Pale Communion

Pale Communion is the eleventh studio album by Swedish heavy metal band Opeth. The album was released on 25 August 2014 through Roadrunner Records. The album was produced by Mikael Åkerfeldt and mixed by Steven Wilson. Pale Communion is the first album with keyboardist Joakim Svalberg after the departure of Per Wiberg in 2011.

Musical style
Mikael Åkerfeldt said of the album, "I wanted to do something more melodic with this album, so there's stronger vocal melodies and more melodies overall for this album." Greg Kennelty of Metal Injection said the album does not contain "growls or death metal vocals". He also described the album as "the missing link between Damnation and Ghost Reveries or if Heritage was written directly after Ghost Reveries without Watershed having ever existed."

Artwork
The cover art was designed by Travis Smith, who has designed several previous Opeth album covers. The artwork contains Latin text. The left panel quotes Axel Oxenstierna: "Don't you know, my son, with how little wisdom the world is governed?" (An nesci, mi fili, quantilla prudentia mundus regatur?). The middle panel quotes Terence: "In these days friends are won through flattery, the truth gives birth to hate." (Hoc tempore obsequium amicos, veritas odium parit, Andria, vv. 67-68). The right panel quotes Marcus Valerius Martialis: "He grieves truly who grieves without a witness." (Ille dolet vere qui sine teste dolet, Epigrammata, I, 33).

Personnel

 * Opeth
 * Mikael Åkerfeldt – vocals, guitar, production, art direction, engineering
 * Fredrik Åkesson – guitar, backing vocals
 * Joakim Svalberg – piano, keyboard, backing vocals
 * Martín Méndez – bass guitar
 * Martin Axenrot – drums, percussion


 * Additional personnel
 * Dave Stewart – string arrangements
 * Tom Dalgety – engineering, production
 * Janne Hansson – engineering
 * Steven Wilson – mixing, backing vocals
 * Paschal Byrne – mastering
 * Travis Smith – cover art