One of the most musically significant albums to come down the pike in a long, long time
Watershed sports some of the best use of vocal effects, best guitar tones and most addictive melodies I've ever heard. This album has something for everybody.

Possibly the only album to beat Still Life.
I was extremelly worried, as the previous reviewer said, when I heard nearly everyone was gone from the band, but I knew Axe from his other groups and knew at least he could cut it. I was wonderfully surprised with their new guitarist who seems to fit liek a glove.

First thigns first, if you love Opeth, you will love this cd. Its the same as their previous releases, yet different. It IS more rock oriented, but for me, thats a good thing. Mikael's biggest inspiration was never his metal background, it was his background in rock havign grown up with favirotes such as Deep Purple, which is so much a part of why the music is so unique in metal and rock. The solo's gleam rock's hayday and whine like somethign out of the day's of Zeppelin's history. The drumming is TIGHT. I loved Lopez, I really did, ever since he was in Amon Amarth, but he can't hold a candle to Axe. He fits Opeth because of his ability to play any style and play it effectivelly as it pertains to the music. He plays in a classic death metal band, has played in thrash, and now I suppose prog, but he clearly has a strong background in jazz techniques and classic rock styles. He is a very complete drummer and deserves to be listed among today's best. As you can tell I love him, but he brings so much more to the band than lopez has since either My Arms... or Still Life. His drumming became stale in recent years and he tended to play the same things from song to song, which is probably part of why he left.

Mikael's voice has never been more beautiful either, and the metal segments are much heavier this time around. They actually sound very black metal, like they did pre-blackwater. The rock segments are my favirote though. I've now seen them play most of this cd live and its so amazing to watch mikael play his solo's. He's not Petrucci, but his solo's are meaningful and heartfelt and it shows. My favirote riff on this album is about 4:30 into song 6, Hessian Peel. Its a mix between something from late 70's rock and early 90's Melodic Death and it is so simple, yet ao amazing. Listen to it and rewind it 6 times, like I did ;p

Truelly, this is the Opeth we have been waiting for. All of the members are now commited to its existence and I've seen them live and it shows. It was my 6th time seeing them here in the states and I have to say it was their best show by FAR and its largly in part of the new members. Mikael has fun now in the show, he's talkative, and the rest of the band has fun. Its like this 25-year-old's one chance at seeing a part of what he missed in the 70's with bands liek Led Zeppelin. Watershed is a must own metal album for the ages. Buy it, listen to it, and worship it for what it is, a true classic.

P.S. I'm also glad that Mikael seems to finally be heading itno the limelight. I always knew it was him who was the genius behind the band as they have been my favirote band since Morningrise and I have practically stalked him, lol. But if its this album and the shift in personel to make peopel realize his true genius, than more power to him. Honestly, he belongs bunched in with the Page's, Gilmour's, and Townshend's of the world and I really wish he could get the rightly recognition in certain circles that he deserves.

Another Sweet Opeth Journey
This album is sweet. If you like Opeth, you must have it. It seems like Opeth can't produce a bad album. I am more than pleased after buying and hearing anything from Opeth. I have My Arms, Your Hearse, Blackwater Park, Still Life, Deliverance, and Ghost Reveries in addition to Watershed. Everything you have come to love about Opeth is here on this album, but it manages to sound original throughout. There are several really neat audio effects used sparingly and effectively to enhance their sound. I have come to really appreciate the contrast between the clean light vocals and the death vocals. It is extreme, but not out of place. Everything fits. And boy can they be heavy. They'll blow your doors off. Excellent work here, and worthy of all five stars. Get it and see for yourself.

stunning album from a great band
Opeth is, for all intent and purposes, Mikael Akerfeldt, the guitarist and vocalist of one of rock's most versatile and brilliant bands, regardless of genre. Yes, Opeth got its start as death metal, but it's so much more. "Watershed" is more tuneful than "Blackwater Park", the classic Opeth CD. There's more singing, and only a little grunting, which is good, because Akerfeldt has such a great voice.
Opeth aren't afraid to put lots of classic rock and even classical music touches in its stew. One can hear strains of heavy Pink Floyd at one point, blazing guitar riffing and soloes, and even flutes and strings. Most amazing of all, it all works. No single track outshines another - "Watershed" is a masterwork that must be taken in whole.
One metal website apologized for awarding Opeth 10 stars, its maximum, while describing them. That writer simply felt that this band was so good it was off the scales. I'm inclined to agree. Opeth is incredible.

So far, Watershed is the best album of 2008!
Opeth's last release, Ghost Reveries, was named top album of 2005 by many sites across the internet. This time, Opeth is back with 2008 release Watershed, and a lot of expectations from the fans. Watershed features new guitarist Fredrik Åkesson (Arch Enemy) and new drummer Martin "Axe" Axenrot, who's been filling in for Martin Lopez since the Reverie tours.

Throughout their career Opeth has been notorious for diversity while maintaining a distinctive style of music, and Watershed proves that Opeth has not lost their golden touch.

Watershed begins with beautiful, "Coil." Coil is a soft and tranquil song with a soothing twelve-string and nylon acoustic touch with layers of keyboards. Mike sings very melodic on Coil and brought in Axe's girlfriend Nathalie Lorichs as a guest vocalist on the song to add a more refining touch. Coil is on the shorter side, just over three minutes in length, but it's a very pretty song and a wonderful addition into the Opeth song catalog.

As always, Opeth paves the way from melodic transitions into heart stopping, death metalesque styles of music. "Heir Apparant" is roughly nine minutes of epic Opeth metal without melodic vocals, but the diversity comes from some dark acoustic interludes and a slide guitar solo. Heir Apparant is dark, brutal and probably the heaviest song they've written since "Wreath" the Deliverance album.

Enter "The Lotus Eater" as track number three. The Lotus Eater is the perfect display of Opeth's diversity and progressive nature packed into a nine minute song. This song has wonderful solos, heavy blast beat drumming, lots of death growls, but the song balances out with melodic guitar and vocal work, some jazz twists and a mellotron solo. Simply put, this song is amazing and a pleasure to enjoy.

A note to all of those progressive rock fans out there: don't feel as if Opeth's neglecting you with Watershed. Instead, it's quite the opposite. "Burden" comes to Watershed as a little homage to the mid 70's Scorpions style ballads. This song has it all for the musicians. Burden starts off with a keys intro and leads into full band accompaniment with Mike's melodic vocals. The simplicity of the melody on Burden allows for countless guitar solos (about: four at the end, concluding with a harmony arrangement and three lead guitars over vocals melodies throughout the song) a keyboard solo and amazing guitar and vocal harmonies.

If there was a weakness to Watershed, it's definitely here with "Porcelain Heart." Honestly, this song is way too long at eight minutes. Porcelain Heart rehashes up some of the riffs from Ghost Reverie's "The Grand Conjuration." But to add fuel to the fire, this song feels like it was a copy and paste job through Pro Tools (recording software). This is a very pretty song, with only clean tone vocals over lots of nylon guitar work. Porcelain Heart also has its heavy moments and plenty of double bass drumming, but the song just feels jumbled and a bit too long. Personally, I feel the five minute radio/music video edit of Porcelain Heart should have been the album version.

"Hessian Peel" is definitely the hardest song to portray in words. It's nearly a twelve minutes epic, with lots of progressive transitions. Starting off with a bass note drone, leading into some bluesy riffs and a wonderful melodic feel, Hessian Peel transists into a death metal segment back into a beautiful acoustic segment only to finish heavy and drop into a bass guitar and keyboard finale. This is definitely a must hear song to any Opeth fan or newbie getting into the band.

"Hex Omega" is a wonderful song that's perfect for closing out the album. Dark, eerie and proggy, Hex Omega seems to be the least memorable song on the album, but it has this great vibe to it.

Overall, this Opeth - Watershed is a must have album for any progressive metal fan. As of now, it's still my pick for album of 2008 and is the perfect follow up to Opeth's last release Ghost Reveries. Check it out, Watershed is a must hear!