Well OPETH graced our local tiny stage @ the lofi cafe in downtown salt lake and lemme tell ya, their presence is palpably electric, this was my 2nd time experiencing them live, and I'm very glad I had the opportunity to see them a couple years back, because I was able to discern the difference between their two performances.
first off, Mikael announced right off the bat that they had just performed a stellar show in Los Angeles the night before, and were forced to take certain pain relieving pills that very morning in order to . . . ahem, "recuperate" enough to make it to salt lake, so he ended that with the disclaimer "be ready for a half decent rock show", and all I can tell ya is, that when OPETH deliver a "half decent show", it is more powerful than 90% of your average band's Best Concentrated Effort.
The problems: Mikael's exquisite gilmouresque lead guitar playing was somewhat muffled under the piled up layers of crushing death rhythm guitar. YOu could hear it -- it just wasn't brought out to the forefront enough. The sound mixer was a fuckin idiot.
Martin Lopez' absence - - THis, of course, was a very sad & disappointing thing. Namely becasue Martin Lopez is one of my favorite drummers of all time, not to mention highly respected in the business. The man is a stellar showcase of amazing percussive abilities, certainly one of the cream of the crop in today's music business. And I DO mean "music business"; he is NOT merely to be relegated to the limited "deathmetal" category. He would make an accomplished jazz or anything else for that matter, percussionist. Just listen to their beautiful, 100%- metal/scream-free album DAMNATION to understand what a perfect drummer he is.
The guy they had replaced kept up with the band, however. And that is an accomplishment in itself. He may not have had the necessary sharp flourish of Lopez, but he kept the spine of the beast going, and I gotta hand it to him. A funny sidenote: when introducing the members of the band, Mikael said something like "And to show you that we're not very smart, we decided to replace Martin Lopez only with another drummer with the same name: ladies and gentleman, this is Martin on the drums", and everyone laughed.
Of course, MIkael's legendary "Balrog"-deathvocals were in tip top shape, making up for the lack of lead guitar tone. At a few points during the show, Mikael hilariously tried to give the audience "death vocal lessons", by letting out 4 or 5 different "death growls" and grunts and ululations, and the crowd would fire back their attempt at copying them, which made for some genuinely humorous moments. That man can sing. And he can scream. And he can growl like nobody's business. Personally, I think he's the best in the industry - - many would disagree, citing more "serious" deathvocalists, but c'mon, gimme a break - - most of those guys sound like constipated gorillas grunting over a ditch - - and more to the point, are nearly always 100% unintelligable. Not that anyone can catch everything Mikael growls out of the depths of his tremendous lungpower; but still, you can actually discern much of what he is roaring out, and not only that, but he actually hits the proper notes, lending an integral melodicism to the deathyells which truly underpins their music with a visceral force not found in any band I can think of (and I can think of a lot of similar deathvocal-themed bands).
This band is truly an epic, classic rock/death/metal band in every sense of the word. If there is such a thing as the perfect vehicle to serve as the beginner's "introduction" to deathmetal, OPETH would be just the thing. Their music alternates between absolutely beautiful acoustic classical guitar passages, lyrical vocals drenched in mournful, funereal passages, which sometimes turn on a dime into a stunning display over overpowering metal and blastbeats accompanied by a truly frightening vocal delivery from Mikael, and often as not merging back into a languid, eerie as moonlight and just as lucid segue into the darker corners of music's dreams.
Truly one of my favorite bands in existance today, I would not blink an eye nor hesitate to state that OPETH grace the same stage as any of the past greats you'd care to mention, be they BLACK SABBATH, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, or any other I've ever had the pleasure of worshipping. OPETH are truly THE seminal rock/metal outfit of the 21st century -- such aching beauty interlaced in between their crushing testaments, its no wonder I'm left breathless after a performance of theirs, regardless of the fact they may not have been in tip top shape.
As for a setlist. . . . . . I'm workin on it ! ! I was too involved soaking in their performance to bother with writing down the setlist. . . .and now my memory is too fuzzy for the details, I do know they closed with DEMON OF THE FALL, and everyone lost it and went nuts, I stayed out of the pits because I think its just silly, OPETH is far more of an intellectual / emotional band for me to go hoppin crazy like one more clueless fuckin asshole jock, they really are a headtrip for me, so I stood by the moshpit walls and shoved ass holes back in there, the dumbfucks.
The first song was . . . . . *straining to remember*. . . damnit, I can't remember. . . but here are some of the songs they played, in no particular order:
Ghost Of Perdition
The Baying Of The Hounds
Beneath The Mire
When (*one of the highlights, from 'My Arms, Your Hearse')
The Grand Conjuration
In My Time Of Need* --- *Amazing Singalong*, MIkael asked all of us up front, before beginning the song, that he wanted EVERYONE to sing along, and by god did we. For a couple of stanzas, Mikael just stood back & held out the mic to us, with a big smile plastered across his face. Another highlight of the evening.
The Leper Affinity - - *Awesome version* - - from Blackwater Park, one of my top opeths
The Moor - - -*HELL YES*, I almost forgot - - -they kicked this one out beautifully, from Still LIfe (of course) - - - *the other highlight of the evening*
all in all - - you just can't ever go wrong with a live set from opeth, no matter how hungover they are. If you're any kind of fan of progressive music - - - you absolutely MUST see these guys perform live. Even if you're not into the "crushing metal" aspect, I beseech thee to dismiss this triviality: for the members of Opeth are truly talented musicians, who know what they do. While the rest of the world either turns their backs or pays attention, the members of opeth are busily constructing one of the most impressive ouvres in heavy progressive music today. Their catalogue, as of this latest installment Ghost Reveries, catapults them directly onto center stage as living legends in our midst. Catch them while you can.
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