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This album is brilliant. Quite earth-shattering from what Opeth began with Orchid. There is so much texture and colour, and Mikael's elitist taste for Prog Rock has kept him sober to create incredible, at times, pompous eclectic rock music. 90/100.

I only liked one song, Voice of Treason, off the album.

If the last pair of Opeth albums taught me anything it's that I apparently don't like prog rock.

Haven't been too enthralled with their new direction (not a big prog guy) but I'll still give it a chance.

I feel like I should like the latest Opeth so much more than I do. I love Mikael's singing and imo it's sounded better than ever the last three albums, I love his riffs, I love his acoustic guitar playing, Ax's drumming is groovy as fuck, I love old school raunchy stoner guitar sounds... but when I listen to Heritage and Pale Communion, I find it hard to get to the end, I can't for the life of me remember anything about the songs, and for Heritage anyway I've felt the desire to listen to it probably 2-3 times since it was released. Maybe I can't shake the feeling that they're playing prog rock pastiches rather than the actual thing (and I hate it when people say stuff like that). dunno

[quote="noodles"]Maybe I can't shake the feeling that they're playing prog rock pastiches rather than the actual thing (and I hate it when people say stuff like that).[/quote]
Same here. It's progressive rock, not rock that progresses. There's nothing really new, nothing that hasn't been done before... and better.
That said, I think I like Pale Communion a tad more than Heritage (which was so bland past the surprise of the change in style), a great little piece of retro-progressism like there are plenty, nowadays.

As for my rate, 73/100 will do.

This is nothing against you Zad, I just have to rant a bit on this album.

Almost everything I've read about Pale Communion belongs in the imaginary Critical Bukkake section on pornhub. The amount of written jizz this is getting is staggering.

Even if this is massively better than Heritage I find it hard to accept that it's getting lauded as a future prog rock classic by alot of reviewers. I'm finding it hard to disagree with Noodles on both this and Heritage. I just cannot remember anything outside Eternal Rains Will Come, which admittedly is brilliant, from any of the albums even if I try really hard.

I can definitely understand how the artsy stuff Opeth has done with their last couple of albums appeals to many of you, but if I were to describe it with one word it would be tedious.

Well, the metal side of Opeth is all but gone now, sadly. Like other reviewers have said, it's a good record but not particularly memorable. Mike has some pretty slick leads throughout the album and there are some excellent acoustic passages on songs like Moon Above, Sun Below and Eternal Rains but the album just comes across as dull most of the time. Akerfeldt's vocals worked so much better when he alternated between the death growl and the clean stuff instead of just straight singing. He was one of the best in the business at doing it. Now he's just another face in the crowd.

We're all agreed that we'll forget how awful this album is and instead just listen to their acoustic rendition of Demon of the Fall on repeat for forty five minutes instead of listening to Pale Communion ever again: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EbA0GGb0YWc

Hmph.

Opeth went from being an innovator of melodic death metal to a 70s prog rock revival band. Whether it is done well or not doesn't matter to me cause they are a "pale comparison" to the band I fell in love with on "My Arms Your Hearse" dynamically and vocally. Mikael Åkerfeldt's clean vocals are breathy and weak. The clean vocals as a contrast to the heavy vocals in the past gave their music dynamics and beauty, but without a break in the weak breathy susurration they just put me to sleep. Paying homage to 70's prog by using elements of it in your music is admirable, but downright trying to reinvent it somehow seems like backtracking to me. Even if the music is delicately woven 70's prog worship with an Opeth twist, it still comes off dry and uneventful. It's not fresh and new. It's a somewhat new take on an old style and I feel I'm being pretty generous with the new take thing. I was getting bored with the same old Opeth albums too guys, but these last two albums are 70's prog worship with boring vocals. He sounds bored singing them. Whatever, I don't like it, but that's usually the case with me. I love the new Hammerfall and that would seem a complete betrayal of a lot of the stuff I just said, but at least Hammerfall doesn't put me to sleep. So unless your a die hard classic prog rock fan with insomnia, I would skip this one. Yawn, just thinking about it makes me tired.

[quote="voxmonster"]Mikael Åkerfeldt's clean vocals are breathy and weak. The clean vocals as a contrast to the heavy vocals in the past gave their music dynamics and beauty, but without a break in the weak breathy susurration they just put me to sleep.[/quote]

You hit the nail on the head, sir.

Sorry, I think that's nonsense. "Weak and breathy" is anything but correct here, and I don't hear this any of this 'boredom' in Akerfeldt's voice that you do.

*sigh* Guess you can't win em all, but I am genuinely perplexed at being in a minority on this one.

I don't get why they didn't write an album of songs as good as Burden and Porcelain Heart... those songs had huge hooks, lovely melodies, and awesome riffs. Instead it's a bunch of twiddly meandering nothingness. i don't even particularly care about innovation or being "progressive" as long as the songs are good but yeah... nope.

Listening to it again now and I kinda see what voxmonster is getting at. Mikael has trouble belting while still singing and that brings down some of the more lively parts of the album.

Makes me really want to listen to Jethro Tull.

Several points I agree with Noodles. I was someone who really, really liked Watershed and quite enjoyed Damnation but this, while inoffensive enough, doesn't strike me as very memorable barring Goblin and the aforementioned Voice of Treason.

I don't know Zad, maybe when the next Opeth album comes out you'll end up lowering this score by 15 points like you alluded to doing with Heritage now? Nothing wrong with loving Opeth's newer direction, it just leaves me feeling pretty numb.

[quote="noodles"]I don't get why they didn't write an album of songs as good as Burden and Porcelain Heart... [/quote]
Yes! Or even Coil! Coil has a very Damnation vibe to it and is great for how short it is. What I disagree with voxmonster about is being bored with the same ol' Opeth; I fucking love Watershed. That album has only grown on me. The winding intricacies of Lotus Eater and Heir Apparent are pinnacles of their career in some ways. Those tracks are mind blowing.

Yeah, I actually like Watershed too, but I had already taken a 7 year break from Opeth after Blackwater Park so I was ready for it. That being said, I think I took an EGB (Educated Guess Break) there assuming they would do a couple slightly more accessible albums and then come back to normal Opeth again. I think their best albums are My Arms Your Hearse, Still Life, and Blackwater Park. His clean voice is just not lead vocalist material. It cannot carry a whole song IMO besides the one off mellow tune on an album. I think he needs to find another aspect of his voice to convey power or else it's all going to sound subdued. He's already proven his genius to me so I don't ever need anything else from him. These last couple albums seem completely self serving without anything to prove. That's great if he is happy with it. I personally don't like the direction change and his clean voice bores me. It's just an opinion on whether I like it or not. Opeth is a great band no matter if I like what they do or not. I will always have a deep admiration for them.

Ouch!

Ah well, like I said, can't win them all. Still think this album is fab, but I get that it's not everyone's favourite thing.

Good review! as usual! well written!

but damn! I really hate what Opeth is doing now. I despised Heritage a lot...But this one is really NOT my cup of tea. I am a big fan of old prog rock but I don't understand all this prog rock revival crap.

oh well... Michael has such a great and sexy mustache now...

pretty sad....