New Opeth album "The Last Will and Testament" releasing October 11th 2024 (Atmos mix!)

[srbjab]

Listened to the first track in Atmos on Apple Music and thought it was terrific. Lots of specific height channel activity, with musical references to earlier records - including growls!. Immediately ordered the CD/BD from Amazon for ~$20. Simply, an amazingly reliable band for well over a quarter century. If you ever have a chance to see them live, do it.

 

[SharpKnight]

Here's the Amazon US link but unavailable for now. I'm sure it'll become active eventually.

The Last Will And Testament https://a.co/d/9P7ITy1

Will be reading through this thread, I'm sure somebody else also found it.

So the link is now active and I already ordered my copy. It is indeed Blu-Ray. What do you guys think?

 

[stoopid]

What do you guys think?

Easiest $20 sale Amazon has ever made?

Now I only need to see about the new SW album.

 

[Clement]

Tim at Squeezebox is able to score it for $20 as well! Man, all these years of going to Amazon!

 

[PolkSDA]

Tim at Squeezebox is able to score it for $20 as well! Man, all these years of going to Amazon!

I guess I've been indoctrinated into the cult, as Amazon is typically my first go-to when it comes to ordering things rather than last. Items need to be markedly cheaper (or especially fragile, e.g., steelbooks) for me to consider ordering outside the Amazon ecosystem. With Prime, shipping is always free (international items notwithstanding), returns are simple, and with the Amazon Store Card which I've had for many years now, I'm always getting an additional 5% to 7% back on purchases... it adds up over time.

I get people wanting to avoid Amazon on principle, but man they make it so easy to keep on using them...

 

[stoopid]

I guess I've been indoctrinated into the cult, as Amazon is typically my first go-to when it comes to ordering things rather than last. Items need to be markedly cheaper (or especially fragile, e.g., steelbooks) for me to consider ordering outside the Amazon ecosystem. With Prime, shipping is always free (international items notwithstanding), returns are simple, and with the Amazon Store Card which I've had for many years now, I'm always getting an additional 5% to 7% back on purchases... it adds up over time.

I get people wanting to avoid Amazon on principle, but man they make it so easy to keep on using them...

It's about discretion for me. Every single point you made is why, 9/10 times, I buy from Amazon all things being equal. In the case of the exceptions it's usually that, for whatever reason, Amazon doesn't carry or isn't cheaper (it does happen, thinking "all things" not just buying surround titles).

For a while I would buy from Burning Shed sight unseen, but when the exchange rate for the USD took a nose dive a couple years ago I've had to move on. I really liked supporting them as the house of prog, but I'm not wealthy enough to buy on principle alone.

 

[SharpKnight]

I guess I've been indoctrinated into the cult, as Amazon is typically my first go-to when it comes to ordering things rather than last. Items need to be markedly cheaper (or especially fragile, e.g., steelbooks) for me to consider ordering outside the Amazon ecosystem. With Prime, shipping is always free (international items notwithstanding), returns are simple, and with the Amazon Store Card which I've had for many years now, I'm always getting an additional 5% to 7% back on purchases... it adds up over time.

I get people wanting to avoid Amazon on principle, but man they make it so easy to keep on using them...

That's a good reasoning but artist are barely making any money on the records they put out. They make money on live shows and merch. So the money is ultimately going to the labels so why not pay the least we can regardless of where we get it from.

 

[stoopid]

That's a good reasoning but artist are barely making any money on the records they put out. They make money on live shows and merch. So the money is ultimately going to the labels so why not pay the least we can regardless of where we get it from.

The thinking is more to do with the shop selling the title, not the artist. Whether we pay $20 or $25, the artist's cut as you explained is the same. But some shops are better than others, in terms of selection, reliable shipping times, packaging, and customer service. It's worth keeping those shops alive to ensure competition in the market, otherwise the few remaining can price fix and/or get complacent with failing in one of those aspects I just listed.

With more and more items becoming direct to consumer, the days might be numbered for many small time shops that resell new product [not just thinking music here]. Specifically regarding music, a majority of the releases now can be purchased direct from the artist or their record label. How long do they continue to share that slice of the pie?

 

[minimumtumbleweed]

Listened to the first track in Atmos on Apple Music and thought it was terrific. Lots of specific height channel activity, with musical references to earlier records - including growls!. Immediately ordered the CD/BD from Amazon for ~$20. Simply, an amazingly reliable band for well over a quarter century. If you ever have a chance to see them live, do it.

Even cheaper for us in Canada (shocking!) - 18 USD. Now if only Amazon.ca would stock Storm Corrosion...

 

[rugene]

Love the band, love the setlist, love the venue.

Maybe 'unlistenable' was too harsh but here's the deal. It's not a great surround mix out of the box; it's rather like a lot of concert discs with casual ho-hum surround mixing. To approach listenable I had to undo my typical settings (Audyssey calibrated) as follows: Cut the center 6dB, raise the surrounds 6dB to hear anything. Even then the action in the rears is minimal at best; mostly ambience, the occasional effect send and applause. So for me, I found I'd rather have the full stereo content in all speakers for this disc.

I agree that the activity in the surrounds here is minimal not to say silent... "Roundhouse Tapes" live is a lot better for the surrounds.

 

[Mirsset]

From that article...



But... Ian is supposed to play flute too, isn't he? Looks like that according to the comments a few paragraphs below in the article, but it's only "spoken word" according to the credits

• Ian Anderson – flute (§4 and §7), spoken word (§1, §2, §4, and §7)

 

[dquad]

Track: §3 is available to stream on Apple Music now. No cookie monster vocals! This is more up my alley. Now I'm excited to hear the rest knowing not all tracks will feature cookie monster.

 

[SomethingAnything]

Track: §3 is available to stream on Apple Music now. No cookie monster vocals! This is more up my alley. Now I'm excited to hear the rest knowing not all tracks will feature cookie monster.

Personally, I'm grappling with these titles a bit. They're leaning a little too closely into the wind of pretention for me.

 

[Thonolan]

I listened to the first single twice and that's about it. I don't want to spoil the "full album discovery at first listen" experience Loking forward to October 11th! There are so many interesting releases coming these days that it will be very easy to wait.

 

[Marplot]

Personally, I'm grappling with these titles a bit. They're leaning a little too closely into the wind of pretention for me.

nah, the titles crossed over some time ago but it is a self-inflicted outcome where you can't introduce new fans by saying 'check out Opeth's Section 3 track, its a banger'.
Can't find? You know, Section .. § ...

 

[madship]

I listened to the first single twice and that's about it. I don't want to spoil the "full album discovery at first listen" experience Loking forward to October 11th! There are so many interesting releases coming these days that it will be very easy to wait.

I boarded that train too.

 

[stoopid]

Personally, I'm grappling with these titles a bit. They're leaning a little too closely into the wind of pretention for me.

Ghost of Pretention

 

[SomethingAnything]

The titles remind me a little of the paintings one sometimes sees hanging in galleries named the likes of 'Untitled #3'. Come on guys, you're artists. Get creative. It smacks of laziness, to me. And plain silly. And how do you go about introducing one of them live? I guess you don't.

On a positive note, there are two of the 'titles' on Tidal in Atmos. I've only heard them once, and the mix sounds pretty good!

 

[Thonolan]

And how do you go about introducing one of them live? I guess you don't.

Mikael will find a way to make a terrible joke about it every single time.

 

[SomethingAnything]

Mikael will find a way to make a terrible joke about it every single time.

He's going to regret it.