Same sub-par boring slop that Heritage was. Either Mikael announces Opeth is making one last album and they want to die on their progressive death metal shield, or this'll probably be the last album I even give a shit about.

Even though I like just about everything before Heritage, Opeth fits perfectly into that category of "pretentious prog-band late 60s is the only good era of music even though I'm not related to it in any way"

Mastodon's Crack The Skye is probably the best heavy-psych throwback with a dash of modern.

How is Opeth anything like 60's, if it has death metal growls? The cool thing about Opeth was the mix of mellow chord progressions, smooth voice with heavy riffs, growling and light solo work. 60's was sort of a discovery era for rock, a lot of simple things can be traced back to 60's but it's kind of unavoidable.

I wasn't relating them musically to the 60's, I'm saying that it's Mikael's opinion that the 60's era of music is all that matters (and lots of modern pretentious prog bands agree).

As long as that means they think they don't matter either, it can make sense. But I haven't actually ever heard that before. Do you know of any particular interview where he said that?

Not one in particular, but it's not hard to find him talking about the 60s as opposed to ever talking about new Death Metal in the scene that he's a part of (other than Katatonia).

Quick search:
http://www.ocartblog.com/2012/05/a-lasting-he...akerfeldt/

It’s more kind of connecting to the music I listen to. I had not been a death metal fan for many years. I more or less stopped listening to that type of music, even when we did the first record.

The whole progressive rock music of the early 70s and psychedelic music of the late 60s is my favorite.

It could be pretentious, I know he has a huge ego. I read the Opeth bio a long time ago, and in it, he claimed he recorded Damnation and Deliverance in a few days and decided to split the content because it was just too damn awesome, also "fuck you" to everyone who doesn't think hes the best one live.

On the other hand, if he used to like death metal, and now just likes classic rock, he might think that there is something missing in death metal, but he can supplant it. And Opeth kind of does that, I don't know any other musically similar bands who have done Death Metal.

As an aside, Borknagar - Urd is a damn nice melodic death metal album.

Pretentious was just an umbrella term for the general attitude those people have. I'm not calling Mikael necessarily pretentious (though there are heavy hints of it), but most people really into the late 60's prog are.

The second paragraph you wrote is something my brother and I have discussed a while ago. Death was the same way. Death always took the next step for the sake of taking the next step and not wanting to sound like anyone else. I feel like Mikael wants to do the same thing, but doesn't necessarily know how to anymore. People have taken Death Metal much farther than Mikael can, he hit his niche and now that's over.

If you're lacking Opeth sound-a-likes, Simbelmyne hits the mark much better than Opeth does at times, but it's one dude and instrumental.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fA6Fdnz92DU

I gave a quick preview to Borknagar. It sounds like it may be of interest, so far the ONLY Melodeath band I like is Inferi. I'm so sick of 0 - 3 - 0 - 5 mid-tempo riffs being called melodic. Inferi keeps the intensity levels up without compromise.

What keeps things interesting are the varying ideas of what the 'next step' should be. For some its technicality, others atmosphere, yet others their particular emotional pallet.

I likes Simbelmyne, looks like they have one 'EP' from 2011.
Inferi pretty good, technical percussive riffs, a bit like Necrophagist, with traditional black metal aspects and so far I'm hearing nice melodies.

I think I just like effective music, I don't know what makes some combinations of sounds click. Both Animals as Leaders and Funeral Mist are good in their ways, but I think I've gotten too old for the purely aggressive stuff.

Opeth - Still Life has been one of my favorite albums for a long time, but their new album will probably just be half decent, there is no repeat. Have to just find new things :)

Your first paragraph makes me smile unintentionally. I don't know if you're referring to Opeth's next step, or Death Metal's, but we're already mid-stride into an era of Post-Death Metal.

The last band to really bring something new to the table for music was Gorguts with their album Obscura. Since then many have tried to be Gorguts, but most people completely miss the concept and instead just wank and make noises. Dysrhythmia wanted to be Gorguts so bad, they did. The bassist has a project called Indricothere where it's obviously wanna-be Gorguts, but it had one quality that Gorguts did not have which I really hoped to see on Colored Sands (and did), soundscapes.

Now we have a lot of critical darlings playing atmospheric, dissonant, slow-but-fast, large sounding Death Metal. I absolutely love it, but I don't think I'd be able to tell the bands apart if I saw them all tour together other than maybe Nero di Marte, and of course, Gorguts.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hGX_iRwCAno
The problem thus far with Nero di Marte is that the first song on the album is easily the best, and the intro is the best part of the song.

have you listened to Nevermore?

Yea love them. \m/ They were one of the first metal bands I got into (outside of the mainstream stuff like Metallica and Iron Maiden). Nevermore, In Flames (early stuff), and Opeth were the bands that got me started into more 'extreme' stuff.

dude, i was making an fucking awesome post referring many things, from the beginning of my life about music, and stuff and my mac had a little bug on youtube so i decided to close the page and open they the mac "asked": some pages are not functioning, would you like to visit? then i put yes and the fucking damn HOLE post were erased. fucking holy christ.

anyway try to listen to some bands from here Brazil dude:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tMiFKb1APTM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Syreby0P5Mg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qlKbTBRTsM&a...j061MpvkFx

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TL-LxAXMLms

here some other stuff i hope you enjoy it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Psuqys26J4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XgCM4iyPxJk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmEhCDRvQKA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qi7sKT4aeoY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_eeqpuNk9CM





…
i hope i get more effort to do another post or chat with you man, unfortunately imagine you are typing lines and lines about so deep stuff and then you lose everything in a glance, :/

send some songs that you are listening, i would be glad to try to listen

Sorry I never replied. I meant to type something up but got distracted and forgot about it. =( Forgive me?

Brazil has some awesome bands that deserve more attention. I've been more shocked by these "unknown" metal bands coming out of Brazil than any other country. Lots of groovy and technical stuff (particularly thrash metal!) coming from Brazil! =) That first song you linked by Hangar is \m/!!! The others are quite good, as well.

Just got Pale Communion and have had a couple listen throughs. So far I am entertained but not really blown away. It has some really cool instrumental moments that remind me of Damnation and Ghost of Perdition and then some really classic rock parts that do not sound at all like Opeth (except for the solos by Åkerfeldt [not those by Åkesson] =) ).

I haven't been listening to a lot of metal lately actually. In the metal realm, what I've mostly listened to recently has been proggy black/death metal like Ihsahn's Eremita and After, Enslave's Thoughts Like Hammers, and Borknagar's Urd.

I think maybe I'm not enjoying metal as much anymore? Lately mostly what I've been listening to is classical, jazz, some various electronica (mostly 80s lo-fi/mid-fi synth style), and some other oddities.

For classical, I've started listening a lot more to Phillip Glass. Originally I hated his work for its simplicity and repetitiveness, but after hearing the Akhnaten opera, my interest piqued and I finally started giving Glass more respect. So I've been listening to a lot of his work (Koyaanisqatsi and Powaqqatsi a lot). Also, an influence for Glass was apparently Moondog who I have also been listening to a lot lately. I'm not quite sure he'd qualify as "classical", but certainly avant garde jazz + classical (also reminds me, in a way, of Aphex Twin's stuff from his I Care Because You Do... period).

For jazz, I've gotten big into Vijay Iyer (sample HERE) lately. I'm not a very snobbish music type when it comes to jazz. I think I enjoy most stuff, but Iyer's stuff seems particularly refreshing. He occasionally includes interesting instruments in the mix (such a sitars and tablas; see below).

For electronica, I've been listening to Boards of Canada's new album, Kavinsky, and Com Truise alot. I recently read Ernest Cline's Ready Player One and listened to Kavinsky and Com Truise while doing so. Perfect soundtrack to that book! So since then, I've kind of been on a nostalgia trip for old low-fi/mid-fi 80s synth type music.

Lastly, I've also been on a Ravi Shankar bend (after reading Herman Hesse's Siddhartha). Listening to all his stuff. Here's a GOOD SAMPLE.

damn i will forgive you, because you will forgive me because I'm going to my work and i have no time to pay such attention to this post! hhhaha i will reply at night(br time)!

ah btw, you like thrash metal, Kriziun is from Brazil dude! i think you might know Krisiun

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GRBy2_Un_zY

wow, man I had a HD full with so damn clinical songs and so on, damn i was robbed so i lost them all. So yeah i really appreciate Ravi Shankar, definitely good songs to listen.

Me too dude unfortunately I'm not following much about Metal nowadays, and I'm more up to Classical musica, Jazz, Jazz-fusion and so on.

Have you listen to Cosmosquad?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HehOaRhPrx0

i like Ihsahn, i won't download it, but it is cool.(sorry, don't want to be impolite).
This song is fucking awesome! - Enslaved - Thoughts Like Hammers
Borknagar is cool, but.. :( nothing special to me…

did you like Dr Sin? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9VQh02K_FM

dude do you want to freak me out? this Akhnaten CD/song from Philip Glass is SO FUCKING AMAZING! hahahahahaha!!!
this is symphonic progressive rock! i haven't listen to a good song like that since from Mahavishnu Orchestra! hahahhahaha!!!!
damn I'm going to download it right way!

im gonna download 43 albums of this guy, sorry if i didn't know who this guy was/is :0

isn't aphex twin closed to Jamiroquai, like.. imagine jamiroquai instrumental, hahaha would be this band!

you have such great knowledge, I'm surprised! :D well have you listen to Scenes from a memory, Metropolis Pt.2 - Dream Theater?

Good to know some Quakers listen to DT :)

They are gonna play in my hometown next october the 10th :)

Damn you man :) , I grew up listening to them and they're my favorite band, looks like they will never come to play here in Serbia =(.

man, but i honestly like more DT till the Octavarium CD, after this CD all DT CDs are crap! but.. this new recent one is pretty cool, not as cool as the older ones but still cool.

they never come to my hometown man, NEVER! this is one chance in thousands! hahahahah!

have you listened to Haken ?

Ye, I recently listened to their new album "The Mountain" and I really like it :).. about DT - none of their CDs are crap!!:D, although I agree their earlier stuff is much better (awake, falling into infinity and sfoam)

man, scenes from a memory was elected as the best progressive rock album ever! people that voted were very respected, such as David Gilmour etc!

Do you like progressive rock?

It's my favorite album EVER :))! Yes ofcourse I like progressive rock :), Pink Floyd and Rush are one of my favorite bands also :D

Well I will post here some links, I hope you enjoy it!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSD4PGjkEec (this one is metal)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3QmuxesG730&a...D918E85DD7 (i like it so much :D)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QpeL3tmjwb8 (some guys from this band play with mike portnoy in his project called Transatlantic)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=35UJJpJ9euY (this is the project i told you)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0hIVo0ycPzQ (this album and elementi album are great!)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Cb4Mlq6rv8&a...C851FDDDFE (the one)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8vmaj75xzE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQ8PXXrCasE (metal)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSrFJvvjTDM (it kinda sound like beatles, but a little bit more depressive)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nqemVfKR3qs (this song is pretty damn beauty, and damn skilled)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UjjYT90yFxE (i find it so beautiful, great CD)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBQalkIeE7s (this is very mystical i guess)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4BUn1YYWJE (i hope you like this one)

lol at me thinking I could be the only progger in ql

ql? this website is for many kinds of gamers dude :)

but by this point of view, probably the only one

Will definetly hear everything there, loving it so far :). STAY PROG

In 2012, the readers of RollingStone.com have voted the album into the #1 position of their "Your Favorite Prog Rock Albums of All Time" poll.

This is about the Scenes from a memory album.

Not to mention how David Guilmor voted for it :)

(y) YEAH!

hey, i listened to the Akhnaten CD. I wish he would say the words of the tale in EGYPCIAN not in english, just to make it more interesting! Don't you think?

deliverance was the only album I enjoyed

:/ Everything pre Deliverance is excellent.

Haters gun hate. I actually like this and enjoyed Heritage a lot. Looking forward to the full release.

Heritage was obv not their best, but was a interesting album.

oh man, haven't listened to opeth in forever
get the impression they don't do a lot of the stuff i liked anymore though :(

It's a lot different than previous stuff, more proggy, I guess. I like it more than Heritage, but it's probably not going to be as good of a comeback album as Moonspells Alpha/Omega.

nuff said

bloodbath > opeth

Unblessing the Purity is my "cycling to subway" album.

I listen to it when I cycle to subway

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DR3WXRQ8IWs

lets just agree that stigmata and enkel resa till rännstenen are skitsystems best albums

man fuck opeth.

thanks for reminding me of opeth.
new song is great, i like that proggyness.

New album is going to suck balls and be generic like Heritage. Also lol @ artwork.

Loved everything before watershed, and My Arms Your Hears is probably one of my favourite metal albums ever.

I was right.

Great song

cba

*pushes up bridge of sunglasses*
Hmph. Only their early stuff was good.

Periphery is where it's at bros. They are the future. Misha Mansoor is a god among men. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i6vGD0tnBvo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8nM0LTxTOo

Well this has clearly gone in an entirely different direction.

For some reason, I could get into Animals As Leaders much more easily. Tried periphery a few times, maybe I should try a few more.

I personally only liked the instrumentals as far as periphery were concerned.
Unexpect however....

Well unexpect is a totally different kind of thing, but I enjoyed them a lot too.

I know, was kinda me thanking you for posting a vid some time ago.

Oh.. np mate ;]

Periphery is one of those bands that filled a hole in music that I didn't realize I didn't want to exist until I heard it.

How is that?

EDIT: Listened to a couple songs and do not hear anything new. Sounds like Born of Osiris with some cleaner vocals.

Meshuggah meets Linkin Park did not need to happen.

Not as good as I expected, even enjoy Heritage more. Their best albums are still BWP, Still Life and Damnation.

Brandan, there is this guy that used to play in Ribeirao Preto(countryside city of sao paulo's state) which i lived for a while. I can't find good stuff with good quality, i hope you enjoy!


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WoRU0aBf-20

btw, have you guys listened to:

Iron Maiden - Live at Donington 1992 ????

I think this is one of the best live albums I ever listened from a rock band.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3emam_RqjIA

Hansolo, Brandan…

look of what I've found, an old video of a guy called Carlinhos Machado playing jazz guitar at the "Espaço Cultural A Coisa", this is an old place that has been shutdown in Ribeirao Preto-Sao Paulo

Opeth was my fav band for like 10 years. I have to agree with many of you that something died in their music. It's not that there's no growl or it's softer. I just don't find no more deeper emotions while listening to this new album. Heritage wasn't good either.

The last thing Mikael did quite good is songs of Storm Corrosions. Especially this vid for Drag Ropes song (it has 'this' I loved in Opeth in the past):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=manW5v-AR7U

From older albums I would recommend this song (beginning is average but the ending kicks ass out of this world):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVunyiLaW7E