Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Artist: Opeth
Label: Roadrunner Records
Release: 2014
Length: 55:40
Rating: 5/5
Over the last few years, the Swedes in Opeth have gone through a fascinating transformation from progressive death metal to progressive rock. The man most responsible is singer and guitarist Mikael Åkerfeldt, a huge fan of ‘old-school’ prog rock and one of the most talented songwriters and sharpest lyricists on the modern Scandinavian rock scene, who also picked up a thing or two from his friend, the cult British musician and producer Steven Wilson (Porcupine Tree). Wilson worked as sound engineer on Opeth’s latest studio outing too. »Pale Communion« is an even more decisive and daring step into the kind of prog rock that was played in the seventies, compared to what Opeth did on its excellent predecessor »Heritage« (2011). This time the more melodic direction wins out, with a big emphasis on melodic vocal harmonies, so it’s no surprise that this is yet another studio effort without any of Mikael’s growling.
Just like on »Heritage«, you can hear the stylistic direction Åkerfeldt actively explored with Wilson on the Storm Corrosion project. That means ambient, gloomy prog rock with occasional jazzy, classical and prog-metal flourishes, and the obligatory backdrop of mighty mellotron curtains courtesy of keyboardist Joakim Svalberg. Åkerfeldt’s crew has started swearing by the mellotron even more than ever before, and there’s no doubt that, given the extensive use of simulated orchestration, (early) King Crimson, (early) Genesis and Camel, in other words some of Mikael’s favorite musical idols, would be proud of them. Most of the songs are marked by an archaic, almost medieval mood, thanks to the colorful use of pastoral arrangements, while individual guitar phrases, dual guitar harmonies and rhythmic nuances bring in an almost oriental touch here and there, which is especially interesting and unusual for a Scandinavian band.
»Eternal Rains Will Come«, packed with plenty of crazy drum fills and clever cymbal work, makes for a pretty uncompromising opening to an album that takes your breath away right off the bat. A mysterious and gloomy mood takes over quite quickly, heightened further by subtle piano arrangements and pastoral guitar variations. The members of Opeth then masterfully shape an epic motif, which Åkerfeldt’s dynamic vocals eventually join. Mighty, nostalgic vocal harmonies are tied together by mellotron curtains throughout, while an oriental-flavored guitar phrase adds a fun splash of color.
»Cusp Of Eternity«, which also came out as a single and will surely become an Opeth evergreen before long, is built on thick bass lines, while blazing guitar passages back Åkerfeldt’s singing, which this time sounds like the pleading of a suffering soul in the desert. The high point of the song is its gripping chorus with rustic embellishments and epic vocal harmonies, while the mysterious mood is reminiscent of some courtly intrigue in the dark Middle Ages (the fantasy saga ‘A Song of Ice and Fire’ by George R.R. Martin comes to mind). A virtuoso guitar solo nicely spices up the dynamic structure of this brilliantly arranged composition.
»Moon Above, Sun Below« is an almost 11-minute prog rock epic that, with its remarkably dynamic sound, is sure to appeal to all the Porcupine Tree fans too, while the brutal tempo changes and Åkerfeldt’s rougher, angrier vocal approach this time around are pure Opeth. The in-between, slightly psychedelic inserts loosen up the all-pervading melodramatic atmosphere even more, with the mellotron enjoying its big triumph, and there’s no shortage of elegiac acoustic guitar chords either. Here you can clearly hear the influence of some of the seventies prog rock bands that Mikael has listened to ‘inside out’. Fierce prog-metal passages are combined in an extremely tasteful way with a massive mellotron backdrop, which, together with some interesting vocal variations, creates a shattering atmosphere. A short acoustic interlude is really an overture to an unmistakably dark section with a strong emphasis on massive layers of organ. Layered harmonies and furious guitar phrases, where second guitarist Fredrik Åkesson especially leaves his mark, blend beautifully into each other. Meanwhile, flowing mellotron curtains deliver the epic triumph of heavenly-hellish hordes from Åkerfeldt’s metaphysical poetry.
»Elysian Woes« opens with a melancholic, acoustic intro that, in terms of ambience, feels like the end of a long journey. Certain symphonic arrangements in the instrumental section vaguely recall classic Genesis, something the addition of the mellotron only amplifies. A totally unique expression comes from Åkerfeldt’s melodramatic vocals, which, over a melancholic accompaniment, deliver an emotional finish. One of the best moments on »Pale Communion« is undoubtedly the witty jazz rock fusion treat called »Goblin«. It’s a fascinating instrumental piece where the fusion improvisations in between, especially between the Mendez-Axenrot rhythm tandem and the electric guitar, recall some British jazz fusioneers in the vein of Colosseum II or Brand X, and if you added a trumpet, it would surely remind you of Nucleus. Maybe this brilliant instrumental is a hint of Opeth’s future sonic direction, with an even bigger emphasis on jazz rock fusion, which would be far from a bad thing.
»River« opens as a pastoral folk ballad with a pleasant acoustic arrangement and a multi-voiced chorus, which again recalls some achievements of the seventies prog classics. At this point you have to admit that Opeth haven’t sounded so ambient-friendly and bright in a long time, which is a truly drastic change for these great Scandinavian ‘gloom merchants’. A tasteful guitar solo shakes up the positive vibe, while the arrival of sacral organ and Mikael’s chameleon-like vocal approach suddenly send the band, atmosphere-wise, back several centuries into the past. In the instrumental section they morph into great fusion improvisers again, while the mellotron waves prove once more that Åkerfeldt’s fascination with this legendary keyboard instrument simply knows no bounds. Still, the ending is quite prog-metal flavored.
On »Voice Of Treason«, the dark Opeth take over again, the ones who just crawled out of the undergrowth of some gloomy Swedish forest. Brilliant tempo changes, where electrified guitar passages and mighty orchestral arrangements get mixed together, are a real treat for all fans of melodramatic ambient buildups. With his vocal charisma, Åkerfeldt once again makes sure you can pick out plenty of conspiratorial-esoteric content in the song’s message, while an oriental motif sneaks into the symphonic grandeur ‘from somewhere’, which the legendary sect of the Assassins would surely have enjoyed too.
The closing epic »Faith In Others« is quite shamelessly inspired by two King Crimson epic classics, partly »In The Wake of Poseidon« and above all »Starless«. It contains some almost identical arrangements, an opening motif akin to »Starless«, and the same dark, fatalistic atmosphere, but no worries, it’s not a straight-up copy by any means. This is where the mellotron’s final triumph arrives, in the best possible King Crimson tradition. Years ago, some people talked about Steven Wilson and Porcupine Tree as the spiritual successors to King Crimson, but Opeth are obviously slowly becoming the main candidates for that flattering title. Åkerfeldt delivers the best vocal performance on the whole album here, with no shortage of emotional range, which is in excellent harmony with the orchestral curtains and minimalist guitar improvisations. The high point of this superb composition is the epic chorus with layered harmonies, which, together with the orchestration, creates a stunningly melancholic yet majestic finale on par with the best of Shakespeare’s tragedies.
With »Pale Communion«, Opeth have made a serious contender for the best progressive rock album of 2014. Their artistic maturing has once again yielded a masterpiece that wins you over with its sonic and atmospheric depth in every possible way. Some early comments from metal ‘devotees’ about the musical content of »Pale Communion« were pretty impatient and at times even openly hostile, which is kind of sad in its own way, since it shows total ignorance and genre narrow-mindedness, but then again it was also to be expected that Opeth’s fan base would once more, even more than ever before, split into two camps. Even the hardcore metalheads will have to come to terms, sooner or later, with the fact that Opeth have taken their sonic evolution to the next stage of artistic and mature development, while leaving the past far behind them.
Lineup
Mikael Åkerfeldt – vocals, guitar, production, art direction
Fredrik Åkesson – guitar
Joakim Svalberg – piano, keyboards
Martín Méndez – bass guitar
Martin Axenrot – drums, percussion
Production
Mikael Åkerfeldt
Tracklist
1. Eternal Rains Will Come (6:43)
2. Cusp of Eternity (5:35)
3. Moon Above, Sun Below (10:52)
4. Elysian Woes (4:47)
5. Goblin (4:32)
6. River (7:30)
7. Voice of Treason (8:00)
8. Faith in Others (7:39)
