This is a hard one to review for me. On the one hand it might be Opeth's most exquisite production. The engineering and mix are gorgeously punchy and clear, and the Atmos mix works wonderfully. Mostly frontal, but with lots of nice surround moments. I really like the overhead mics in the top front speakers.
But musically, while the mix of their modern prog/fusion and older death metal is tonally awesome, the songwriting is lacking. These are some of Mikael's most aimless and disjointed songs. I've loved pretty much all their post Still Life output, including Heritage onwards, and Mikael has always been able to write great melodies and hooks to create memorable moments. There are very few here. The melodies are often really awkward as if they were an afterthought. The best tracks are 4-7, the more riff focused ones, as they don't rely on melody as much. There are some killer riffs and grooves in this second half.
Perhaps I will come back with a higher rating later having finally 'got' what he is doing with these songs. Opeth are a top 3 band for me, so my feelings are strong with this one. I still enjoyed it, its just a bit disappointing after all the positive early buzz.
That's an 8 for me (average of 9 for production/mix and a 7 for the album itself).
Edit: some changes to my wording.
