OPETH - HERITAGE (2011)

genre : prog rock/ metal

similar bands : old Opeth, King Crimson,
origin : Sweden

strong spot :  arrangements, vintage production

weak spot : has some dull moments, no screams attached

Mikael Akerfeldt is no doubt one of the best and most influential musicians in the modern day metal scene. Most of the fans hated this album at first listen but appreciated it later on. I remember my self listening to ''Masquerade Infernale'' from Arcturus and saying ''well, quite good experimentation but that's all''. Needless to say that this is now one of my all time classics, Arcturus were simply ahead of me, ahead of the metal world and fans. Mayne that's the case with Opeth here. I am not implying that this is a future classic but I am sure in a few years from now people will think they misjudged this album and underrated it. The influences from bands like King Crimson or Camel and in general the 70s prog rock scene are audible but Akerfeldt does not copy/paste anyone. There is till enough Opeth identity here.  This an album that contains a huge amount of magic and transcendental atmosphere. Psychedelic landscapes, serene instrumentations, peaceful melodies yield in a ''different'' but lovable album.

9 out of 10 goatheads 

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AENAON - CENDRES ET SANG

genre : post black

similar bands : No Hand Path, The Konsortium, Dornenreich
origin : Greece

strong spot :  songwriting

weak spot :nothing obvious

Greece is full of surprises lately. Here we have the newcomers Aenaon that recently signed with Code666 and present a multidimensional, diverse, thrashy and melodic post black album with avant garde touches (i.e. the use of saxophone in a couple of tracks). There is but a tiny amount of synths or effects here. Aenaon are definitely capable of writing good songs and in the end of the day that's what makes an album stand out from the pile of albums out there. Here the listener tastes darkness, despair, jazzy serenity, wrath and lots of other feelings. The band sometimes  follows the old school black metal paths while others sounds extra modern.

9 out of 10 goatheads 

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