The wait has been very long (several years) before seeing a live of
Opeth in CD. I must say I had not been fully satisfied by the set of songs selected for the DVD
Lamentations. Here, this is quite the opposite: the chosen set is huge and it shows us the apogee of
Opeth’s
Ghost Reveries tour. The result is amazing.
No regret to have if you couldn’t go to England,
Opeth brings at your doors what may have been the best live performance of the year. Simply close your eyes and you will feel like being there (you should also maybe increase a little the heat in your room to strengthen the effect). The sound coming out of
The Roundhouse Tapes is so warm, so specific that you’ll feel as if being in the hall with the public. The guitars sound ‘right’, Mikael Åkerfeldt even allowing himself to make jokes on the tuning. No production tricks here, it seems as if the sound was coming directly out of the amplifier and it is the band’s technique which does all the job. Indeed, independently from the fact that the sound is unique and huge, the band performs its nine songs with an amazing perfection. The complex structures of the tracks are respected to the letter and the result is a pure killing. It’s a pleasure to hear again a title from
Morningrise. Perfectly executed, I listened to “The
Night And The
Silent Water” in loop (and also the eponym song “
Blackwater Park”). The public has also obviously appreciated as the ambiance is electric during these songs. As a matter of fact, it is part of the charm of a live album to hear the reactions of the public. Here, on the tracks full of screaming or during more quiet passages of “
Ghost of
Perdition” (for example), the English fans are each time marvellous. On the scale of the Black Album, the quality scores nearly at 9/10. Even a title from
Damnation (the album I didn’t really like) becomes good on stage thanks to the overall sincerity delivered by the band.
Admirable, unique, this
The Roundhouse Tapes can be described in many nice ways. If you were planning to discover
Opeth soon, this live is the album you need. It’ll show you the technique and the generosity of the band at full strength.
Translated by Heavyboy
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