2005’s Ghost Reveries was the last studio album from Opeth, it was well received by all and gained Opeth more attention than they had ever got (signing to Roadrunner may have helped a little bit as well). As with any Opeth album expectations were high for Watershed, and these hopes were heightened when some of the tracks (The Lotus Eater and Porcelain Heart) were leaked over the internet. Numerous interviews with Mikael Akerfeldt (vocals) informed avid fans that the new album would be a lot more ‘evil’ than previous work.

Before even pressing the play button I was expecting a cross between Ghost Reveries and Deliverance (Opeth’s heaviest and most ‘evil’ album before Watershed). I was honestly shocked at what I was listening to. The opening track, Coil, is a beautiful and haunting acoustic piece, demonstrating Akerfeldt’s softer vocals, which have improved greatly. Half way through the track some unexpected female vocals appear, adding to the songs haunting effect even more so.

The album only stands at seven tracks, so I was expecting this ‘evilness’ to start right away. By the second track, Heir Apparent, the evil theme was instantly….well, apparent. This song is easily the most sinister thing Opeth have ever created, there are plenty of surprises along this track, as well as the rest of the album, pianos and mellotrons being some of them, they also show how Steve Wilson (Porcupine Tree) has influenced the band. Another surprise is delivered to us once track three (The Lotus Eater) kicks in, blast beats! This album somehow offers more diversity to Opeth’s unique sound.

Porcelain Heart is one of the albums calmer moments, using only melodic vocals, but the heavy use of the instruments keep the track interesting. This is also the first single off the album. Opeth tend not to release videos for their songs but Roadrunner will no doubt want to get them as much publicity as possible.
The final two tracks take a while to get accustomed to. While the previous five songs were easy(ish) to take in for any Opeth fan, ‘Hessian Peel’ and ‘Hex Omega’ really require some dedicated listening to enjoy. ‘Hessian Peel’ is quite reminiscent of ‘Reverie/Harlequin Forest’ from the Ghost Reveries album, but it keeps in theme of the album by being very dark and sinister.

The only let down that occurs in the album is the final track, Hex Omega. While the rest of the album is highly atmospheric, surprising and epic in a very odd manner, Hex Omega is rather underwhelming. It’s all well and good having an album of this character end on an eerie and somber note. But it just doesn’t compliment the album well at all.

This album really is the next stage in Opeth’s progression, unexpected, genuinely shocking at places (in a good way). One of the key reasons for this album being surprising is because Watershed is Opeth’s second album released under a major label, so most would have expected something more instantly likeable, but this album will take a while for most people to grasp completely, even age old fans of the band might need to take a step back to appreciate what a complex and progressive album this really is. Album of the year thus far.