Opeth - Watershed
Saturday, June 7, 2008 4:05
“Opeth’s U.S. profile is at a tipping point, as the Swedish progressive band is ready to break into the metal mainstream if it keeps playing its cards right. “Watershed” reaffirms the quintet’s style of transposing driving black metal with interludes tender enough for children’s ears. The flute-tinged opener “Coil” is positively rustic, with frontman Mikael Åkerfeldt dueting with Natalie Lorichs. Yet, even when pushing its heavier alter ego, the boundaries are blurring into each other. The determined riffs of “Heir Apparent” dissolve into lightly skipping guitar notes, and companion track “The Lotus Eater” winds through several jam incarnations that bring Opeth’s psychedelic ’60s influences to the fore. Then, sighing lament “Burden” picks up for the next decade, following traditional prog patterns from the ’70s. A substantial addition to the band’s catalog. —Christa L. Titus”
