Opeth Reveal "Watershed" Artwork
Band Photo: Opeth (?)
The cover artwork for "Watershed", the forthcoming album from Swedish metallers OPETH, can be viewed at this location. The cover was (as usual) designed by Travis Smith in co-operation with frontman/guitarist Mikael Åkerfeldt
"Watershed" is scheduled for release on June 3 via Roadrunner Records (one day earlier internationally). The CD, recorded in the band's native Sweden and produced by frontman/guitarist Mikael Åkerfeldt and Jens Bogren, is a masterwork that follows the time-honored OPETH tradition; its modern yet timeless, progressive yet paying homage to the sounds of classic rock.
"Watershed" track listing:
01. Coil
02. Heir Apparent
03. The Lotus Eater
04. Burden
05. Porcelain Heart
06. Hessian Peel
07. Hex Omega
All the songs were written by Åkerfeldt apart from "Porcelain Heart", which was co-written with new guitarist Fredrik Åkesson. One additonal track, "Derelict Herds", was also recorded and this was written by Mikael Åkerfeldt and Per Wiberg. On top of this, three cover songs were recorded. "Bridge of Sighs" from ROBIN TROWER's 1974 LP of the same title, "Den Ständiga Resan" (sung in Swedish) by MARIE FREDRIKSSON as well as the classic ALICE IN CHAINS song "Would?"
The album was recorded at Fascination Street studios during November 1 and December 13. Some additional recording was done between January 3 and January 7.
Says Mikael Åkerfeldt: "I've worked so hard with these songs for quite some time now, I've listened to 'em a zillion times. I don't hate them just yet! The album sounds great sonically and I think I can hear us evolving as the record plays on. It is taking us somewhere musically and I don't know where. It's very exciting to say the least! I can't remember having enjoyed a recording this much ever before."
Source: Blabbermouth
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22 Comments on "Opeth Reveal 'Watershed' Artwork"
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Former Contributor
10. writes:
How I was longing for an image of a toolshed in a thundershower at night, given the title.
Kidding.
Heres to hoping the special edition still launches as planned with the standard. I want that extra track and the covers, thats half of another Opeth album!
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Former Contributor
14. writes:
???
It's just a guy sitting at a chair - come on you know you're just praising it cuz it's Opeth! Tell you the truth, one of my miscellaneous gripes with metal today are the album covers - what ever happened to hand drawn art?
Today it's all plastic computer generated images and photoshop fakeness - good examples, Cryptopsy's "Once Was Not" or Suicide Silence's incredibly stupid "The Cleansing". I mean look at something like Atheist's "Piece of Time", Burzum's "Hvis Lyset Tar Oss" or Voivod's "Killing Technology" - now that's metal. I smiled my a$$ off looking at Slayer's artwork for "Christ Illusion". Well that's my rant - can't wait to hear Watershed.
Now Playing: Burning Witch - "Warning Signs"
Member
15. writes:
Cynic,
well, agreed hand made art is wonderful but photoshop/etc has its own ways about it. Is it not the vision behind the art that makes it what it is? not really how it was produced? So those album art works you're ranting about (the bad ones), whether they used a computer or not thats what they wanted no? so it would look the same if done by hand.
plus why people like watershed's so much, would mostly be due to its vision, atmosphere, tone, etc of the picture of this man in the chair. some imagination is involed here....
Former Contributor
16. writes:
Well I don't disagree - if the band wanted lifeless artwork then I'm happy critisizing a bands choice to use computer generated images as part of their vision. It is personal preference though of course, I think growing up in an age where CG images are ubiquitous leads to a certain air of dullness. Cryptopsy made up for it with some cool artwork in the booklet though :P
I think the imagination taking part here is of how awesome the new Opeth album will be and not anything to do with a guy in a chair! Point is I would keep on flicking if I saw this cover in a record store.
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Member
17. writes:
Well i'm pretty sure they had some kind of meaning to it. whether we see it or not. But at any rate yeah its just personal opinion about the computer sh**. i mean i dont care, if you have the gift to draw do it and if you want to enhance it with the computer or whatever you can do that as well. I dont think people can truly criticize art though, i mean you'd have to be in their mind set. Plus i mean how can you say it sucks if you dont understand it. Not that i'm saying you're wrong to have an opinion. but whatever we can all agree this album will be amazing!
Supporter
18. writes:
I dunno. I like when a band has good art on their covers and booklets. However not everyone is great at drawing (me for example), not every band has money to hire an artist to do their art for them and lastly if the music its self is great then I am thrilled! I also want to add that time is also not always avalible to hand draw.
Former Contributor
19. writes:
BeyondSanityXIII writes :"Plus i mean how can you say it sucks if you dont understand it."
It's art, you understand it with the eyes. I'm judging the visual aspect of the art, not the reasoning behind it. Sure, he's probably some super human psychic wizard writing out his memoirs about 4 love triangles and a ghost avenging her murder blah blah prog prog blah, that doesn't change the visuals. And as another point, how can people here praise the artwork without understanding it?
Point is if I was designing a guy sitting down with a book of sorts it'd look a lot more like Sabbat's "History Of A Time To Come" rather than "Watershed" haha. This artwork isn't at all bad, just not very catching to me. And it's not an example of what stuff I really dislike today, I gave examples of that before.
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Reviewer
20. writes:
honestly, i think this album cover is pretty boring.
as for the "good art, bad art method" debate, i've seen some really cool photoshop pieces and really cool drawn pieces and a lot of sh** of both. i personally prefer the drawings/paintings whatever for album art covers, but as long as its cool i dont care about the method.
unfortunately, the epically cool album cover is becoming something of a lost art and being replaced with generic garbage that has nothing to do with the concept of the album.
Reviewer
21. writes:
and it's easy to judge art because good art is in the eye of the beholder. just like music, style and practically everything else in life is relative for any given individual. however, it is a fact that skill and talent and difficulty may be judged. randomly covering yourself in technicolored paint and splatting onto a canvas takes no talent compared to a da vinci painting. so even if i dont like the da vinci painting itself, i will appreciate the mathematical perfection and sheer talent and effort put into it. if i dont like a random splotch painting, i wont appreciate it because i could easily create something similar blindfolded.
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1. RiseND3stroy writes:
I cannot wait for this album