“We had several offers on the table, but none of them were worth taking, so we turned them down. We are staying independent” – HEMOPTYSIS guitarist/singer Masaki.

The title of this interview says it all. You’re not reading about Hemoptysis -an unsigned band that has released a fabulous first record- because I’m good at finding unsigned underground bands. No, the reason why you’re reading about this extremely promising band is that they did an amazing job promoting their self-financed record, all by themselves, with tons of talent, passion and hard work. These guys managed to perfectly blend old-school & modern melodic death/thrash and the result on Misanthropic Slaughter is outstanding. No need to introduce any further, the interview with Masaki (guitars/vocals) and Travis (Drums) will tell you everything you need to know.

My first question is pretty simple: what is “Hemoptysis”? Is it some sort of rare disease?

Masaki: We had a hard time naming ourselves when we got together. We wanted a name that was one word with a sick meaning behind it, but most of the words like that were already taken.

Travis: When we were stuck, I asked my wife for some help.  My wife is a pharmacist who has special training in infectious diseases, so I asked her to give me some sick medical terms that could be band names.  The first two or three terms she gave me disgusting words that had to do with fecal matter.  I told her I don't want this band's name to be associated with fecal matter, so she suggested "Hemoptysis."  It means coughing up blood.  We all liked the sound of it and what it means, so we decided to name ourselves Hemoptysis.  

Hemoptysis is a young band; can you tell me a little bit more about your history?

Masaki: Travis and I started this band together back in mid 2007. We went through several lead guitarist changes and Ryan Miller has been with us since January 2010. Our bassist, Sunao, wasn’t a permanent member at first, but he officially joined us in February 2008. We have played shows with Sepultura, D.R.I., Obituary, Hypocrisy, Krisiun, Scar Symmetry, Goatwhore, and Warbringer to name a few.

Two members have Japanese names; you guys live in the US? You’ve been there forever or did you specifically come to play in a metal band?

Masaki: I came to the States for college initially and wanted to start a band in the mean time. It wasn’t easy for me to find serious musicians, but I was lucky enough to find guys to jam with when I moved to Phoenix from Seattle. I’ve been in the US for about eight years now and I’m currently staying in the country with an artist visa. Sunao was born in Japan, but his entire family moved to the US over fifteen years ago, and he is a US citizen now.

The feedback on Misanthropic Slaughter is AMAZING. I guess you guys are satisfied…

Masaki: Absolutely. We are very happy about it. It was our first goal to have a solid album in our hands and we made it happen. W have received allot of great feedback!

If you like Death/Thrash, and if Arch Enemy keeps on disappointing you, then give this record a listen...

You guys did the entire record by yourselves; you even released it by yourselves? Or do you have a distribution deal?

Masaki: We recorded the new album “Misanthropic Slaughter” with Producer Ryan Greene and it is distributed in Europe via Rock It Up Records in Germany. We had several offers on the table, but none of them were worth taking, so we turned them down. We are staying independent.  Our deal with Rock It Up is a non-exclusive licensing deal.

Was it something you wanted to do or did you have no choice? I mean it’s getting really hard to get signed these days…

Masaki: Well, we get that question all the time. Just because you are signed to a label doesn’t mean shit nowadays unless the label actually puts money and effort behind you. Based on what we’ve been offered and other “signed” bands we know, labels just aren’t getting behind the bands like they should be. We’ve worked really hard and invested so much money into this band. We don’t take 360 deals just to say we are signed. Look at the labels’ rosters and how many bands they have. How many bands have you heard of? Not that many. You will hear and see a band's name on a Metal news/blog website when they get signed, but you will most likely never hear them or see them touring. Why? Because they can’t afford to tour. Most labels are not doing anything and taking every cent of profit from the bands they sign. How is it fair for a label to tell us to tour before they will consider signing us when most of the bands on their label are not touring because they can't afford it? That is what labels sometimes tell us. Yes, it is extremely hard to get the RIGHT record deal nowadays, and only previously signed bands that have been around for a really long time that sell a decent amount of CDs are getting offered a decent deal. 

Yes, there's a lot of shredding madness on Misanthropic Slaughter

And did the awesome feedback on Misanthropic Slaughter change things in terms of record deal and touring offers?

Masaki: Again, we got some offers that we can’t accept. We’d love to tour, but there’s no way to stay on the road 365 days a year with no tour support, selling drugs just to eat while we have bills waiting for us at home that we can't pay. We have paid for the professional record and two music videos. We've gotten over 60 positive reviews, and over 40 interviews in 2011 alone, but labels seem like they’d rather sign bands that take 360 deals and make a quick profit in the short term and drop those bands shortly afterword. This is 2011, and we all are having a hard time with changes in the music format, consumer’s buying habits, etc, but we must work together to sustain and survive. 

Travis: We love playing shows, especially the out of state shows, but there is only so far we can travel on our weekends and vacation time from work, if some of us are lucky enough to have vacation time. If we had a decent record label, we'd all quit our jobs and tour like crazy. And don't get us wrong, we are not expecting to get rich. We just want to be able to survive and play music. We do what we can every day and will continue to do so. 

Ok, enough asked about the business now let’s get back to what matters most: the music. What I really loved about your album is that it’s a perfect blend of modern and old-school death/Thrash.

Masaki: Thanks. I grew up listening to those old school death/thrash bands and that’s the foundation of my writing style. Those old-school bands created the greatest songs because they are timeless and have dynamics.

It’s also like a mix between the European thrash and the American Thrash.

Travis: That just kinda happens with our music.  We don't set out to sound like a certain band or genre.  We just play what we like and it comes out like that.

And what are your influences precisely?

Masaki: Old school thrash bands such as Megadeth, old Metallica, and Slayer. Travis and Ryan have huge influences from death metal, and Sunao mainly has influences from non-metal music.

What also struck me is the nice balance between riffing aggression and cool solos/melodies. It really seems like you meticulously composed each song and each part on the album.

Masaki: Thank you. I like to have solos in our music that are melodic and add dynamics to our songs. That’s how I got into metal, shredding solos with lots of emotion!

How did you guys compose the songs?

Masaki: I mainly bring the riffs to the band and we cook it together as a band in the jam room. Everybody comes up with his own part and we blend them together to make it stand out.

The lyrics also sounded 100% thrash – what are they about?

Travis: Masaki and I write the lyrics for the band.  The songs are all about our personal struggles and frustration in life. Those feelings might take the form of lyrics about murder, revenge, hopelessness, fear, depression, religious brainwashing, or songs about a corrupt government. Even if a song seems like total horror movie fantasy, it has real emotion in it that we personified in different lyrical ways to make the feelings more vivid and extreme. That is the way we write.

You guys also have already played many live shows right?

Masaki: Yes. We play as much as we can including out of state shows. We love playing out of state and getting every bit of tour experience that we can get. 

How would you describe the band on stage, in 3 words?

Travis: Balls out intense!

What’s the next step for the band right now?

Masaki: We are currently promoting the new music video for the song “M.O.D”, off the album we recently released and we are working on new material for the next album.

And what are your wishes for 2012? Like touring with a specific band? Recording with some notorious producer?

Masaki: Writing new songs and hopefully we can record another album in 2012 with producer Ryan Greene!

Anything you’d like to add? Like to try and convince our readers that Misanthropic Slaughter is the ideal Xmas gift this year?

Masaki: Thanks for checking us out and we hope you liked our music. If you did, please buy our CD and merch (www.misanthropicslaughter.com) as a Christmas present for yourself or your friends or family and show us support! Follow us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/hemoptysis) and stay updated! Hope to get to see you on the road soon!

Thank you guys for the great interview and for being true to yourselves and to the fans!

Yath

Vektor – Thrash Metal from outer space

Clearly, these 4 guys from Arizona are insane. There are a lot of rumors about people from Arizona, but in terms of Metal, I’d never seen anything that crazy. My first encounter with Vektor was the cover of their first record Black Future (although some might say their Demo Nucleus is in fact the first LP).

That's one nasty cover!

My reaction was “what the hell is this going to sound like??”. And I wasn’t disappointed, as Black Future didn’t sound like anything I’d heard before. This young band genuinely sounded DIFFERENT, really, I had nothing to compare it to. I mean OK; there are some elements here and there. Some might speak about Voivod influences. Yeah, sure, the logos look alike, and they both have Sci-Fi themes. But musically, the comparison is not that obvious.

Needless to say one of the world's most extraordinary bands...

Vektor’s Thrash Metal is insane, full of technical madness, fast, furious, smart, epic, violent and also melodic. Just call it techno-thrash or progressive thrash. There are elements of prog’, black, death, symphonic Metal, can’t really say! And Black Future also contained the awesome & typical fury of a band that’s releasing its first record. Needless to say that that record remained my favorite that year, and I still listen to it regularly.

Now the second album has arrived, and the artwork is again fantastic albeit different from the previous one. This time it has colors and it’s not as dense. It’s rather open and “peaceful” in a way. Is this bad omen for the record? Is it going to contain less fury? Have Vektor gained some sort of sanity?

Another awesome artwork!

Well, to figure that out, you’ll just have to listen to the epic 10+mins opener “Cosmic Cortex”. Yes, these guys are nuts enough to place the longest and most epic song at the beginning of the record. And guess what; it works! That is one hell of a killer track, with lots of variations, awesome riffs and melodies. It’s like the entire force of Vektor brought down to this song, with speed, madness and headbanging power. All doubts are now gone, and the rest of the record is all about freakin’ pleasure.

Everyone will have it’s own favorite songs and features when it comes to Vektor. I personally mostly enjoy David Disanto’s singing. His screamed vocals sound like no other and that way he has of going heavy and acute is unbelievable. I also love the smart and groovy drumming, the insane bass lines and the crazy riffing. Yeah, I totally dig every bit of that band.

Now that is the Thrash Metal Dream Team! 

What’s also really cool with Vektor is that no matter how complex some songs might be, they still are easily memorized, and something special makes you want to listen to them again, and again… Those damn “listening layers” at their best. You can just enjoy the thrash riffing and headbang or listen carefully to distinguish the smart songwriting.

I already have some favorite songs on that one, like the INSANE “Tetrastructural Minds” (What the hell is that??). Just love the guitars on this one! And the opening scream is memorable! Again that track is so complex and somehow, you just want to sing along: amazing!

I also love other songs like “Venus Project” and the very strange “Fast Paced Society”. But you know, the more I listen to it, the more I appreciate the songs differently….

Bottom line is, this album RULES, and the first Vektor record was definetly no accident. This band is one of the best things that’s happened to Thrash Metal over the past 10 years. Yeah, you can quote this one. I already wrote that when the first record came out, and I’m glad these insane dudes from Arizona proved me right with Outer Isolation!

YATH

http://www.facebook.com/VektorOfficial

http://www.heavyartillery.us/

EARTH - RISE TO ZENITH, Interview with DYLAN CARLSON

Just a few months after releasing the extraordinary album Angels Of Darkness, Demons Of Light Pt 1, Dylan Carlson’s Earth are back with Part 2. Nothing surprising, as these two albums were recorded during the same sessions. However, part 2 is slightly different as it exclusively contains improvised pieces of music and was recorded in “live” conditions. It’s always a pleasure discussing music with Dylan, because you can feel his passion and his entire devotion to the art. It’s also nice to see that such a talented musician, often referred to as being a genius and that has contributed to the evolution of Rock Music itlself, also has specific opinions about our world and our society. Although understanding that opinion is not necessarily as easy as feeling pleasure listening to his music…

Earth - From left to right: Adrienne, Dylan, Karl & Lauri 

Dylan, how does it feel to be promoting a record that just came out, but that has been recorded almost one year ago?

I am excited to be doing it, I had hoped they would both come out the same year, but things happen, and we have been touring so much this year it is nice to have some time to reflect and present a new show for the next tour. Besides, it would have been prohibitively expensive to manufacture both records and for people to purchase them together in these dire economic circumstances.

Do you still “hear” that record the same way?

I haven't started listening to the second half again, although now it is time to get it ready for the road and add some new old material to the set. I still am quite into what we did and think it is our best work to date. I am very proud of the second part, since it is almost all improvised at the time of recording and came out quite well.

In general do you look back at your older recordings? Do you accept them fully or do you wish you could go back in time and change some things?

I would not change them for the world, I think that whole idea is weird and unnecessary.

So Angels…Pt 2 was record during the same sessions as the first part?

Yes it was. I was having a health crisis and didn't know if there would be any more Earth albums, so I wanted to get as much done as possible.

And you told me the last time that all of the songs were improvised?

Yes, from the title track of the first part through all of the second album we just rolled tape and went for it, them I added some off the cuff overdubs, no more than 2 per track.

So everything was recorded completely in live conditions.

Yes, we were all set up in the room with minimal or no baffling and a great room mic, and we all played together, kind of like an old blue note or miles session.

This is probably Earth's best line-ups ever: Lauri's Cello is more and more important in the band's sound And Adrienne's been playing with Dylan in Earth since '01

Please tell me more about the “process” of improvising and recording. How do you define the direction you want to follow, how do you transmit the feeling to the other musicians?

I work with musicians I know are going to step up and do cool things, that I don't have to worry about or write things for. I let people alone to contribute and they always do there best. I am not a dictatorial type person. Partnership values are more conducive than Dominator values.

And how is part 2 different from part 1 in your opinion?

The first part goes from the oldest most composed song 'old black' to the freest 'angels of darkness/demons of light' and part 1 has a darker feel, while the second one has more hope and is swinging hard by the last track.

Just like part 1, the artwork is unbelievably awesome. Did the same artist handle it?

Yes, the art is by Stacey Rozich again.

Now is this an outstanding artwork or is this an outstanding artwork??

These 2 records were influenced by oriental music. Do you have an idea about what you're planning to do next? Have you started to work on the next record?

No, and No idea yet, although things are always percolating. I have some solo projects scheduled to do between touring, one of them quite ambitious, so that and the upcoming tours next year (UK/EU already planned) are what's in front of me.

What kind of music do you listen to these days? I know you like many different things, do your musical tastes change with time or not at all?

I always go back to favorites, I have always loved music. Newer bands I am into right now (and for always after this) are the Smoke Fairies and the Unthanks. Older bands I am into right now are Mr.Fox. Jethro Tull, and UFO.

The world seems to be in a critical era right now, especially the “western” world, with all the social movements, the financial crisis… Do you think that artists and musicians in particular can make a difference?

Yes I think so, especially when the time comes to take to the barricades. I think that we are seeing the death's of many paradigm's right now and one of them is the way music is consumed and treated, I would like to see a return to the importance of live music and a new way for musicians to travel to cities and towns and play 3 or more shows at smaller venues per town, and not always be playing one night stands. The way bands have to tour ties them closely to the consumer economy and the economy of waste, fuel and mini-marts and fast-food and the alcohol industry and airlines etc... It also creates a kind of pillaging/military frame of mind if one is not careful, with concern for logistics and 'invading' cities and towns and vanishing the next day, one does not get to absorb the aura and feel of the community, that is why I always try to talk to people and interact with the audience, the band and the audience are both conjuring an event together.

Do you think they have to pick a side and sort of support this or that movement?

Musicians I am sure have varied agendas and I would not presume to speak for anyone else. I believe int the restoration of magic, and a magical world-view. I think we have been told/sold many lies- beginning with intensive agriculture/acquisition of wealth/the privileging of the written word over oral culture/the 'renaissance'/ the 'enlightenment'/ aristotelian logic and dualism/ capitalism and marxism/ etc. The whole idea of the world getting 'better' as we move 'forward'. The golden age probably never existed, but if it did it was in the distant past not the future, there was no mother nature 'red in tooth and claw' we have not ascended with history out of barbarism but 'advanced' into it as time has inexorably flowed 'forward'.

Yath

Thanks to Dylan Carlson of course & thanks also to Pascaline and Lauren !

http://www.thronesanddominions.com/

http://www.facebook.com/thronesanddominions

Pursuit Of Honor by Battlecross: More METAL than METAL itself

Now that's a cool Metal Band logo

This band is called “Battlecross” and they named their second album “Pursuit Of Honor”. Battle, Cross, Honor: 3 Metal keywords.

And then look at the cover of the album: there’s a sort of mutant (half muscle, half skeleton, how is this possible??) that is carrying a machinegun and it’s wearing bullet-belts. It’s also got a gasmask and there’s some sort of mutant army under his command. Wow. You’re thinking pure Metal Clichés right?

Who dares to say that Metal music is only about violence?

And the music is EXACTLY the same way: 100% Metal & Muscle, nothing else. There aren’t even hard-rock influences here, it’s like Battlecross has chosen to play a blend of Death, Thrash and Metalcore. It’s also obvious that he guys like both the American scene and the European Melodic Death Metal bands. They kind of mix the American natural groove with the European science for epic melodies. A guy who reviewed the album found some similarities with another cool band called The Absence, and that is signed on the same label (Metal Blade). The comparison is completely relevant as both bands are absolutely unoriginal but very talented, and they display an unbelievable amount of energy. Their sound is however pretty different as The Absence has no Metalcore influences at all. 

But let’s get back to Battlecross’ main strength: ENERGY. Their music is fast, groovy, powerful, everything we love about Metal. Bassist Don Slater also shows some impressive talent as his groovy lines really stand out. I also love the fact that the band has injected some very fast & brutal parts and cool guitar solos.

Pursuit Of Honour is short (hardly more than 36 mins) and full of clichés. It’s also unbelievably dense and it’s like an energy-shot that will give you that stupid yet fantastic feeling of "liquid metal flowing through your veins".

Push Pull Destroy's cool official video. Don't expect an arty black&white clip

Battlecross is an embodiment of everything you love about Metal. Metalcore has gone silly, some Metal bands like to add progressive influences and everybody’s crazy about hard-rock these days. Meanwhile Battlecross are still on the field, and they are defending the Metal Flag with impressive power, commitment and of course honor.

This is an easy [4/5].

Yath

PS: make sure you check’em out right here: http://battlecrossmetal.com/

Orphaned Land + Arkan + Myrath + Artweg @ Rennes (Ubu) – Nov 15th 2011

I’m not going to tell you again how much I enjoyed Myrath’s latest record "Tales Of The Sands". Therefore I immediately seized the opportunity to see them live when I heard they were coming to town. It’s their first real tour, and it was interesting to see how these very gifted young guys from Tunisia were handling a long tour with an important band such as Orphaned Land.

The whole caravan is going by the name “Oriental Tour 2011”. Myrath comes from Tunisia, Arkan is an oriental-Death metal band and Orphaned Land, as you all probably know, hail from Israel and are now famous for playing oriental prog’ metal.

First thing I noticed: the venue is actually a bar, with a very small stage and a limited audience. Perhaps about 200 hundred people only. Another reminder for those who might have forgotten how much times are tough for Metal bands. Orphaned Land seem so respected, so admired and yet they have to play in ridiculously small venues… Also, for those who complain about bands touring the whole world and not coming to France, this is a very clear explanation.

So just imagine the audience attending Artweg, the totally unknown opening act. But that didn’t affect the guy’s motivation as they hit the stage with passion and professionalism and their performance was full of energy. To be honest, their groovy HXC is no special or revolutionary. From what I understood, the lyrics are about anti-racism, freedom, and brotherhood…You’re thinking “completely cliché”, right? Wait ‘till you hear about the rest of the show. Besides, when singer “Mugen” says “headbang”, regarding the man’s actual size, you better obey.

Artweg's show was very energetic, despite the tiny crowd

The band I was most looking forward to seeing is without a doubt Myrath. And they sure didn’t disappoint me. The 5 guys hit the stage with radiant smiles, and you could feel the tension in the beginning of the show. It’s so refreshing to see a band so eager to play live and to transmit their passion and energy. The songs are solid and Myrath sure know how to compose progressive Metal with oriental hooks. On record, Myrath sounds like a blend of Symphony X and Dream Theater but on stage, they specifically made me think of Symphony X as they clearly chose to focus on the “heaviness” of their music. The guitars are so powerful and sharp and the crowd headbanged all along the show. The Arabic choruses and the very cool keyboards of Elyes are the things I’ll remember the most though. The closer “Beyond The Stars” was one fantastic moment enjoyed by everyone in the audience. The performance was short, intense and full of passion. WOW. I think that after some more touring, this band is going to kick some serious ass.

 Great Performance by singer Zaher, not the kind of singer that will let you down on stage

Their music reminds my Of Symphony X, and guitarist Malek kinda looks like Michael Romeo...

  

Setlist Myrath

Sour Sigh

Braving The Seas

Merciless Times

Under Siege

Wide Shut

Tales of the Sands

Madness

Beyond the Stars

I really had no idea what Arkan sounded like. I’d heard of the band, and I also knew that their drummer, Foued is very talented. He used to play in The Old Dead Tree. One thing I knew for sure: Arkan really needed to be awesome to step up to Myrath’s performance. The crowd got thicker and the guys hit the stage with their very heavy Death Metal. All of a sudden, some chick dressed up in a white traditional dress pops out of nowhere and starts dancing on stage. Talking about clichés! The “chick” is in fact Sarah, the lead singer of the band. And she’s also very good at adding that oriental/mystical touch to Arkan’s Death Metal. Again, nothing totally original here, as there are a bunch of bands that play that kind of Metal with gothic elements and a female singer. But the energy and the professionalism of the band struck me again, and the crowd went fully insane during the entire show. Their position right before Orphaned Land is well deserved regarding their awesome performance. I might give their pretty cool oriental/death metal a chance as well. Cool Show.

Sarah: the lead vocalist and bellydancer of Arkan

James from Metallica? Michael from Volbeat? No, Florent from Arkan

Bassist Samir really had a connection with the crowd. He still looks like the bad guy in Aladin

Setlist Arkan

Blind Devotion

Origins

Tied Fates

Inner Slaves

Groans of the Abyss

Lords Decline

Deux Vult

Chaos Cypher

Now I didn’t really know what to expect from Orphaned Land. On one hand, everybody keeps telling how much this band is awesome, both on stage and on record. On the other hand, I was very disappointed by their performance at Hellfest earlier this year. They’d focused on the “catchy” elements; and they had a Lebanese belly dancer on stage (almost caused a diplomatic incident, remember?)…That show was just a failure.

But tonight, the environment is completely different. The stage and the audience are small, the atmosphere is intimate, and the crowd is already satisfied. Orphaned Land walked into won ahead territory.

They still kicked ass. Ok, I must admit I didn’t watch their entire show (I had school the next day, had to go to bed early) but what I saw was already tremendous. These guys play some pretty complex tunes, but they manage to make it sound catchy on stage and they display this positive energy all along. Although their whole concept and imagery seem naïve, they still make you believe in it and you can’t blame them for trying to transmit a positive message after all…

Why so sad Uri?

Kobi, headbangin' with attitude

Maybe progressive, maybe oriental, but this was still a METAL show!

Setlist Orphaned Land

A'salk [intro tape]

Halo Dies (The Wrath of God)

Birth of the Three (The Unification)

Olat Ha'tamid

Barakah

The Kiss of Babylon (The Sins)

Sapari

From Broken Vessels

A Neverending Way

The Path, Part 1: Treading Through Darkness

Ocean Land (The Revelation)

Vayehi Or

The Warrior

El Meod Na'Ala

In Thy Never Ending Way (Epilogue)

--------------

The Beloved's Cry / The Storm Still Rages Inside

Norra el Norra (Entering the Ark)

Ornaments of Gold

All in all, this was a fabulous evening, with 4 very passionate and professional bands at their best. I also enjoyed the intimate atmosphere linked to the size of the venue. The bands communicated very easily and the crowd’s response was awesome. It’s pretty sad to see these guys playing on such a small stage, but you cannot blame them for that. In fact, we should be thanking them for coming up, and for being both talented AND humble.

It’s really time that French Metal fans, that love to criticize and to praise their favorite bands online, start showing up to concerts. There are less and less bands touring this country, and the few brave ones who take that chance have to deal with pretty shitty conditions. If you still want to see other bands than AC/DC in France (not only Paris) move your ass and attend the damn gigs!

Yath

Thanks to Anita & Fred for inviting me to that cool evening.

Note: Apologies for the lousy quality of my pictures. I only had a small digital camera that night, and unlike other disciplines, size does matter when it comes to shooting a live show. 

Heritage by Opeth – Have they gone mad??

Absolutely not. Although Heritage is different & somewhat surprising, it’s still Opeth.

The band clearly reached it’s maximum potential on the album Blackwater Park (2001), probably one of the most influent records of the past decade. After that masterpiece, Michael Åkerfeldt tried some different things but you could tell he really wanted to switch to something completely different.

I remember that after Deliverance/Damnation, he was already speaking in interviews about making a drastically different record, only back then, he was thinking about a totally Black Metal record! That gave birth to the very dark and occult Ghost Reveries, probably Opeth’s vision of Black Metal.

Now let’s get back to Heritage. The artwork is completely 70’s, like a homage to Deep Purple, a band Opeth had already referred to on the cover of the Royal Albert Hall DVD. The message here is clear though, no more Death Metal. A shocker for the fans! The most appreciated thing in Opeth was the mix between heavy and melodic music. And it was extremely interesting to see how the band was going to manage to stay attractive without it’s “heavy” component.

The Hommage

The Original

First thing you need to do is to erase Damnation from your mind, almost completely. Heritage is totally new Opeth, not just the Opeth you know stripped out of it’s heavy riffs and growls. And that precisely is what I like about Heritage. The guys (I mean Michael Åkerfeldt) really dared to blow everything away and to start over. Heritage is an occult 70’s rock/hard-rock band. With the typical psychedelic elements and sense of humor bands used to have back in the day.

 Damnation = Opeth - Heavy side

The songs sound like a mix between prog-metal, hard-rock, psychedelic-rock, the older Opeth and…Nick Drake! And that is what’s so cool about Heritage. It really sounds clumsy, a little naïve, full of ideas and stuffed with free inspiration. Wow, we’re talking about a 20 year-old band sounding so fresh! Hats off to the band guys, they DARED!

The music itself is also good. Not a masterpiece, as I was saying, Heritage is still too clumsy to become a reference, but it really has its moments. Personally, I prefer the second half of the record. Things really start to become exiting with the song “Nepenthe”, really love that refined beginning. After a few minuets the songs switches electric and goes totally prog’. “Haxprocess” is awesome as well, more typically Opeth and psychedelic. Very cool drumming by “Axe”, and fantastic singing by Michael Åkerfeldt on this one. But my favorite song is without a doubt “Famine”. The heavy guitars that come out of nowhere will tear you apart, and the crazy keys & flute are simply mind-blowing. Ironic that my favorite song on Heritage is the one with the heaviest part! I also love "Lines In My Hand", the dancing groove on that one is deadly and it underlines another inspiration for Opeth: scandinavian prog-folk bands. Everybody knows Michael is friends with the guys from Anekdoten, but on that song, it's definetly  Landberk I first thought about. 

Can you believe a band sounds so fresh and inspired after 20 years?

All in all, Heritage is a good album, albeit being a little bit confused AND confusing. It’s amazing that such an established band dared to release such a courageous record.

What’s even more encouraging is that now that the door is open, there is a sea of possibilities for the band. Their inspiration is free, and knowing their talent, we should have some fantastic things to come. After over 20 years of activity and several memorable records, Opeth are opening a new chapter that looks at least as promising as their first one. Wow.