To call the new Opeth album “highly anticipated” is a bit of an exercise in tedium, because every single Opeth album in the history of ever is a big deal. However, this particular next chapter is a big deal for Opeth; their last record Heritage was controversial among fans; sure it was an homage to proto-metal and prog rock, but it saw Opeth lose their identity as a death metal act.
While Opeth won’t be dethroned any time soon as one of the biggest names in metal, to many fans, the group’s eleventh album Pale Communion will be a determining factor in whether the group are worth following into post-Heritage territory. According to the track-by-track preview written by our friend Greg Kennelty at Metal Injection, Pale Communion will have no harsh vocals, but is evidently “their best album since Ghost Reveries.” I know Greg is a huge fan of Heritage (as was I!) so take that with a grain of salt. The record is also mixed by longtime collaborator Steven Wilson, so there’s some precedence there for a softer sounding record.
How Pale Communion actually measures up remains to be seen, but we’ll get a taste as soon as May 6th, when the single ‘Cusp Of Eternity’ is dropped. Otherwise, Pale Communion will be out June 17th. We’ll leave you with the tracklist:
1. Eternal Rains Will Come
2. Cusp of Eternity
3. Moon Above, Sun Below
4. Elysian Woes
5. Goblin
6. River
7. Voice of Treason
8. Faith in Others
More info when we get it!
– JR