In Cauda Venenum - Opeth (2019)
Opeth occasionally feels like a band who’s not comfortable with their own history. They’ve changed so much over 30 years that they seem to sometimes be apologizing when they play the older stuff. Regardless, what they have in the 2020s is worth being proud of.
A mature band who’s grown into something quite unique: all the power of the metal band they used to be, but with less of the vocabulary of a modern metal band. Instead, that vocabulary borrows heavily from 70s progressive rock, while not really sounding like that either. The band’s own sense of timing and dynamics adds a third potent element to the mix. What you end up with is a brew that’s heavy, cinematic, sometimes atmospheric, but never boring.
Tracks I Liked
Heart In Hand - a lengthy workout with a wide range of dynamics and rhythms
Charlatan - mixes a sludgy bass stomp with great vocal harmonies, great pace breaks, and some great organ work
Continuum - an old-school prog rock banger
More Opeth
Probably my favorite metal band that isn’t Judas Priest, I’ve talked about Opeth plenty:
