Opeth are at once consistent and unpredictable. Their sound generally changes quite a bit from album to album, and even from song to song, but is unflaggingly interesting. Watershed is an Opeth album from beginning to end. It takes listeners on a twisted journey from one sonic extreme to another, often leaving one thinking, "How did I get here from there!?" At once crushingly heavy and powerfully melodic, it is a testament to the use of contrast in music.































I am generally not a fan of soft rock, but I quite appreciate it when a heavy band incorporates softer sounds into their music. It provides a nice contrast which serves to make the crashing and bashing ever more powerful. Watershed is a masterful display of the use of markedly disharmonic sounds to create energy.

The album begins with "Coil" - a pleasant "singer/songwriter" song, as Åkerfeldt described it when I spoke with him. Just as the album comes dangerously close to being too cute, "Heir Apparent" kicks in with its fiendish dissonance to save it. The song might be Opeth's heaviest of all-time, with riffs and drum patterns that wouldn't be out of place on a Morbid Angel or Dimmu Borgir album. In typical Opeth fashion, "Heir Apparent" transitions into an epic outro that brings closure to the piece. All in all, "Heir Apparent" is proof that Opeth has not forgotten their roots in the metal scene.

The rest of the album continues this pattern of interplay between light and dark. Standing out are "Lotus Eater" and "Porcelain Heart," which at times feel almost theatrical with their highs and lows, and liberal use of strings and keyboards. There is a really powerful underlying feel of desperation in the songs as well, never more evident than in Åkerfeldt's sigh at the end of "Lotus Eater."

Any worries over Opeth's new lineup are put to rest immediately. The new drummer, Martin Axenrot, f---ing kills. His fills are very metal and very heavy. The band's old drummer, Martin Lopez, was good, but he never really connected with me. Axenrot's drums have much more personality and add a lot of aggressive feeling to the music, which I love. The fills on "Porcelain Heart," in particular, are to die for.

I could say at this point in time that Watershed is my favorite Opeth album, but that claim would be mooted by the fact that my favorite Opeth album is whichever one I'm listening to, because they are all so damn good. But I will say with certainty that Watershed definitely continues Opeth's streak of phenomenal releases, easily standing toe-to-toe with anything they've released to date. Opeth have managed to continue pushing boundaries without alienating their core audience.