Opeth’s ‘Pale Communion’ Album Streaming in Full

Praise the prog metal masters of Opeth! Fans of the Swedish band were crushed when 'Pale Communion' was pushed back from a June release to an August one, but we can all finally hear the full album now via Pitchfork (link below).

'Pale Communion,' Opeth's 11th studio album, is the long-awaited follow-up to the band's 2011 album, 'Heritage.' Opeth have treated fans to the tracks 'Cusp of Eternity' and 'Eternal Rains,' which both showcase a progressive rock feel and a heavy Steven Wilson influence.

The rest of 'Pale Communion' resides in a similar realm with the two singles, which is sure to polarize fans. Despite fan opinion, the album is dark but extremely beautiful, pulling dynamics from 'Damnation' while 'Pale Communion' finds further nuances not before heard in an Opeth record.

“If it sounds like us, that’s good. And if it sounds like something we don’t know, that’s also good,” frontman Mikael Akerfeldt explained to us in a recent interview. “This album has some parts that sound like us and some parts that sound kind of new too. It’s a bit heavier than ‘Heritage’ at times and it’s a bit more melodic. I think it should be a bit easier to get into this record because there’s a lot of focus on the melodies. We’re a progressive band. Sometimes we sound like a metal band and sometimes we don’t.”

Check out Opeth's 'Pale Communion' in its entirety right now! To hear the album, head over to Pitchfork.

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