Music
[Review] Opeth ‘Heritage’
A new Opeth album is always a mini holiday for me. When Ghost Reveries came out, I was at the store when they opened, put the CD in my car and I only stopped listening to it when I had to move it from my car stereo to my computer, whereupon I continued to blast it for the rest of the day. Honestly, I don’t think there is a Opeth song that I haven’t heard at least ten times. So hopefully by now you can understand my excitement and, also, my apprehension upon listening to Heritage. After all, it’s not that I built myself up specifically for this album. Rather, I have built myself up to the idea of Opeth for years, since I first started listening to them. So how does Heritage measure up to my expectations? Find out after the jump.
Warning: Get used to seeing the word “prog”. It’s going to show up a lot in this review.
After the gorgeous prog-jazz instrumental title track, the album dives into The Devil’s Orchard, a 70’s prog-rock tune that is one of the heavier songs on the album. Gone are Mikael Akerfeldt’s signature death growls, replaced by his beautiful croons and soaring cries. The heavily distorted guitars have been replaced by crunchy, almost slightly fuzzy tones. Feeling suspiciously as though Opeth had been transported back in time, this track, and Heritage before it, set the stage for a prog-rock masterpiece.
To properly understand the production, you have to remember that Steven Wilson (Porcupine Tree, Blackfield) took care of all of the mixing. Considering that Steven has been hard at work remixing and remastering the King Crimson collection (starting with In The Court Of The Crimson King), it’s impossible to ignore the similarities. Now, I am not knocking Wilson or the mix that he created. On the contrary, I think that for what Opeth was going for with Heritage, this mix was exactly what was needed. At several times, the instruments sound like they’re on the verge of cracking and distorting but not because of vast amounts of compression. Instead, they sound like this because it seems like they are pushing the preamps almost to the very peak. This album oozes vintage warmth and begs to be heard on vinyl. Just listen to the last two minutes of Opeth and revel in the sublime, understated beauty.
The Final Word: As I said before, there are no death growls or evil, dissonant guitar tones on this album. As much as this might seem like a deviation for Opeth, the more I listen to Heritage, the more it seems like a perfectly natural progression. Do I miss heavy Opeth? Without a question. However, the surreal, haunting beauty of this album has won me over entirely.
It’s a new day, and you’ve got new John Carpenter to listen to. John Carpenter, Daniel Davies and Cody Carpenter have released the new track He Walks By Night this morning, the second single off their upcoming album Lost Themes IV: Noir, out May 3 on Sacred Bones Records.
Lost Themes IV: Noir is the latest installment in a series that sees Carpenter releasing new music for John Carpenter movies that don’t actually exist. The first Lost Themes was released in 2015, followed by Lost Themes II in 2016 and Lost Themes III: Alive After Death in 2021.
Sacred Bones previews, “It’s been a decade since John Carpenter recorded the material that would become Lost Themes, his debut album of non-film music and the opening salvo in one of Hollywood’s great second acts. Those vibrant, synth-driven songs, made in collaboration with his son Cody Carpenter and godson Daniel Davies, kickstarted a musical renaissance for the pioneering composer and director. With Lost Themes IV: Noir, they’ve struck gold again, this time mining the rich history of the film noir genre for inspiration.
“Since the first Lost Themes, John has referred to these compositions as “soundtracks for the movies in your mind.” On the fourth installment in the series, those movies are noirs. Like the film genre they were influenced by, what makes these songs “noirish” is sometimes slippery and hard to define, and not merely reducible to a collection of tropes. The scores for the great American noir pictures were largely orchestral, while the Carpenters and Davies work off a sturdy synth-and-guitar backbone.
“The trio’s free-flowing chemistry means Lost Themes IV: Noir runs like a well-oiled machine—the 1951 Jaguar XK120 Roadster from Kiss Me Deadly, perhaps, or the 1958 Plymouth Fury from John’s own Christine. It’s a chemistry that’s helped power one of the most productive stretches of John’s creative life, and Noir proves that it’s nowhere near done yielding brilliant results.”
You can pre-save Lost Themes IV: Noir right now! And listen to the new track below…
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