Watershed (Roadrunner)

If perpetual sorrow is your thing, Opeth’s Mikael Akerfeldt is your man. The progressive death-metal quintet’s singer-guitarist always sounds like he’s just come from the funeral of assassinated Swedish prime minister Olof Palme. Watershed, the much-anticipated follow-up to 2005’s Ghost Reveries, finds Akerfeldt indulging his melancholy on deeper levels than ever before. He has also heightened his creative control over the band, which parted ways with long-time drummer Martin Lopez and guitarist Peter Lindgren in the past two years.

Listening to this seven-track, 75-minute opus creates a compelling urge to follow Akerfeldt through the mist-strewn gardens and mysterious figures that populate his 1970s-ridden imagination. Sometimes the vibe is subtle and understated, such as the Led Zeppelin–like acoustic licks that underpin the album-opening “Coil”, where Akerfeldt duets plaintively and Pink Floydishly with Nathalie Lorichs, the girlfriend of new skinsman Martin Axenrot. By contrast, on the monstrous doom epic “Heir Apparent”, the Stockholm-born vocalist unleashes his renowned death growl repeatedly, and guitarist Fredrik Akesson slashes through flamboyant solos reminiscent of Yngwie Malmsteen. But even here, Per Wiberg’s keyboards interject brooding textures. Overall, Akerfeldt’s lyrics are sparser, more suffused with greyness, and less brutally imposed on the music than on the previous album.

However, moments of whimsy do occur, such as the weird jazz-disco interlude in “The Lotus Eater” that initially caused conniptions on Opeth Internet forums. It’s part of this band’s genius: you never know what surprise you might encounter next, and as a creative landmark, Watershed lives up to its title.