Well he did lie when he said that he's loving doing the old songs too. Look at his body language, he says that he loves it but shakes his head repeatedly.

@@zetyadrian Body language isn't universal

@@wea69420 It's pretty much the only language that's universal. Look at more interviews with him and you'll see that he uses the same moves when he disagrees with something.

@@zetyadrian it's not. Beyond the few expressions that are "built in" to most mammals everything else about body language is informed by culture and your immediate surroundings when you develop it. Not only that, but he was shaking his head in some way throughout pretty much the whole interview.

Yes...and he doesn’t give his fans that animalistic growl anymore. That is rude....:)

I like the reason he reintroduced them, as a form of storytelling

Nice demigod profile picture

Metal Head I love this artwork and of course the music. Finnish Death Metal rules.

I mean Mike was in Bloodbath, so.... lol

He's a huge music nerd. HUGE! I think he has a significant grasp on all kinds of metal, even the stuff that he doesn't find particularly interesting.

John Zackarias And also he must have toured with many bands and took part in many festivals so that's why he knows many kinds of bands. I respect how he loves music.

It is annoying to mention Opeth in a conversation and always hear the "oh I wish they would go back to being heavy" comment.

That is funny...🤘🤘👊👊

I agreed so much, I almost broke my mouse button liking your comment

I'm excited to see where they go. Loved the newest one. Such a great band.

@Mr Guy its not hypocrisy to say one thing doesnt inspire you anymore but somwthing else does.

Its his music after all. But i do miss those tasty riffs and growls.

@@willx6394 I do too. But i would not in a million years be able to demand that Mikael writes something he does not want to write. My feeling is that he simply wrote all the death metal songs he wanted to write. Now that it's done, he is not is inspired anymore to write them, and he wants to write more prog stuff now. I do not like the new stuff, but I'd rather not have Opeth write the same thing over and over again and have them hate their own music.

@@rasaecnai I actually like some of the new stuff. A song like "Will O' the Wisp" is beautiful and the solo from it is perfection! I do not like songs like Sorceress... I honestly think that that song is objectively bad. I really can listen to any genre as long as the artist is really "feeling it". Sorceress simply sounds random and bland.. idk.. maybe I'm wrong.

@@markokecman1177 bullshit.sorceress is perfection

still is

I don't think they actually deleted it, just put it aside somewhere on a hard drive for future Opeth fans to discover... ;)

@@MetalTrabant I hope they do. I love the new album but theyres a special place in my heart for the old stuff

No, I think he definitely deleted it. He hated it. He's talked about how unimpressed and dissatisfied he was with that material in a few interviews

@@KaldDodeGitarist I don't know... an artist deliberately destroying his own work, that's kinda' rare. He doesn't seem like that kind of crazy artist.

@@megadeth432100 Ever since Heritage, I just can't get close to their albums... I listen to them a few times, and then forget about them mostly. I know they've put their heart and soul into them, but they just don't click to me. But most of the old albums I know by heart all the way through, because they were that special. I think they've lost the magic somewhere along the way...

That will never happen :(

It's in the cyberspace graveyard. It can't be undeleted after 10 years

But I agree, it should have been like a bonus album or maybe some of the good tracks should have been an EP

Only possible if he remembers any

Yeah hearing there was a "deleted" Watershed 2.0 just broke me a little bit, given that Watershed is my favorite Opeth album. I have to accept that it also might've sucked and would've ruined Watershed for me, so there's that, but...I do appreciate that Devin Townsend will release "bonus" material separately, sort of as a way of saying, "this wasn't my favorite stuff but here it is anyway in case you like it more than I did".

Same

Exactly the same bro! 100% relatable. He is astonishing to listen to

100% agreed. The example I’d use would be Damnation. An album with no growls, but a completely different feel from the albums they’ve released this decade.

I think Blackwater Park was their "peak", but jeez, if Still Life isn't a goddamn masterpiece I don't know what is. Still my favourite record by them, hands down. I could talk about how much I love that album for literally days. Even just thinking about the songs, not even listening to them, reminds me how magnificent that album is, especially Godhead's Lament and Serenity Painted Death, those tracks are fucking extraordinary. And don't even get me started on The Moor EDIT: Now, I actually put Ghost Reveries as my favourite tied with Still Life. As I think that record has all the elements that make Opeth great. The brutality, featured in songs like Ghost of Perdition and Grand Conjuration. The complexity, in songs like The Baying of the Hounds and Beneath the Mire. And finally, the beauty, Isolation Years, Hours of Wealth, and parts of Harlequin Forest. A truly unique band.

This. Their music has regressed. I couldn't care less if he ever screamed again, but at least put out some good music. He hasn't in 13 years. We need to come to terms with that.

@@drowssapma Don't talk so confidently about music when you clearly know nothing about it.

@@drowssapma I'm sure their music has only evolved. It's just that sometimes things evolve towards directions that don't please us personally. It doesn't mean it's bad.

I totally agree!

Damnation is an incredible album... also it was my introduction to the band. My second favorite is Blackwater park.

Damnation had lots of great material for sure... Just seemed a bit hasty on the arranging and stuff.

Watershed is their best album for me, it has so much variety in the songs.

@@celestialcolosseum watershed was also fantastic.

Bleak is amazing 🔥

Both new and old opeth are amazing

I'd argue that his growls are not as impressive as they were in the past. You can hear it with all the recent live performances he has done and contrast that with the live performance of Lamentations. They sound more hoarse and strained. My belief is that this is part of the reason why he moved past them to focus more on melodic singing.

@@BeingBadAtMaths i disagree, they sound just as good as they used too.

To me, his best sounding growls are by far on the roundhouse tapes liveshow. Incredible.

@@vivusbrydyr4039 bro what. listen to lamentations and then red rocks its no comparison.

@@eighteen-naked-cowboys i listened to both, he was really good at red rocks

Well yeah, Opeth's first important shows were as support act for ATG in Sweden.

The Swedes are some of the best when it comes to music, especially metal

Though Carcass beat them to Melodic Death Metal iirc

ATG and Opeth shared the same stage this summer at an local festival in my home town hosted by In Flames. Such an epic weekend.

That's interesting and awesome, because I actually got into MDM after I discovered Opeth (and also into Death Metal overall).

Steven Barry I agree.

Yup. I'd love Damnation 2.0 over heritage and the stuff after

It's funny how watershed has the same band members for the most part as the newer stuff and it was their best album...

@@swingonthespiral I agree.

strongly agree with this. It feels like they are trying too hard to sound like some 70's prog rock act.

He does growl live though... so it's not that he doesn't growl but he just doesn't write music with growls anymore

I love those albums but I also love the new stuff. I just don't dig the production on Sorceress and ICV. Great music though.

He screams during the live sets

That's what made Opeth unique, the growls and the clean singing passages. Now they're just another Prog rock band.

@@rupe82 Yes, the same opinion i have

From what you wrote it seems like you are very fixated on MAYH and Ghost Reveries. There are quite a few amazing albums between them and before them, as well as Watershed. Lots of material. Even if it's what they're best at, most bands don't have so many releases so it isn't surprising Opeth want to do something different

Attachment leads to suffering - Buddha

@@yotam6x7 My favourite Opeth record is actually Morningrise, with MAYH and Still Life as close seconds. I enjoy everything from Orchid to Watershed, and that includes Damnation.

And that is the ultimate goal. To find happiness in your own music. True music comes from the heart.

Clearly Mikael is in the music scene because of the love in the music, not to make money. That is respectable.

@the riff Opeth just moved from one inaccessible style to an arguably equally inaccessible style of music. Many bands either actually sell out, or just never progress and try to ride the coattails of their best work. Im happy Opeth has done neither of those.

🤙🏻🤙🏻🤙🏻

I felt the same way before recently getting into stuff like the Canterbury scene, zeuhl, prog funk, etc etc etc. Now metal feels like home again, only with better houseguests.

He meant Death Metal... Not Metal as a whole... I kind of feel they venture into Metal territory in their new album.

It seems like alot of amazing artists have that internal doubt that they always struggle with, or that lack of self esteem perhaps. I won't name names but we all know the crappy bands with the big heads, and they churn shit record after shit record bc of it.

"When you love music generally, you need more flavors..." No truer statement has been found in all of the comments. I love how some focus only on vocals and expect everyone would have that same focus. For me, in any music, its the guitar and composition. That doesn't mean it has to be complicated and full of notes (although it can be), it's just those things are my loves. And no, I do not expect everyone to have the same loves as me... I will say something that most will hate here. I basically hate growling. I think it makes every band sound similar (with the exception of a few like Mikael). Yet I still love some bands that growl. Why? Because their musicianship is top notch, I do get tired of "ignoring the growl" though and I find I need that next layer....can they sing? Music is so subjective because art is so subjective. Enjoy what you do enjoy, and enjoy it to the fullest is what I say. Loved your quote. You made me think, and write a comment (and I dont comment much on youtube)

Love Watershed! I miss the growl so like you stick to their older stuff!

I love both of his styles but nothing can compare to his older work. It was truly better and on another level. I miss it a lot. His progressive stuff is a bit monotonous, but black metal is too and i very much enjoy it. Their death metal just had such great contrast and much more emotion than the newer albums

nonsense. opeth still has dark sound. the last album is pure and beautiful and has dark atmosphere. much better than many bands who just growl and is pointless.

@D Zuke i hear the beautifully deep music that has unique dark sound . i see him chosen the path that he wants and he wants to dig deep in what he wants. yes his growls is fantastic and he has that potential and is best in it. i liked that too, but i respect him for the way he chosen to express his music and art. and love it. maybe it's better people see his music in a new way, in his way.(love his new album)

Gabriel Hoken I don’t believe growling is the only element responsible for it to be considered “dark”. The recent albums are just more atmospheric. Whoever is a fan of art and music can still appreciate different styles even if they may prefer the older album.

@Andy Salter i know they are awesome and play really well...it's just not my thing...it's the same Opeth i felt in love with...but i respect their choices...

Psychologically speaking, creatively speaking.. no album is better than another, they are simply different. One being 'better' or 'worse' is just in your own mind...made up by you !. Bands are not here to create sounds purely for your benefit and vanity.. they just put albums out..thats it ! Loving a previous album does not qualify you to like the next. But If you do ... bonus ! If it ticks all the boxes your brain likes.. winner. If not..oh well. You can have opinion based on what sounds your own head likes, but dont blame a band if you dont like the material, its not been made personally for you.. thats your own selfish desire and sulking if you dont like it. So ...that point ..grow up and move on.

@@Sabre_Wulf1 wtf...when did you saw me blaming them??? i just said i prefered their old albums but i understand if they want to change...it's just not for me...that's it...i just gave my honest opinon like Mikael did..

@@Pain87Killer lost in translation. Many apologies. It was not actually about what you wrote. as i read your post and it got me to thinking about 'what is good , bad and what constitutes that in our minds. Please read the 'you' bits in my monologue as if im talking to a wall'. I actually like what you wrote and love honesty myself. Sorry if you felt this aimed at you...you got my mind thinking is all.

I absolutely LOVED their new album

He's absolutely right. Artists and bands always get hate regardless of whether their sound stays the same over the years, or becomes different. As long as a band I love does something they enjoy, even if it's less my cup of tea, I'm happy. Also the old albums are still there for us to listen and enjoy, and they still play their old stuff live, as he says here at the end.

I kinda did. Don't listen to the new albums. But it's still a bit sad.

Efren Herian sadly

I loled

lmao

I completely agree with you. What people are overlooking is the fact that the old Opeth are not just growls, but a sad/dark/hopeless yet somewhat ethereal vibe that affected each and every note. Opeth were this amazing contrast between death/rage vs. calm and peaceful acceptance. Take Damnation for instance. Very dark album, no growls there. Take To bid you farewell in Morningrise, no growls there. Or hours of wealth and so forth. Since Heritage they changed completely and I am OK with that. I respect their choice. It's their music, their art. It just does not resonates with me anymore. I am struggling to listen to In Cauda Venenum. Too progressive, too experimental. It sounds like something that a (great) artist would compose for awesome artists only to enjoy. Definitely out f my league. Sorceress sounded more similar the old stuff in away, and I have enjoyed it but this new one seems more like Pale Communion (PC) to me. And PC was the album I listened to the least.

@@Eligos666 well put Demian!

@@michaelanderson4849 Thanks!

@@Eligos666 That's interesting. I also think it's very similar to Pale Communion, but I personally feel that In Cauda Venenum maintains the melancholy of their previous work in much broader strokes than the likes of Heritage or Sorceress. An example is on the final track 'All Things Will Pass'. Perfectly encapsulates the core of what Opeth is about. Mesmerizing melodies with that tinge of sorrow, and surprisingly heavy despite the fact that it's not death metal. It seems to me that it's simultaneously their most experimental album and their safest. Daring and nostalgic.

Very well said! I love metal but i'm absolutely not into growls and Blackwater Park is my favourite album of them. But above all I prefer to see Opeth moving on and doing what they feel like instead of trying to replicate what people enjoyed of them for decades to come. A true band and not a tribute to the classic era like many become.

Fkin genius comment

lol

Not d'Artagnan... Aramis !

Dave Grohl, yet no growls... :/

@@meangus82 lol nice one

Same here! I have not bought an Opeth album since Watershed, as the sound is just so washy now... That said, I still do enjoy their older music when they were at their Apex and I see them live EVERY time they visit Perth Australia ever since 2006 been to every show they have done in my fair little remote city!

The contrast was the thing that made Opeth beautiful. Without it it's just prog garbage.

This is how I feel. It's difficult, though, to say that you dislike newer Opeth, as most fans will start throwing out misinformed accusations. I don't mind the band not being as metal as before, I don't mind the lack of growls, I don't mind the change of direction. What I do mind is that so much of the music feels very flat, very boring. A few gems exist, but so much of it is uninteresting and disappointing to hear from a band that had such a creative history. When I heard Heart In Hand, I was excited to hear a great Opeth song again. I had hope that it was a sign that the latest album would have that same energy once more. Sadly, I think it might be the only song worth listening to with any regularity. I've got the CD in the car, and I'm giving it a few more spins to see if anything clicks before I put it on the shelf and listen to something that actually keeps my attention. I had been keeping Leprous' The Congregation in the car before the album came out, and it's likely going right back in. Either that or the new Thank You Scientist. Those albums are on heavy rotation with me these days.

Ghost reveries is in my mind the Pinnacle of opeth. It leaves me wanting more, but I still haven't found anything that comes close

@@crusie321 Ghost Reveries may as well be one of the best metal albums of all time

The new Insomnium is dope. 👍

Wow, TBH I have never met (even online) a non-Hungarian person who knows what Thy Catafalque is. I don't really dig their new albums, but Róka Hasa Rádió is a masterpiece!

Give Rivers of Nihil a listen. They're latest release is pretty sick

​@@deadwing04 Hi, meet another one, I'm from Belarus. I've found that band when Sgùrr came out, I've played that record on repeat for quite some time. Also I know a few people here who listen to Thy Catafalque as well.

Dude, listen to Piah mater, to me they are the band that sound almost exactly like 90s and 00s opeth

You're not kidding about Black Crown Initiate. God they're amazing. I will check out those other bands too. Thanks for that.

You didn't have to wait long.

I always thought all of the prog rock records had a sort of charming warmth to them. Apart from ICV. I really don't want it to be their last album due to unforeseen circumstances

Yeah Pale Communion is great, one of my favourite prog rock album! I don't think he will be incorporating any death metal vocals in future albums, as he said, he tried to write a watershed 2.0 and it simply didn't work out. Any death metal album is still very different in style from the previous one and that's what I like. Maybe we wouldn't enjoy as much as we think we would a pure copycat of those albums. In a way I prefer being surprised and amazed by something I wasn't expecting like in Cauda Venenum which I'm already in love with! So I'm really happy that happened. While in November I will enjoy some of their death metal tunes as well in their upcoming tour! \m/

I'm with you 100%. I am with Mikael's musical journey until he stops doing it.

yeah he says that's not what he wants to do now but maybe 6 or 7 years down the road he decides it's a good idea and puts everything into it

Well, well!

the thing was he has an awesome singing voice AND awesome growls ... that was unique about him

@@appletree6741 Singing voice is better so

I honestly loved Sourceress

@@jsilverchannel And I get why you do, it just didn't do anything for me.

🎉🎉🎉

the problem is the idea that evolve ≠ screams

On board with this !