Pale Communion

Opeth has always been a band about experimentation more than anything else. They have always referred to themselves as a progressive rock band rather than the public's viewing of them as a death metal band.

To say that Opeth addresses some of the darkest themes in music is an understatement. Opeth speaks to the deepest corners of our very soul and tells us that its okay to confront our troubled past. They tell us that there's nothing wrong in showing the world our darker side. They reassure us that the happy go lucky people of this world haven’t felt what we feel. Real emotion. Their spooky lyrics talk about depression and suffering. It addresses a new beginning and doesn't conceal the fate that's in store for us.

With Pale Communion Opeth have experimented with a completely different sound as compared to their previous albums. The whole album feels a little out of place from their usual repertoire but somehow something holds it all into place. The result is a spooky, retro sounding record with faint traces of uplifting melodies. Its a marked improvement over 2011's folk inspired Heritage. In a lot of ways, Opeth has never sounded better. Mikael Akerfeldt has abandoned his guttural screams that defined the band and in its place we have his beautiful clean vocals.

Hardcore fans of Opeth’s death metal side will be disappointed. Blackwater Park, Ghost Reveries and Deliverance are long gone. And lets face it. Do we really need those albums anymore? Not that they weren't great albums. In their time that is.

The Opeth we have now is but a fraction of what they were before and what we all remember. But its a more mature sounding and refined band now. I do think that they can do a lot better. But then again, they could have also done a lot worse.