This is an absolutely wonderful album. This is Opeth at their most melodic, while still true to their progressive and metal roots. The songs are strong from start to finish... this is the first Opeth album where I immediately liked everything (usually their albums take me a few listens, with some of the tunes instantly accessible, and others growing on me with time). The fidelity sounds fine to me, although the recording levels are a little lower than most of my albums, so you have to turn it up (but you'll want to!) In terms of surround mix, I love it. This is a 4.1 mix, with the drums, bass, and lead vocals mostly up front. Every song has interesting and engaging discrete elements coming from the rears, usually keys/strings and vocals, but also occasional guitar flourishes and sound effects/Swedish voices. There are also lead vocal "effects" throughout coming from the rears which I find enhance the size of my room and add to the overall surround effect (although I can see how these effects could be annoying to some). Comparing to other Opeth surround mixes, this is on par with something like the Blackwater Park mix.
One of the coolest things about this release, though, is all the cool free stuff you get when you purchase the 5.1 blu-ray: TWO double vinyl albums, one in Swedish, one in English, a double CD, a poster, and a big box.
Content = 3/3; Fidelity = 2.5/3; Surround = 2/3 ; no bonus point (don't have room to store all the free stuff). Rounding up, I give it an 8!
Some notes:
Garden of Earthly Delights - A keyboard intro with discrete keyboards in the rears that gradually build in intensity and rear sound effects/voices. This track sounds great with the rears raised 4dB (this is the only track that I felt needed the rears raised).
Dignity - Absolutely killer prog track! Starts off with the entire band screaming repeatedly in the rear channels... a wake up call after the first track lulls you into a daze. Nice calm middle section with acoustic guitars up front and bells moving back and forth in the rear channels, then back to some epic rock with string keyboard stuff and haunting laughter in the rear channels.
Heart in Hand - Classic metal groove with some discrete vocal elements, short guitar bursts, sound effects and keys isolated in the rears, but half the time the rear channels just have echoes and reverb (I'm usually annoyed by this kind of thing, but it's actually a cool effect that makes the sound stage huge). The song ends with a gorgeous mellow outro that really fills the room... and the lead vocals coming mainly from the rears!
Next of Kin - Epic. Lots of keys/strings and background vocals in the rears. Also prominent lead vocal echoes in the rears, but they sound cool to me (sounds like he's singing in a stone-walled great hall in a castle on a mountain top. Yep.)
Lovelorn Crime - A beautiful and powerful ballad... keys/strings and lead vocal reverb effects in the rears. Gorgeous.
Charlatan - Vocal effects, background vocals, strings, and creepy keyboard sounds in the rears. Ends with a Swedish conversation in the rear channels and monks chanting in the front channels. Overall, this reminds me of something off "Hand.Cannot.Erase."
Universal Truth - Keys, strings, background vocals very prominent in the rears.
The Garroter - Lead acoustic guitar in the right rear. Piano Left rear. Drums left front. Very discrete. Strings in the rear. Voices drifting around the room. Kind of a jazzy tune! My only criticism of this one is that the vocal "scat" that mimics the lead guitar at the end would have sounded better in a different channel (they both overlap in the right rear channel).
Continuum - F***ing great! One of the best songs on the album! Background vocal harmonies and keys in the rears. Some cool sections with two different discrete keyboard parts split between the rear speakers.
All Things Will Pass - Opens with a cool acoustic guitar riff that moves back and forth between left rear and right front before the thundering epic electric riffs take over. Keys and acoustic guitar in the rears. Lead vocals bounce back and forth between the rear speakers midway through the song. Great way to end the album!
