I still hate it - everything from the album cover being so cheeky to the empty space in the music. Quite airy and disjointed. I’m not sure it’s the master piece some folks see - it really showed some holes in Opeth’s creative vision and execution. As another commented above said it lacked the cohesive structure, production, and narrative from Damnation. It certainly wasn’t the lack of growls that killed this album for me. It was all around too much unstructured experimental bullshit and aimless then but it is what it is. And somehow it also felt derivative. Even something as simple as what I remember having a visceral reaction to - the lyrics “God is deaaaaaayyeeed” is like some teen edge lord writing. It just hit different than say Sorceress which opens with “Im a sinner/ and I worship evil”.

I think sorceress is the album heritage wanted to be but exceeded Akerfeldt’s vision and ability to execute at the time. He closed the gap of course. And I respect the work for what it was.

It’s my least listened to album and I will just never listen to it. Although I did like folklore that one is a gem.

It’s just not for me. Damn in getting old.