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Watershed -Special Edition |  | Artist: Opeth
Label: Universal Music Group
Category: Music
Buy New: CDN$ 19.99
as of 9/7/2010 19:41 CDT details
New (9) Used (1) from CDN$ 19.99
Seller: Amazon.ca
Rating:  2 reviews
Sales Rank: 8539
Format: Enhanced
Media: Audio CD
Discs: 2
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 5 x 5 x 0.2
UPC: 016861793654
EAN: 0016861793654
ASIN: B0018CWWK0
Release Date: January 9, 2009
Shipping: Eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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| Tracks:
Disc 1
| • | Coil | | • | Heir Apparent | | • | The Lotus Eater | | • | Burden | | • | Porcelain Heart | | • | Hessian Peel | | • | Hex Omega |
Disc 2
| • | Rehearsal Tapes | | • | Watershed 5.1 Mix | | • | Derelict Heads | | • | Bridge of Sighs | | • | Den Standiga Resan |
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| Customer Reviews:
Watershed... - 94% April 14, 2010
Lawrence G. S. Williams (Ontario)
...an obvious reference to the tears of joy you will cry when you hear this masterpiece?
Well, we all know the band. Opeth has been near the top of the metal world for years now, which should come to be expected from such brilliant song-writers. All eyes were on them to see which direction they would take after their last album, Ghost Reveries, effectively split their fanbase while securing Opeth's spot amongst the mainstream greats of metal.
Well, first of all, I guess we should have expected Watershed to be a lighter offering than classic albums like Still Life and Blackwater Park. Like Ghost Reveries, Watershed has an obvious focus on clean singing and passages. That isn't to say it doesn't bring the heaviness in sections too though; the second track, "Heir Apparent", will definitely satisfy fans looking for a return to the Blackwater Park era sound. Hell, when you have Mikael Åkerfeldt doing all your vocals, I don't think you care what style he is using. Some minor vocal experiments (see the clean vocals in "The Lotus Eater" and the female vocals on "Coil") help keep the music interesting and fresh.
The guitars are played and arranged incredibly, as usual. I would describe most of the guitarwork on the album as having a certain urgent quality to them. I also noticed a lot more dissonant passages that kind of remind me of Opeth's older albums like Morningrise. I feel that the keyboards were used much more effectively as a means of accenting certain sections. These instruments together make Watershed one of the most full-sounding Opeth offerings to date.
The drumming is definitely a huge highlight here. There are some tasteful blast beat and double bass passages on the album, but most of the drumming is very progressive and interesting. Fans of jazz drumming will definitely love the performance given on Watershed. Of course, one can pretty much assume the above information is true of any Opeth album. I particularly like the drumwork near the 6 minute mark of "The Lotus Eater".
Long-time Opeth fans, or even metal fans in general, should all give Watershed a thorough listen. While continuing much in the tried and true Opeth style, the album still demonstrates a lot of musical growth for the band. I find that the band really showed that not only can they run with the metal greats of today, but also that they are a landmark for the progressive genre in general. Tasteful reprises and ambience only add to the overall musical experience and, believe me, this album is definitely an experience.
Perfection. October 29, 2008
S. Raymond (Nova Scotia - Canada)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Opeth are an amazing band. One of the few bands in which their entire catalogue hosts no bad albums. From Orchid to Watershed, each album is at least good, and at it's best perfect.
This album is the first aside from damnation where there are more clean vocals then growls. Which works well since Akerfeldt has a great voice, which relays emotion well, and this is a very personal album.
That said though you also have one of Opeths heaviest songs if not the heaviest with Heir Apparent, which is a maelstrom of gluttaral vocals and pounding rifts and a steady elevated thrum of the kick drum. The growls on this one are brutal and the song only allows you a few seconds to breath with some short acoustic breaks, But aside from those your basically lost at sea in one of opeths most unforgiving songs. If the apocalypse was coming.. this would be the song which would accompany it.
Then lotus eater, which is your last dose of growling vocals for awhile. This track is intense, switching between growls and clean vocals every verse, The rift is encompassing and you can definitely hear Akessons influence on this one.
Burdern, Porcelain heart and hex omega are a softer more "A fair judgement/death whispered a lullabyish" Tracks, laden with guitar solos, clean vocals and definitely a more personal lyrical approach.
You also have Coil, which is just plain pretty. If this song didn't open the album then It would have been buried beneath it.. you would probably not even realize you'd heard it. But it's a very beautiful song and Nathalie Lorichs who is featured in the song sounds as if she was born to sing it.
The other track is Hessian Peel, which is my favorite. Giving you about 9 minutes of signature opeth. Full of the growls, dynamic shifts and tempo changes and one of the best rifts on the entire album, the breakdown at the mid mark of the song is amazing, and the musicianship shines through on this one.
The DvD Extra adds a short documentary and a 5.1 mix of the album, also including 3 bonus songs. As A pretty diehard opeth fan I really enjoy watching the interviews, Watching the rehearsals and getting mikeals point of view on the new members. Since this is the first album in which both x drummer and guitarist - Martin Lopez & Peter Lindgren have had their replacements Fredrik Akesson and Martin Axenrot a part of the recording process.
Overall This is one of opeths best albums, The balance of everything they've done in the past, and the right amount of progress. The lyrics are as powerful as ever and more personal, the technical aspects are better then they have ever been. This is the way a band should progress, they haven't lost themselves, yet they've still managed to continue and grow.
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