Opeth - new album "Pale Communion"

http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/opeth-mainman-says-next-album-will-have-more-sinister-sounding-riffs/#qs3G2TTYrHY3K1rp.99

This coming Friday, September 6, Swedish progressive metallers Opeth will set sail on Melloboat 2013, a two-day cruise between Stockholm, Sweden and Riga, Latvia featuring performances by a number of progressive cult bands and heavy hitters. The cruise will mark Opeth's very last show in support of the band's latest album, "Heritage", which came out in 2011. The group will spend the remaining months of 2013 putting the finishing touches on the writing and recording process for its next studio effort, which will be released sometime next spring.
According to Opeth frontman Mikael Åkerfeldt, four songs have already been written for the upcoming CD and three others are in various states of completion.
"We've been looking at [tracking the next album at] Rockfield Studios in Wales where Queen recorded 'Bohemian Rhapsody', but we haven't made a decision yet," Åkerfeldt tells the Swedish newspaper Expressen. "But it will be an expensive album. There's a lot going on, lots of string arrangements that we haven't had in the past."
Will it be heavier or softer than "Heritage"?
"Maybe a little bit heavier," Mikael says. "Not death metal heavy, but hard rock/heavy metal heavy. There's also lots of progressive elements and acoustic guitars, but also more sinister-sounding riffs."
Who's producing?
"I am," Mikael says. "I love the way Dio's 'Holy Diver' sounds, this early-'80s sound where you can still hear the '70s, but the production is heavier. Right now I'm into having a similar production that isn't retro but it still sounds like real instruments and it's heavier than 'Heritage'."


Also, from back in late May http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/opeth-mainman-issues-heritage-tour-recap/#vsgM2h1h6PsYRzxf.99

Asked about the progress of the songwriting sessions for Opeth's follow-up to 2011's "Heritage" album, Mikael told Brutalitopia: "I don't really know what's gonna end up on the record, but I have three ideas right now. And I've been working a little bit in between tours, which I don't necessarily do; I usually have a completely clean slate, like a clean calendar, before I really into the songwriting. But I have made some good progress."
He continued: "I have maybe 25 to 30 minutes of music, and it's three songs, so they're quite long. And one of them is called 'Goblin' — that's the name of the song — and it sounds like the band Goblin. [laughs] So it's a complete tribute to them. Another song is a ballad-type song… like a '70s-sounding ballad, I guess, which is a strong vocal song; it doesn't have any super-technical riffs, it's just a strong vocal melody and a pretty sad-sounding song. And then I have an all-over-the-place type of song, which… I was writing this, and I was just lumping riffs on top of each other, arrangements, and it's all over the place. I've kind of outgrown that style of writing, because that's the way I used to write on the first, say, two records. And I was, like, I have to kind of stop myself here and kind of arrange this a little bit niced, smooth the edges, if you know what I mean. But then I was, like, 'Why?' OK, I'm just gonna let this song be the schizophrenic, kind of, it-doesn't-make-much-sense-but-I-kind-of-like-it-type song. So it's really long. It's heavier than the 'Heritage' stuff in terms of, there's more riffs, and it doesn't have a theme. It has several themes, but it has no recurring theme. You might think that this might be the theme for this song, but it's not; it just disappears and moves on to the next [one]. So it's kind of fun in that way to kind of… It's quite youthful, this song. But I still have a lot of work with that one. And I have ****loads of ideas that I'm still gonna demo when we finish touring."

 

Looking forward to this one!!

 

In terms of contemporary bands, a new Opeth album is the one that still excites me the most. They just keep getting better and better. Can't wait for this one!

 

Looking forward aswell, I like Opeth catalogue as it provides music for different moods.
Its eventually good that band did decide to develop its style and sound and not get too stuck (like many metal bands tend to do) within some certain genre.

 

Glad to hear it's heavier than Heritage. I like that album and prefer the clean vocals, but really enjoy their heavier material. I was hoping to see more of a combination of the two that we'd get for parts of songs, but without the growl vocals at all. Mind you, I can handle the growls, but I really enjoy Mikael's clean voice. I just want it over top of the heavy, fast stuff... all the time. Regardless, this is already mentally in the shopping cart and will almost certainly be among my favorites of 2014, just like every other album of theirs has been for the past decade or so.

 

Hope they don't use Pro Tools again !

 

I'm looking forward to this as well. I do like Heritage but it lacks focus at times and would definitely benefit from some added heaviness. This is sounding like the direction the new one might be going. I'm thinking along the lines of A Fair Judgement from Deliverence.

 

I'm more of an old-school Opeth fan. "Orchid" and "Still Life" are my favourites, and in fact the only two I genuinely enjoy. But they also have some quality stuff here and there. Anyway, when he compared one of the songs to "Orchid" (one of the first two, right?), I got a bit excited. I've only heard "Heritage" once, but it didn't stick at all. I might give it more spins, we'll see. Anyway (again), I'm happy Mikael is writing new music, and I hope I will be able to enjoy the next album.

 

If I may ask, how do you feel about Morningrise? It always sounded stylistically close to Orchid to me.

 

You know, I feel like I should be a big fan of the two albums between the debut and "Still Life", but somehow I've never been able to get into them. I can't remember which of them, but I know one of them has a combination of production and playing that feels somewhat abrasive and offputting, almost ugly, to me. I mean, abrasive is awesome when it's done right, but there's something I'm not liking there. Knowing me, I'll give them another listen in the future, you never know what you might discover on repeated listens. Meanwhile, "Orchid", disjointed or not, has one magical moment after the next, it's sublime!

 

Actually, "abrasive" describes both of them, but I still think it might be Morningrise you're talking about. That album does have a strange sound to it. But it is my favorite, with Orchid in the second place.

 

Morningrise is there first foray into prog with those great acoustic guitars. Great album but for me Blackwater Park is my fave very heavy.

 

Well let me chime in to say I think the best album that proved their musicianship and true vocal talent was Damnation. Thought, I do enjoy their brutality also. I wasn't a big fan of Heritage.

 

I was a huge fan of Heritage. It was just a very expressive, atmospheric album. Akerfeldt, like his kindred spirit, Steven Wilson, wears his '70's influences on his Purple and Crimson-colored sleeves. But Heritage also has hints of folk, world and classical music as well. I would introduce Opeth to any open-minded music fan with this album. I'm looking forward to the next.

 

When I first heard it I did not like it. But it grows on you and Akerfeldt has to be given credit for doing new things and progressing and not putting out the same album over and over.

 

I hadn't even heard of Opeth until one night i was casting about looking for new sounds on Spotify and I came across Heritage. Then I went out and bought the album. It's just one of those albums that just demands you listen to it all the way through.

 

Sounds good going back toward the heavier side. Really enjoyed Heritage, and looking forward to this.

 

http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/op...ime-to-go-all-in-with-string-instrumentation/

Guitarist/vocalist Mikael Åkerfeldt of Swedish progressive metallers Opeth spoke to Decibel magazine about the progress of the songwriting sessions for the band's follow-up to 2011's "Heritage".
"I have about six songs done and another two or three just started," he said, "plus a million ideas that I haven't processed yet. Some songs are simple and stripped-down, while others are epic in the true sense of the word. Business as usual, hopefully with unusual music."
Åkerfeldt also revealed that he plans to enrich at least a few of the new Opeth tracks with strings.
"Some of these things could easily be done with synthetic sounds or effects," he said, "but recording the Storm Corrosion LP with Steven Wilson made me realize what a massive difference it can mean to incorporate the real ****. I'm semi-pretentious in my songwriting and sometimes I go all in. I think it's time for 'all in' with strings and the full monty. Hopefully it won't be a mess."
One of the songs that will appear on Opeth's forthcoming album was previously described by Åkerfeldt as a "crazy rip-off" of Italian prog outfit Goblin, which formed in 1972 and ran for ten years before splitting (the band has since reformed).
"It's a jam I came up with during the Mastodon/Ghost tour," he told Decibel, "that we ended up soundchecking. After a few days, you'd hear people in the corridors humming it. It's a ****ing hit! But basically it's a not-so-subtle headbanging-type nod in Goblin's direction. And to avoid confusion, the song is even called 'Goblin'. My rip-off deteriorates mid-song and becomes fusion-esque darkened prog rock like Mahavishnu or ELP (yikes!). But it swings! It really does."

 

Another update:

http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/op...-a-progressive-record-and-something-else-too/

Guitarist/vocalist Mikael Åkerfeldt of Swedish progressive metallers Opeth spoke to U.K.'s Metal Hammer magazine about the progress of the songwriting sessions for the band's follow-up to 2011's "Heritage".
"I have eight songs written and the direction is going straight into the territory of 'all over the place!'" he laughed. "I think that's our strength, that we can do all these different things. We have a couple of calm songs, a couple of really heavy songs, one proper heavy metal song and I have one epic old-school Opeth song that reminds me of the first two records, with lots of riffs stacked up! I'm really happy with it all. I think we have something big on our hands this time."
The last Opeth album, "Heritage", received mixed reactions, with some fans claiming that the group had detached itself from its death metal past and gone for a more experimental approach, changing its sound in various new ways.
As always, Mikael is not at all bothered about how his band's new material will be received.
"I can't say if "Heritage" haters will love or hate this album," he told Metal Hammer. "I don't want to accommodate anyone, Like, 'Oh, sorry guys! We made a mistake! We'll make a proper record for you this time so you're all happy!' I don't think along those lines. This isn't going to be a death metal record. If you know me and what I like, it won't be such a big surprise. It's a metal record and a progressive record and something else too. Each song is representative of Opeth. It's what I want to listen to, so it's business as usual."

 

A date yet ?

 

Scope J.
You missed it man.
Out and gone up in price.
Live large vinyl box set.
KLF.

 

What are you talking about, KLF?

 

I think that KLF is just in a playful mood.

 

According to numerous online reports today Mikael is aiming for a June release for the 11th Opeth studio album.

http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/op...bermouth+(Blabbermouth.net's+Daily+Headlines)

 

You can read a track by track review here :

http://www.metalinjection.net/revie...-untitled-opeth-album-a-track-by-track-review