OPETH Drops Previously Unreleased Song 'Width Of A Circle', Announces 'In Cauda Venenum (Extended Edition)'

Swedish progressive metallers OPETH will release "In Cauda Venenum (Extended Edition)" on May 13 via Atomic Fire Records. This release, available on digipak, contains the English and Swedish versions of OPETH's latest album, "In Cauda Venenum", with new illustrations by internationally renowned Travis Smith in the booklet. In addition, there is also a third CD including three previously unreleased bonus tracks, both in English and Swedish: "The Mob" / "Pöbeln", "Width Of A Circle" / "Cirkelns Riktning" and "Freedom & Tyranny" / "Frihet & Tyranni".

"In Cauda Venenum (Extended Edition)" is now available for pre-order. Also on May 13, the album's strictly limited "Connoisseur Edition" vinyl boxset, which includes the same bonus tracks but remastered by Mikael Åkerfeldt specifically for vinyl, will be available in the North American retail stores for the first time. Both album editions will also be available at the band's merch table on the upcoming North American tour.

"In Cauda Venenum" was originally released in September 2019 via Moderbolaget / Nuclear Blast Entertainment. Recorded in 2018 at Stockholm's Park Studios, the effort was made available in two versions, in both Swedish and English languages.

Regarding the decision to release "In Cauda Venenum" in Swedish, Åkerfeldt told Revolver: "Doing it in Swedish was just an idea that popped into my head, like, 'Maybe I should fry my egg in the morning instead of boiling it.' It wasn't any deeper than that. And I figured the music climate has changed so much, does it really matter which language it's in? That was it. And it didn't have me writing more lyrics — it just had me writing more music. And the music didn't sound more Swedish or anything like that. But it was a gateway that opened, and it was fun.

Mikael added that he is "not regretting" the fact that "In Cauda Venenum" was also recorded in English. "A lot of people [in the U.S.] are saying they only listened to the English version," he said. "So I was proven right, in a way. I can say a thousand times that the Swedish version is the original version, but it's up to people to choose. I can just hope that they check out both versions. But I do think the Swedish version is slightly better — only because it was first. It's more innocent. With the English version, regardless of what you think about it, that's me trying to copy a vocal line I had done in another language. So it's less exciting to me."

OPETH played its first show with drummer Sami Karppinen (THERION) last November in Asheville, North Carolina at the opening date of the band's tour with MASTODON and ZEAL & ARDOR.

Karppinen stepped in to play with OPETH after the Swedish metallers parted ways with their longtime drummer Martin "Axe" Axenrot due to what they called "a conflict of interests."

When Axenrot's exit was first announced, Åkerfeldt said in a statement: "However sad it is to not have Axe in the band anymore, we're not in a position to linger on anything that is going to hold us back. We need to soldier on.

"Needless to say, we're incredibly thankful that Sami is helping us out, making this tour possible and all. On top of that, he's quite outstanding, really!

"All of us wish the best for Axe in all and any of his future endeavors. He has been a incredibly important part of the band for many years now, and we're all heartbroken it didn’t work out in the end. But that's life, I guess…"

Axenrot officially joined OPETH a decade and a half ago as the replacement for Martin Lopez, who left the band in May 2006 after being plagued by illness and anxiety attacks, which forced him to miss several of OPETH's tours.