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Opeth

Live in Rosemont, IL May 13, 2008

Review by Greg Olma

Opeth are one of those bands that all my friends have been trying to get me to see. Well, I finally experienced them live as they were part of the Progressive Nation Tour. I always thought that they were a death metal band and as it turns out, I was half right. The other half of their music is progressive and that mix makes them both unique and exciting.
Not being an educated fan, it was really helpful that Mikael Akerfeldt announced the song titles. He did so in a very subdued way which is totally opposite of his demeanor during the numbers. He went from a death metal growl to more traditional singing in the context of one tune making sure that his vocals fit the mood of the rest of the music. The band went through a total of 6 songs in their hour slot which included “In My Time Of Need," “Wreath," and “The Baying Of The Hounds." They even managed to slip in a new track called “Heir Apparent” from their forthcoming Watershed CD.

I really thought that Opeth put on a great show and the crowd reaction confirmed my thoughts. Each of the tunes except “Wreath” (which seemed to be happy just being thrashy) combined the two very different styles of music and made it work. It’s not often that I see a new band and walk away a converted fan but that is exactly what Opeth did. I guess a special thanks should go to Mike Portnoy for getting them on the Progressive Nation Tour because I don’t know when I would have been exposed to them.
This review is available in book format (hardcover and paperback) in Music Street Journal: 2008  Volume 3 at lulu.com/strangesound.
 
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