The forward-thinking Swedish titans, who seamlessly and fluidly combine metal, classic rock, prog, folk and free form jazz, continue the time-honored Opeth tradition on Watershed, their second album for Roadrunner Records. With this, their ninth effort, Opeth continue to shake things up, turn the corner and push the limits of their sound. And the results are breathtaking. Ultimately, Watershed sounds at once completely like and absolutely nothing like previous Opeth records. Watershed takes all that is Opeth, and goes where Opeth have never gone before.
Watershed picks up where 2005’s flawless Ghost Reveries left off, beginning contemplatively before erupting into full-bore chaos. It’s an album that combines brute, blunt force with whimsical, melodic beauty. The album was recorded in the band’s native Sweden and was produced by Åkerfeldt and Jens Bogren. It was the first time Åkerfeldt actually enjoyed the recording process, admitting, “We’re used to the studio environment, so the recording process is not new or thrilling anymore. The biggest change was letting go of my control need. We were recording in two studios, and I couldn’t be at two places at once, so it was stressful, not knowing what was happening at the other studio. But I had to trust the other guys in the band.”
Watershed is the album that will satiate the appetites of Opeth diehards, those who have followed the band on their musical journey. It’s also the album that will turn new heads, of those who appreciate both the band’s and the record’s musicality and musicianship. Watershed proves that Opeth are peerless, and truly exist in a genre of one.
