’, the highly anticipated eleventh studio album of Swedish progressive metal band, Opeth, comes as shift in the way the bands come to terms with their sound. As a preparation for the release of the album, Opeth releases a second track ‘Eternal Rains Will Come’. Progressiveness brings this sort of self-inflicted challenge that most always fulfill, which is to create a cohesive album that reflects a particular matter or a particular place in which the band is. In this album, Mikael Akerfeldt not only composed most of the music, but he also produced it and mixed with long-time collaborator Steven Wilson (Porcupine Tree). The creative process for this album seems not to fall in the “concept album” level:
[blockquote cite=”Mikael Akerfeldt”]The songs are not tied together or something like that. Basically I had to have lyrics, of course. It’s not my forte but I had to have something, I really didn’t have a better options. I have done a few concept records and some lyrics that didn’t reflect on my personal life. But this time I had to approach the lyrics as some sort of diary, writing down thoughts and stuff, like everybody does. The difference is that I’m singing it to the world.[/blockquote]
Regarding the title of the album:
[blockquote cite=”Mikael Akerfeldt”]The title it’s something I came up, I wanted to find something that tied the lyrical concepts between the songs together, and I also wanted something that sounded cool, that look good on paper, like write it down and see what it looks like, and also something that people could easily remember and I figured ‘Pale Communion’… it described the concept of the lyrics and it sounds cool… I was under pressure really. The record label wanted the titles and the title of the album, and it’s difficult for me, you know? Because you have to live with this for the rest of your life, pretty much. So, I wanted something that felt classic way.[/blockquote]
‘Pale Communion’ will see the light on August 25th but for every early bird there are solutions to be sure to procure this album, if you are one of those, you can get a pre-order of the album via iTunes, directly on Roadrunner Records, and O merch. And for the “I have to see it and hear it live to be convince”, if you happen to live in the United Kingdom you can check out the promoting tour that Opeth will give in October.
However, many complain and quickly claim they hate Opeth, and when we share the article there is an overwhelming and positive response.
Personally, I like their recent sonority, but I am more disposed toward the older releases.