Opeth - In Cauda Venenum

Opeth is a Band I discovered fairly late in their career, starting with a quality performance at 2008's Progressive Nation Tour. Danny and I were both big fans of what Dream Theater were doing at the time, and we mostly saw Opeth as just another band on the ticket. But for me, like for countless others, they went on to become my bridge to a world of heavier music than most of what I listened to at the time. Like most fans, I prefer their prog death years, but their newer material has still been consistently solid. Even when they ditch the death vocals and dial back the distortion, it's still quintessentially the same band.

So how does their latest stack up against a 25+ year career without any outright duds?

Well, it's clear this time around that the band weren't concerned with whether or not they were making an Opeth album. It's unquestionably them on every song, but it doesn't sound like any previous release. It's a moody and slow but energetic album that captures the creativity and indifference to labels that made their early work so legendary while expanding on the 70s prog influences of Heritage through Sorceress.

In Cauda Venenum takes its time with confidence, building a strong emotional tension and release cycle like a film score. It's rarely a heavy album in the conventional sense, but it's hard-hitting in its own way.  I wouldn't be surprised if Akerfeldt and co. took a few cues from Steven Wilson collaboration Storm Corrosion while still holding on to some semblance of accessibility.

Normally, this would be where I break the album down track by track and point out the high and lows. Not this time. The double edged sword of In Cauda Venenum is that the songs flow into each other seamlessly but don't really stand out on their own. I can tell you that the band balances heavy and light atmospheres as masterfully as they did on their classic work. I can tell you that Mikael Akerfeldt's vocals have a worn-in confidence to them and the lead guitars sound like they were pulled right off a Steven Wilson record in the best way. But I'd struggle to tell you what Next of Kin or Charlatan sounds like the next day. To get the most out of this record, I'd recommend setting aside the time to listen to it from start to finish, not caring where one track ends and the next begins.

In Cauda Venenum likely won't win over purists from their prog-death years, and I'm still not quite sure if I'd put it above Pale Communion as the best of modern Opeth. But approach it in a certain mood, and it's a seriously gripping album. And above all else, it's a reassuring sign that Opeth aren't running out of new ideas any time soon.

Score: 4 out of 5 iron atoms