What is most annoying is that they seem to KNOW that they can't write a proper song that combines both the heavy and the mellow side of their music well. From the Watershed booklet:

Isberg quit in 1992 and joined the band Liars in Wait. Now, Opeth only had Åkerfeldt singing, Nordin on bass guitar and Lindgren on electric guitar. These three members began writing new songs sounding less like typical death metal, and started using acoustic guitars and guitar harmonies, making Opeth a more progressive death metal band. Johan DeFarfalla began playing bass guitar again for Opeth and these four members recorded their first album, Orchid. Opeth's Watershed Tops Finnish Album Chart". Roadrunner Records. 11 June 2008. Archived from the original on 1 August 2008 . Retrieved 10 August 2008. Suomen virallinen lista - Artistit Opeth: The Roundhouse Tapes". www.ifpi.fi . Retrieved 17 July 2014.Mikael. "Opeth Chapter 7". Opeth.com. Archived from the original on 2007-12-31 . Retrieved 2009-04-19. Robin Staps (23 July 2008). "The Ocean Will Tour With Opeth". The Ocean Collective. Archived from the original on 20 March 2018 . Retrieved 20 September 2008. Current logo". Opeth.com. Archived from the original on 21 February 2004 . Retrieved 25 January 2008. The album's major, glaring flaw is its inconsistency. Again, I really adore "Coil" and "Burden." Though I do enjoy all the other songs, none of them are up to the same quality. "Heir Apparent" is an unnecessary inclusion for the sake of adding brutality to an album that doesn't need it. Its riffs are subpar compared to other Opeth metal songs, though the last minute and a half is one of the best moments on the album. It's shameful the one vicious song on the album is equally weak, because Mikael's growl is on the same level of excellence as his clean voice. OPETH Is Working On 'Complex' And 'Energetic' New Album". BLABBERMOUTH.NET. 11 July 2018. Archived from the original on 1 March 2021 . Retrieved 19 October 2021.

One of my only real complaints with Opeth is their tendency to believe all clean vocal sections need comparatively soft instrumental performances, when such is not the case. Watershed shows in many sections that Opeth can play true progressive metal without the death elements, and this comes alive in "The Lotus Eater" and "Porcelain Heart." These two feature heavy, progressive rhythms and are not far away from past Opeth songs; however, the prior has constant singing with few slow segments, and the latter has no growling whatsoever.The last one we did was "Would?" by Alice in chains which is another odd choice, but we all liked them and liked the song. It sounds pretty much like their version but worse I guess. Alright though. Always loved that band and the song is a classic. These two highlights are further enhanced in other ways, as well: aside from its awesome acoustic and bass rhythm, "Coil" also features prominent use of female vocals for, perhaps, the first time in Opeth's history, and it fits the mood of the song very well. "Burden," on the other hand, releases an electric lead between verses - between that and a well executed keyboard solo, the song is subject to repeated climax. A long, tremendous solo follows the last verse, sealing the passionate performance of the rest of the song.

Opeth's "Pale Communion" Coming June 17". Roadrunner Records. 7 April 2014. Archived from the original on 12 November 2020 . Retrieved 8 April 2014. Tahmasian, Michael (19 September 2012). "Becoming the Archetype". Mindequalsblown.net. Archived from the original on 16 February 2017 . Retrieved 15 February 2017. perhaps among Opeth's finest. Certainly the most technical song on the disc, it features blast beats over which Akerfeldt sings with clean vocals and then growls atop rapid-fire guitar riffery. Very interesting. The rhythm exercise of the song brims with energy,

WATERSHED

Scott Alisoglu (2 November 2009). "Interview with Ahab". TeethOfTheDivine.com. Archived from the original on 9 July 2017 . Retrieved 14 February 2017.

When talking extensively about Opeth, it is incredibly unusual to get so far without even mentioning the name of Mikael Åkerfeldt, but it is always a safe bet that his vocal performance will always blow you away. ‘Watershed’ is no exception. His death growls, while heavily underutilised, are better than they have ever been, with an astoundingly low tone reached, further extending his impressive range. Taking up a more prominent role here are his clean vocals, which are as great as ever. However, the way they are produced in quieter sections can be quite undefined, and sink further into the middle of the mix than lead vocals really should be. It is no big problem, although a little more power in some of the longer and more repetitive sections would have done wonders. a b "Swedish charts portal – Opeth: Album" (in Swedish). Hung Medien. Archived from the original on 11 February 2009 . Retrieved 16 May 2015. particularly during the instrumental break where guitars, drums and bass clash with each other without taking away from the composition.

Some people will tell you never to judge a book by its cover, but in a lot of cases you can anyway, and this is one of those cases. I never indulged myself in Opeth's vast repertoire of sophistication myself, finding the little bits I had heard too boring and pretentious to warrant more than one listen, but I couldn't escape this one, not with all the hype surrounding it. The basic formula for the music is like nothing I've ever heard before, although if you're one of those people who will mistake that for a statement of praise, then you'd be wrong. I'm having fits even trying to describe this, as the band never stays in one mode long enough. They have some heavy riffs, some melodeath-y growling, some emotive clean vocals, a lot of acoustic passages, and lots and lots of drum fills. You could definitely get away with calling this progressive, as from what I understand, the band has progressed from their older efforts on this one, but this is the kind of Prog I really dislike. New York & LA 25th Anniversary Shows Announced". Opeth.com. 28 April 2015. Archived from the original on 18 May 2015 . Retrieved 17 May 2015.