A very strong release. Mikael is still the main songwriter, but it seems like the other band members (especially the new ones at drums and 2nd guitar) add their influences to the compositions more prominently than on the previous albums. And the keyboards are no longer side effects like on Ghost Reveries - in fact they give this a lush, symphonic touch which reminds me of Camel - who Mikael is a huge fan of - more than anything they did before. The growling is still there, but to a lesser extent - for the first time clean vocals dominate a heavy Opeth album. Add to that the epic long track, and you get - a masterly prog album! |
I like it very much, especially how the verses end with a major chord, which also happens rarely with Opeth.