Conor Fynes
'The Devil's Orchard' - Opeth (Single)
There are always a few bands in every music scene that stir a fuss anytime they deliver new music. As far as modern progressive metal is concerned, there may still only be a small handful that can unite the masses in excitement, and if the amount of discussion concerning Opeth's new single is any reminder, these Swedish metal titans are one of those chosen elite. Promising a wide departure from the typical progressive death metal we came to know Opeth by, hearing reports that the new album 'Heritage' would be more an homage to 70's rock than anything else had me a little worried that the band had lost themselves the same way fellow progressive metal legends Pain of Salvation had done so the year before. Well as it turns out, a lukewarm anticipation from me has been met with a neither repulsive, nor particularly impressive track. 'The Devil's Orchard' is not quite as derivative and soulless as the retro rock zombie I feared Opeth was going to turn into, but as with all new things, its clear they don't have this new territory harnessed all that well.
The track is certainly doused in plenty of vintage appeal, with Per Wilberg's hammond organs blazing overtop guitar grooves and exotic drum beats. The track takes quite a while to build up to the vocals, and while singer Mikael Akerfeldt's voice is in top condition for his cleans here, the melodies themselves are somewhat weak and lacking, with only one or two ideas sticking after listening. The sound is vintage, but not a total throwback. There are psychedelic gimmicks here and there, but for the most part, this is still the Opeth we know, just without the metal crunch. Some may prefer them as a pure prog rock act, but hearing this- and even despite the promise of a new style for them to explore- I can say that I miss what they used to do.