Live Review: Opeth & Katatonia

Half an hour after doors open there's a massive line snaking from the front of the venue down a side alley almost all the way through to the next block. Katatonia's slot is an early one and they begin right on time, so punters are still streaming in well after they start. Katatonia's sound is highly polished on their studio albums with excellent production, and there's surprisingly little difference in their live sound, though there's a heavier edge. Crowd interaction is kept to a minimum as they make the most of their hour on stage and complete a very impressive set of melodic, atmospheric heavy rock. My Twin, July, Day And Then The Shade and Forsaker are all standout tracks. There's no doubt after this show that they would do well here on their own headline tour.

By the time Opeth appear the crowd is well and truly fired up and the venue is close to sold out. Despite the moaning from some fans over Opeth's last tour in support of Heritage, the band cheekily start with The Devil's Orchard, which seems to go down well nonetheless. Always the joker, Mikael Akerfeldt greets the crowd with the deadpan announcement, “The name of this band: Opeth”. He then asks if we liked Katatonia, and there's such a loud cheer it prompts him to say, “We hope you like us better!” Akerfeldt's epic compositions veer from crushingly heavy passages to delicate guitar interludes and '70s rock-influenced grooves, and he and the rest of the band pull it all off flawlessly. They are masters of dynamics, moving from soft to loud, fast to slow and all points in between, the frequent changes and contrasts keeping their lengthy songs interesting. The light show is also very effective, strobing white lights and swirling colours adding to the chaos during the heavier parts.

An acoustic rendition of Demon Of The Fall is a surprise and sounds excellent, though that and Hope Leaves try the patience of the brigade of fans who prefer the guttural death vocals and heavier riffs. Akerfeldt obviously senses this and even taunts the crowd a little, announcing before finale Blackwater Park that, “You've been a little weak tonight,” which results in a lot of jeers considering that the setlist is still not quite as heavy as some would like. Akerfeldt does as he pleases when it comes to choosing what songs to play, however, and with a talented group of musicians who can play a myriad of styles it's no surprise he doesn't want to limit himself or the band to only playing Opeth's heavier numbers live. When he does let loose with guttural vocals and chugging riffs he still does it very convincingly though, and most of the crowd are very happy with the set. Overall, this is another brilliant performance by an extremely talented band.