I thought about finding / writing another animal-related poem tonight, but I’m here at the final part of my Opeth discographic adventure (the most recent album I have by them, not the most recent album they’ve released… time to buy some new music, methinks). And I am moved to write something about bands changing genres, and how following one’s artistic desires can occasionally leave fans disappointed.
I probably should have written this Saturday, when I was listening to the previous album. For those unfamiliar with this band, Opeth started out as doomy, melodic death metal, with a penchant for clean vocals. Over time they grew increasingly technical and diverse, but always remained heavily rooted in death metal. At least, until the release of Heritage in 2011. While not entirely different from the previous Opeth album, Watershed, it was their first to drop death metal vocals entirely, utilizing only clean singing and harmonies. And with Pale Communion, most of the death metal music is gone, leaving the authors of such extreme metal classics as “Demons of the Fall” essentially 70’s-influenced prog metal.
Which is fine by me, personally, but certainly upset many of their older-school fans.
I am very diverse in my musical tastes. And I have a soft spot for artists following their own artistic visions into new realms. But I can also understand feeling slightly “betrayed” by such changes. Or at the very least, disappointed. I think of Mumford & Sons, the first two albums by whom I thoroughly enjoyed, but who’s third album I thought had lost most of what made them unique and enjoyable in the first place. I never did buy their fourth album.
My roommate has similar feelings for Of Monsters and Men. She loves their earlier moody acoustic folk, but can’t stand anything since they released their single “Alligator” (which I kind of really like, personally).
Some bands slowly shift over time, like Metallica growing increasingly sophisticated in their thrash sensibilities. Others veer sharply to the left without warning, like Ulver going from black metal to industrial to electronic seemingly overnight. Sometimes these are due to bands and artists growing up and maturing. Sometimes it is a commercial decision, and others an artistic one. Motivation is important, too: it’s easier to disavow an unliked change when it is made in the pursuit of more fans or greater musical accessibility. But sometimes it is simply a matter of the songwriters themselves embracing their own diversifying tastes. Like Opeth.
I’ll definitely have to track down their most recent output in the near future, and hear how their progression has continued.
Written while listening to Opeth’s Pale Communion (2014).
The Artist and the Engineer 