As possibly one of my most anticipated albums of the year, Opeth's Heritage makes for an interesting listen, particularly when compared to their earlier work. After an excruciatingly long wait for this album to be released, since it was recorded in late January and eventually released on September 14th, it was awesome to be able to finally hear the album in its entirety.
Opeth earned quite a bit of controversy over the reviews that flooded out after an exclusive Roadrunner listening party where journalists remarked on the lack of metal elements and guttural vocals. Typically their metal fans revolted, some burning their CDs (literally) without even having heard a single note of the album for themselves.
The album kicks in with a cool short piano and double bass duet, before blasting into "The Devil's Orchard". Having heard this song on the radio before the release, it is quite possibly the easiest of songs to digest, and is one I enjoy quite thoroughly. "I Feel the Dark" starts with a cool acoustic guitar bit that and some singing. One noticeable difference between this and their previous works would be how flat it sounds when it's just guitar and vocals (which occurs many times on this record), but as the rest of the band joins in it sounds inevitably fuller. The song builds up to a fairly awesome guitar riff that I feel could have been much more effective with a different guitar tone. Something about it seems to detract from what this riff seems they were trying to achieve, as though there was a distinct attempt to make it not metal. Regardless of this, it is still a very enjoyable song.
"Slither" sounds like something I would expect from a band like Spiritual Beggars. The Hammond Organ that is present throughout the album gives out this sort of vibe. While it is a fairly catchy an upbeat song, it also features elements that appeared in Watershed, and some classic Opeth-sounding riffs, but only really as the song is ending. Some parts of "Nepenthe" remind me distinctly of a few songs from The Mighty Boosh, which is amusing as it is slightly disappointing, it almost feels uninspired at times, and a lot like it is holding out on the listener. The song itself is quite enjoyable, but it still does not feel like Opeth to me. It keeps this trend throughout "Häxprocess", while it does contain my favourite acoustic section of the album, it also has a very raw/unrefined sound, particularly in the vocals.
"Famine" is one of the most different song of the album, featuring some pretty haunting percussion courtesy of Alex Acuina and flute played by Björn J:son Lindh. The song itself is reminiscent of "The Bridge of Sighs" from Watershed. The Flute solo over a very sludge doom-like riff is absolutely amazing. Some of the sounds they get from the flute and percussion really made this song incredibly interesting to listen to. A top favourite for me. The album continues with the usual Heritage fashion in the next few songs "The Lines in My Hand" and "Folklore". Both songs are intriguing in their own right, and While a few parts sound like something I would have expected from an Opeth record it still doesn't sit right with me.
The ending track for the regular edition of the album titled "Marrow of the Earth" is an instrumental acoustic/solo song much like an extended version of "For Absent Friends" from the Deliverance album, or "Patterns in the Ivy" from Blackwater Park. It is a fitting ender with the rather melancholy melody fading out in repetition. The performance on this album by all parties is very excellent. The work of Axe on drums and Mendez on bass stand out very well, both of which did a phenomenal job.
Opeth opened me up to most of the metal I listen to these days, and part of the reason I enjoy them as much as I do is their ability to go from the most extreme sections to the most beautiful guitar parts flawlessly in the same song. The contrast between the guttural and then the singing vocals added much more to the music than if it were just one of those styles, and something rarely found done so well in a metal band these days, but also something that is not present at all in Heritage.
As far as Heritage goes, it is an awesome sounding album with some very cool moments and it comes very recommended, but as a whole it seems to be missing that part that drew me to Opeth in the first place. The lack of the metal elements feels like a fairly major flaw. Despite this, it is still a pretty decent and very listenable album, but one that can only really be enjoyed with an open mind. One thing that Opeth are good for is not repeating themselves with a new album, so hopefully this record is only a short break from the metal their fans have all come to love.
This particular edition of the album comes with a second disc including a 5.1 mix of the album, making of documentary and two bonus tracks, "Pyre" and "Face in the Snow". "Pyre" would have made an excellent addition to the regular album edition. It's a nice catchy song with some very cool guitar parts, however "Face In The Snow" feels more like a b-side and seems far less inspired. The 5.1 mix is excellent as usual and the making of documentary gives some interesting insight into what they did to create this record and how they came about their new keyboardist Joakim Svalberg. Definitely an edition worth seeking out.
Edit: I wrote this review shortly after the album was released and have since had the chance to hear it live. It definitely should be said that the songs from Heritage are better live than on record. It has grown on me and is definitely worth a chance.
