Opeth’s gig in Rock Cafe, Tallinn, Estonia, February 23, 2009.
In the course of their ca two-hour set, these original Swedish prog-metallers varied their sounds from tender, like a flute on the green field, to hard and tough, in the meantime depressively somber and dispirited.
Their finishing effort rolled over Estonian fans like a Swedish-made Bofors tank.
I believe no-one regrets the buying of the ticket – Opeth’s performance in Tallinn was really professional and strong. Not only maximum decibels, Opeth has also strong content, both technical and creative. And this could be heard through their amps, loud and clear. The relatively young crowd had a great time, and recognized the strong performance.
The soundmix was quite adequate. Well-known Opeth sounds from the albums were well recognizable. If during the first minute the bass drum wanted to kick you straight through the wall, the mix was then balanced right away.
I must admit that I haven’t been a really big fan for Opeth. The death-metal style growling vocals, plenty to be found in Opeth albums, were putting me off first. Also, the overall morbidness of their compositions could be tiring.
Even so I have listened to this band last 3-4 years, and have several of their albums. Opeth’s prog-oriented compositions are mostly developed not bad at all, quite free of cliches and using exciting song structures. Most important, these tunes are not boring.
Plenty of variance was offered also at the Tallinn gig. Softer sounds varying with tougher, attacking audio avalanches. Only the mood stayed all the same: Opeth’s harmonies are mostly dark or wistful, and either dance around the minor scales or just sound hard and dissonant. For example, Dream Theater’s spectre of moods varies a lot more.
But I think not so many people came to see Opeth, who were not aware beforehand that this band has very little to do with mainstream music, even if talking about mainstream metal or prog-metal. Several parts of their performance sounded unabashedly jazzy, and some moments, abundant with Mellotron sounds, could be taken straight from from a Flower Kings gig.
Don’t expect me to give you the setlist, although I think that some of the fellow listeners could do this in a second.
I’m off now to acquaint me better with the great music of Opeth, and to give their latest effort, Watershed a spin. If the band wants ever to play here again, very welcome.
Recent Comments