OPETH offer a live extravaganza in the Rockies.
Garden Of The Titans
NUCLEAR BL AST
Swedish gods find new peaks in the Rocky Mountains
Opeth fans have been treated to some wonderful live documents over the years, and though anything is likely to pale in comparison to 2010’s In Live Concert At The Royal Albert
Hall’s run-through of
Blackwater Park, Garden Of
The Titans, performed at the incredible, geological wonder that is Red Rock Amphitheatre in the hills outside Denver, is a fitting setting to make an audacious bid for the title. Crucially, this is the Swedes’ first live album since the pivotal Heritage stripped away most of their metallic elements from record, as well the live set for a time. However, as anyone who witnessed the Sorceress tour will attest, each show now sees a seamless balance of material covering every peak of their extraordinary career, with the setlist choice for this sublimely performed concert perfectly keeping admirers of all eras happy. The towering Ghost Of Perdition and thunderous finale of Deliverance are played with the same caustic verve and majestic flair as ever, while the Hammond-drenched 70s homages of The Devil’s Orchard and Cusp Of Eternity elegantly befit the stunning surroundings and hypnotic screen visuals, with the majority of the crowd shots showing spectators on the steep terraces captivated. A sizeable wind hurling dry ice, mountain dust and the bandmembers’ hair around adds to the theatre – and makes for a nippy evening if Mikael’s Åkerfeldt’s complaints are to be believed – and a roadie fiddling with the frontman’s guitar during a titanic Demon Of The Fall makes for an authentic experience that both looks and sounds exquisite. Even Mikael’s explaining that any mistakes will have been brushed over during one of his legendary dry skits fails to break the magic. A must for all fans and for any band wanting to know how it’s done.