Live Review: Opeth, Voyager

Respect is a currency gradually earned in the world of metal, so it’s reassuring that after years of hard work, Voyager are on a historic high. Unsurprisingly, the place was packed from their first note, although tonight the band seemed, at times, slightly out of sorts, as if somewhat overawed by the occasion. There were still undeniable highlights though, not least Daniel Estrin’s near angelic vocals during Colours and the energising finale of Ascension.

In a demographic full of meatheads and grizzly bears, Opeth ringleader Mikael Åkerfeldt is impossibly suave. Tonight, he was at times almost school principal-like, seemingly mocking the more inebriated section of the crowd, as if telling them to pipe down so that the serious fans could do their homework. Starting with a batch of new songs, it was a careful, well-controlled opening. Although the new material sounded fresh, not least the impressively chilly Allting Tar Slut, the band came across as slightly reserved.

But the mood lightened up with Åkerfeldt’s showmanship. He apologised for his black, wide-brim Texas ranger hat, which he claimed was necessary to avoid his hair making him look like a member of Yes circa 1977, admonished his songs as “an acquired taste”, and described his band as “a bunch of lazy cunts” while retaining all the elegant mannerisms of a BBC presenter commentating on a royal wedding. But as ever with Opeth, it’s the small details in the performance and sudden, unexpected moments of beauty that make all the difference, like the perfectly weighted fade midway through The Lotus Eater and the angular half-notes in the closing riffs of Reverie / Harlequin Forest. Although the much longed for death growls were present, Åkerfeldt seemed more inspired by the vocal parts where he had more room to express and stretch himself.

Literally charging back for the encore, a hatless Åkerfeldt appeared much looser, more explosive - proof that sometimes it’s best to not worry about your hair. There were chaotic scenes as a volatile combination of moshing and half-formed circle pits gripped the front rows for closer Deliverance that somehow did not necessitate the calling of an ambulance.