One of the main critisisms of Opeth's new record, Heritage and their recent string of live performance is the absence of frontman Mikael Åkerfeldt's signature growl. There's none at all! Personally, I do not mind it, because I love Opeth and accept them for who they are and whatever vision they choose to go with. But there has been enough negative feedback that Akerfeldt decided to address the drama when asked if he would ever growl again on an Opeth record:
“I can’t say, really, I’ve never turned my back on anything and I’m not going to start now. It’s not like I don’t like that style of vocal delivery anymore. But I just can’t develop any more as a singer if I keep on screaming. In fact, I think I got worse at that as the years went by. But if the future songs require those vocals, then that’s what I’ll deliver. It seems like a long shot at this stage.”
Look's like he's over it. But he did try to incorporate some growls on Heritage, writing some more metal sounding tunes at the beginning of the writing process, which were eventually scrapped:
They were “not very good songs. So I started again from scratch. I came up with an idea for ‘The Lines Of My Hand’ straight away and that set the tone,” Mike says. “It was 180 degrees from what I was writing before but once I’d written that song, I felt I could do anything and the album was completed in six months.”
If you're bummed, maybe this footage of Mikael with his Bloodbath brethren at the final stop of the tour can cheer you up. [ RushonRock via GunShyAssassin ]
Photo via our exclusive gallery of Opeth's most recent tour
