Opeth & Katatonia at the Palladium, Worcester, MA

Opeth kicked of a tour on the eve of the release of their 10^th studio album with long-time friends and fellow Swedes, Katatonia at the Palladium in Worcester, Massachusetts. Heritage is another chapter in Opeth's musical journey. For this 'observation' Mikael Akerfedt and company chose to dive deep into their prog rock roots. The sweet, classical-influenced opener, "Heritage" gives way to "The Devil's Orchard," which jumps out with gritty guitars and wild organs. Akerfedt's voice rings clear and desparate, backed by frenetic drums and a rollicking guitar accompaniment. Playing with familar song structure, "The Devil's Orchard" stops and starts, turns down low, and reaches out in a hundred directions before fading away. "Nepenthe" is at times soft and delicate as Akerfedt sings beautifully over jazz-tinged drums and bass. In "Haxprocess" the call and answer between Akerfedt and organ sets up an dangerously intricate play between syncopated rhythm and feverish acoustic guitar. Every song has been crafted with care. Each contains its strengths, subtlety, and technical ambition. You will love this record the moment you hear it because every moment is packed with grooves, catchy vocals, and unpredictable twists and turns. And yet, on every subsequent listen you'll discover something that wasn't there before. There's always another riff, bass lick, or organ squeal lurking just beyond your perception. Heritage is flush with intense musically, just like every Opeth album before it. It's technical and unabashedly exposed to the listener. There are no death growls or blast beats to hide under. Heritage is not prog, it's not death metal, it's simply Opeth.


On another note, it's worth getting the bonus tracks "Pyre" and "Face In The Snow."

Katatonia took the stage for an 11-song opening set. This is another band that I stumbled onto for no particular reason but was immediately drawn their dark, brooding style. Jonas Renske's haunting vocals are racked full of emotion, passion, and sorrow. Their set took songs from their most recent albums, Night Is The New Day and The Great Cold Distance. They also played songs from deeper in their catalog, stretching as far back as 1999's Tonight's Decision. It was a killer set and these 20-year veterans of heavy metal put on an excellent show. There was no fanfare or rockstar stage antics. Instead Katatonia let the music speak for itself. Hearing some personal favorites like July, My Twin, and Forsaker live (and in the front row) was utterly awesome.

Set List:
1. Forsaker
2. Liberation
3. Soil Song
4. Nephilim
5. My Twin
6. The Longest Year
7. Evidence
8. Chrome
9. For My Demons
10. July
11. Leaders

So, as if the Katatonia set wasn't enough fun, Opeth came out on stage and played a brilliant, inspired, and musically exhausting 2-hour set. They played songs from several many different releases including their latest, Heritage. This was a much different set than their typical festival shows. Keeping with the theme from Heritage, Opeth played an incredibly technical and challenging list of songs. They opened with "The Devil's Orchard" and "I Feel The Dark" (from Heritage), followed by "Face Of Melinda" and "Porcelain Heart." They demonstrated their musical prowess as they seemlessly blended new material with old. Face Of Melinda, a staple of Opeth concerts, is from 1999's Still Life. It sounds at home with "Porcelain Heart" (from Watershed) and the vibe from Heritage. 

The middle part of the show was performed acoustically by both Mikael Akerfedt and guitarist Fredrik Akesson. I've seen plenty of bands slow things down with an acoustic song here and there, but this performance was different. Opeth played through a handful of songs, with dual acoustic guitars playing in perfect harmony, backed by subtle organs and solid rhythm. They dove back to into their catalog, to play "Credence," from 1998's My Arms Your Hearse. They even played some very rare songs, including "The Throat of Winter" and "Patterns In The Ivy II."

With barely a breather between songs, the 2-hour show closed with songs both new and old. Opeth sounded amazing from every vantage point in the venue. From the front of stage to the risers in the back of the small theater. It is truly rare to witness such musicianship, especially in the increasingly dilute metal genre. Instead of delivering technically intense music, many bands do all they can throw up a wall of sound, masking imperfections and insecurity. Fortunately, bands like Opeth, show us that metal can still play.

I know what you're thinking... Opeth didn't play their heavy stuff? No death metal vocals? If you've got a complaint then you've missed the point. And that's a topic for another blog. Mikael Akerfedt declared, at the beginning of the show, "We're going to play some new stuff tonight. I hate it when my favorite bands play new stuff, I just want to hear to the old stuff." Thank you, Opeth, for playing one of the best shows I have ever seen.

Opeth - Devil's Orchard

Set List:
1. The Devil's Orchard
2. I Feel The Dark
3. Face Of Melinda
4. Porcelain Heart
5. Nepenthe
6. Throat Of Winter
7. Credence
8. Patterns In The Ivy II
9. Slither
10. A Fair Judgement
11. Hex Omega
12. Folklore