Opeth – Mean Fiddler 2005

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The first time you go to a live gig it’s amazing, isn’t it? It doesn’t really matter who you see, unless something goes badly wrong along the way, your first gig is always memorable. However, as most will attest, you very rarely ever get that same feeling again. Especially after numerous shows. I’ve seen plenty of gigs I’ll always remember as being fantastic shows, but I never thought I’d see one that was as awe-inspiring as my first one. Until I saw Opeth.

There’s no other band on Earth like Opeth. There are many that try to imitate Opeth, including support act Extol, but no one ever manages it. Musically they’re a World apart from everyone else, mixing death metal, progressive rock, acoustic rock and, as frontman Mikael Akerfeldt terms it, “cock-rock”. But that’s on record. To see them perform the same effortless transitions between styles, time signatures and speeds live is truly breathtaking. With almost every song stretching to beyond the eight or nine minute mark, the soundscapes (there’s a music-critic favourite for you) they can create with the addition of Per Wiberg (Spiritual Beggars) on keyboards are incredible. Bloodbath drummer Martin Axenrot, currently standing in for the injured Martin Lopez, did a remarkable job. Opeth rhythms aren’t exactly straight forward, but he seemed to relish playing the songs. Solid performances from guitarist Peter Lindgren and bassist Martin Mendez (how many Martins?!) provided excellent backup to the wizardry of Akerfeldt, who’s playing was majestic all evening without ever being overblown or unnecessary.

The inclusion of many songs never before played in London, like When from My Arms, Your Hearse, Blackwater Park from the album of the same name and Face of Melinda from Still Life were definite highlights, with new cuts The Grand Conjuration and The Baying of The Hounds slotting in perfectly alongside the older material. The inclusion of two songs from the all-melodic Damnation album was both unexpected and welcome.

Seeing Opeth is a real experience, and you should expect to be completely blown away by two hours of top-drawer musicianship and songs crafted to perfection. Utterly astonishing.

“ breathtaking ”

Setlist: Deliverance / The Baying of The Hounds / When / In My Time of Need / To Rid The Disease / The Drapery Falls / The Grand Conjuration / Face of Melinda / Blackwater Park // Demon of The Fall

Written by Andy Lye
More: Death Metal, Gigs, Opeth