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Heritage

Progressive Metal
Roadrunner Records
2011
Discography of Opeth

Tracklist

1. Heritage 02:05
2. The Devil's Orchard 06:40
3. I Feel the Dark 06:40
4. Slither 04:03
5. Nepenthe 05:40
6. Häxprocess 06:57
7. Famine 08:32
8. The Lines in My Hand 03:49
9. Folklore 08:19
10. Marrow of the Earth 04:19

Line up

Vocals and guitar: Mikael Åkerfeldt
Guitar: Fredrik Åkesson
Bass: Martín Méndez
Keyboards: Joakim Svalberg
Drums: Martin Axenrot

Apologies!!! This translation is made with Google Translator!

We are in front of the tenth work of Swedish progressive Opeth. No doubt, a band that is becoming more latent in the music scene, taking into account the difficulty with this style to reach all ears. Its complexity, its technique, its variety and dynamism in each of the ten tracks make this work receives a consistent and compact is flush with bands like Dream Theater. Unlike any previous work, Heritage projects a retro approach of the 70 to his subjects, giving the impression of not listening to Opeth we all know. Without going too far in the opening track on the album (of the same name name), it is a mournful piano piece in minor key and a very slow tempo, which makes us sad and dramatic atmosphere.

This brief introduction gives way to The Devil's Orchard. A very Opeth style, with Mikael Akerfeldt instrumental dark spaces keep getting mentioned in that environment before, and that continues to evolve, to move. Sometimes hard to understand the difficulty of keeping the listener with complex rhythms, unexpected guitar a few changes that manage to break with every line repetitive work characteristic of all progressive metal. Furthermore it is not a purely metalhead, but rather calmer, seventies rock, with hand keyboards Svalberg Joakim and accompanying slow. The track at the end is gathering momentum and explodes with a guitar solo to finish aggressive again with the calm of the beginning of the subject.

I feel the dark still on the same wavelength as the previous song. Start with a dotted acoustic guitar accompanied by the voice only to be potentiated by low Uruguayan Martin Mendez. The keyboards give back to areas where the instrumental parts to color the atmosphere of the whole. Half of all equilibrium breaks subject to enter a wrenching guitar chords, also typical in the areas of Opeth. Akerfeldt continues its see you, and moaning, giving these touches of dramatic performances, with a tone that manages to convey and make your hair stand on end. It should be added that does not use their guttural voices in any of the tracks, a fact that may disappoint many fans of the band or convince, it is certainly a different disk and certainly risky.

The album continues with Slither. Here begins the cane from the outset, some riffs with personality and a battery latent Axenrot hand. Unlike the two previous tracks, the pace is what stands out most, or weakens or accelerates, background remains throughout, with a devastating guitar solo in the middle of the theme that joins perfectly with the chorus without drastic changes. The song, however, ends with a long acoustic guitar outro to remember the concept of the album together.

The fifth cut is Nepenthe. A quiet theme, with touches of Jazz, it takes to boot to make way for a toolkit, which gives the feeling of playing improvised melodies, but also form a successful rapport. Even in the middle of the subject there are times of increased strength and pace, but then again relax, leaving palpable that this is a song quite calm and almost ambient.

Haxprocess continue with an example of the peculiarity and originality that have the names of the songs from Opeth. Start with the same caliber acoustic repeated throughout the album, a muffled voice and a background keyboard answering, as if it were a poem. It continues with a dotted acoustic guitar to be encouraging with a battery mishap, a stronger voice and some environmental keyboards, but without ceasing to be a subject relaxed, with much feeling and emotion.

The longest track on the album is that it opens. We face Famine, a cut that starts with a timpani for a minute and a half to make way for a slow piano, interspersed with silences and an impeccable Akerfeldt, reciting a poem which will be accompanied by guitar riffs repeated over and over again, but fail to tire, giving dynamic and force the track. Along the song experience several instrumental changes with input from spontaneous wind, clean guitar solos and a few verses.

The lines in my hand begins with a joyful rhythms previous song, but on the same wavelength, with an acoustic guitar that continues to get away, to give prominence at all times and a warm voice that recites at the right times. At the end of the song, we use a more metalhead, very Opeth, more and stronger bars, a battery faster, but again off again suddenly to give way to the penultimate track on the album: Folklore.

The song title says it all, an acoustic guitar melody begins later accompanied with a clean electric guitar and a low palpable. A slightly distorted Akerfeldt opens between the instruments to continue in the vein relaxed yet punchy and personality. The track, more than eight minutes long, ends with a dramatic guitar, simple melody to end in a fade out. Definitely one of the best tracks on the album in complexity and feeling are concerned.

Marrow of the Earth is the title of the theme that culminates Heritage. It starts with the same resource used in previous tracks: acoustic guitar bleak, melancholy, which leads us to abandon this world in which we engaged from the first track. Closes the work perfectly, giving it that dramatic touch that is no longer constant.

In conclusion, Heritage is a work of sheer complexity, sometimes even structural chaos. You must give importance to all the work behind to reach up with such elaborate melodies and connected. Still, the tracks very drunk an environmental halo, very relaxed, which can be monotonous and boring throughout the album, or even can give the feeling of not knowing when a song and ends when the next begins, they all resemble each itself. Since then there have to understand this style of metal to get to enjoy it and certainly not simply listen again to reach that end.

Caleb
09/03/2012

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