Opeth "The Roundhouse Tapes" (Peaceville)
By Eric Chon
Monday. Apr 14, 2:13 PM
Experience the prog-death masters in the flesh.

There is only one thing better than listening to an Opeth record, and that is hearing them live. Their live shows not only showcase how meticulous and exacting their abilities are, but infuses their music with an energy that their fantastic studio output doesn’t quite capture.

The Roadhouse Tapes captures this energy perfectly with an amazing set of songs spanning their career (though Deliverance is conspicuously absent). And despite only having nine songs, this two-disc set runs more than an hour and a half (and if you’re a diehard Opeth fan like me, you know this is no surprise).

Recorded at the Camden Roadhouse in London, the sound is crisp and full complete with guitarist/vocalist Mike Akerfeldt’s unassuming and hilarious between-song banter. It’s always a treat to hear how he can sound like the world’s calmest and most relaxed bud and then instantly transform into the raging demon behind “The Night and the Silent Water” (CLASSIC!) or “Demon of the Fall.”

As expected, the performance is without peer and the song choice is unbeatable (“Under the Weeping Moon” and “Blackwater Park” being my favorites). For those who own Lamentations, this is a treat as many older songs featured on their Peaceville-released records get to see the light of day without having to trek out to a concert (though if you’ve never seen them, that’s a cryin’ shame).

Any avid fan will snatch these up without a second’s thought, and anyone new to their particular brand of progressive death metal brilliance will get a fine education as to why they command so much respect. The Roadhouse Tapes is exemplary in every way: it’s absence in any metal fan’s library should make that person’s taste in music suspect.
www.opeth.com
www.peaceville.com

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Eric Chon

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