Deliverance

I will have to repeat many words. Please, understand.

Having been a witness to the surreal experiences of seeing first Eluvietie, then Lamb of God, Metallica, Anoushka and finally, Opeth perform live in concert, I have developed an opinion that none of the fans would return unhappy after the performance of any of the above mentioned artists. That is true, barring the case of Opeth. I am as big a fan of LOG or Metallica for that matter, as they are but then there has to be something that sets Opeth apart. I can thus lay my claim to being the biggest Opeth fan that has treaded upon the face of the earth, and in furtherance of what I said above, I am a disappointed fan after February the 5^th, 2012.

For three continuous months, I had been waiting. Waiting for that moment when I would listen THEM play live in concert. Yeah, they had come to India once, but then I had just started to listen to western music and Opeth (what a shame it is) were relatively unknown in the college, and hence to me. But since then, and as I got into Opeth, they have left an indelible mark on my musical side. I can proudly say that I picked up a guitar listening to Metallica, but Opeth are the ones responsible for introducing good music and the ability to discern between something that is a sun to the million other stars.

For me, if there is one band that has produced brilliant music album after album since Led Zeppelin, it has got to be Opeth. I think there is hardly any song on any of their releases that I can classify as ordinary, leave alone bad. Starting from Orchid and right up to their 10^th release in Heritage, they have continued to amaze their fans with a platter of deliciously rich music, dished out in the most understated, under acknowledged setting. From their heavy metal roots to the genre that conspicuously straddles between something of jazz, the classical 70’s rock and the progressive elements, with a dash of folk and a pinch of Opeth (yes, I consider them to be another genre altogether), they have transcended any modern day band to become the most adventurous, yes, but at the same time, one of the most critically acclaimed bands, musically. Like they say in our country, if cricket is religion then Sachin is God, so I say, if music is religion, OPETH is GOD.

I know I am too diminutive a mortal to try and write something about the virtuosity of the band. But what I can do is present a caricature of what my experience on the night of the  5^th of February, 2012 was. Opeth came to India with Suidakra and Nothnegal. I could not listen to Nothnegal but Suidakra was a musical masterpiece in whatever I could listen of them. They were a judicious mix of alternative, old school, the frenetic 80’s and the Celtic folk influences. I don’t know, I was still looking for people and I think I missed out on a hugely promising band. That is that.

Opeth grandly opened with the groovy “The Devil’s Orchard” (Heritage). Breathtaking riff work and some brilliant drumming lend a weirdly eerie feel to this song, with Mikeal proclaiming the death of God. I don’t know what to make of the lyrics, frankly, but in any song, it is just that music that attracts me and “The Devil’s Orchard” has it plentiful. Just as in the album, they followed it by “I Feel The Dark” (Heritage). I know I am going to use this a zillion times throughout this writing, but it perfectly sums up what Opeth has been throughout their musical life. Trying, testing and expanding. With the smooth start to the screeching break right in the middle of the song and back to the mellow ending, they have crafted such effortless transitions that it is impossible for me to ignore the enormity of their music.

“Face of Melinda” belongs to those days when they used to call themselves a death metal band. Can you believe it? I can. With Opeth, the significance of their music lies in their ability to surprise you with the most absurd concepts theoretically, but the most ear-gasmic ones pragmatically. Sandwiched between two expansively composed songs, primarily on distortion, it is one beautiful song that sure does send a chill. I have never been someone who judges songs on the merit of their lyrics but with Opeth, you can rest assured that you will never get any chance. They seal off the easiest excuse, quite gracefully. Such restraint and yet so cathartic a song, equaled only by, perhaps “A Fair Judgement” (Deliverance) in treatment, is enrapturing to the first-time-listener, leave alone who know what Opeth is.

Immediately follows “Slither” (Heritage), that Mikael says he wrote as a tribute to Ronnies Dio James. As towering a personality Ronnie was, and this song might not be the most Ronnie-istic song, but Opeth took me back to the era of the rock music scene. “Credence” which followed, is again a beautiful song, and from my one-of-the-ten favorite Opeth albums, My Arms, Your Hearse. In an epic album which weaves a beautiful narrative into the songs through pacy, silent, racing and heart stopping music, served with a handful of (I dare say) diligently assorted words, “Credence” that song which halts you to a thoughtful stop, before signing off with that final, brutal rush. I can easily say that it is the most context-fitting song in the album. Yeah, in respect of the concert, I think it was a little ill timed, but again, who cares as long as it was Opeth.

“To Rid The Disease” is a nice, jazzy song from their only clean album, Damnation, but somewhat lazy and perhaps carries the risk of losing the concert going listeners somewhere in the middle. Joachim (whose first name is Mother and the last name is Fucker) fucks up the keyboards and we have to wait for the first growls of the evening. “Folklore” (Heritage) acts as the filler between the angel-like-clean-and-the-Satan-like-deep, as they say, bowel-crunching-growls. Okay, as big a fan I might be, I could not recollect that it was “Folklore” and only after they finished playing, towards the end of the song, I realized. I thus wasted 8 minutes trying to figure out the song in an egoistic rush of madness, and foolishly, not enjoying the song that was.

With an hour already into Opeth, I think the wait was worth it. The first growls were “Heir Apparent”. I reckon the heaviest song in the album, “Heir Apparent” is a mix of some pounding riffs and some nice acoustic guitar and piano work sprinkled throughout the song. To just compliment Per Wiberg is a huge understatement to the binding theme that he has provided to Opeth songs. This was just what was needed from, and expected of Opeth. I like them. Immensely. I like their clean vocals but the one thing that leaves them incomplete is the absence of growls (“Heritage”) and they just about made up for the night with this one.  “The Baying of the Hound” is another masterpiece from their most complete album, “Ghost Reveries”. With some nice, tight drumming, it was a treat. They followed it with “The Drapery Falls”, a crowd pleaser, but certainly not their best from Blackwater Park. It was greeted well by the public as expected. That was it. After repeated chants from the crowd, asking Mikeal to fuck off, and Mikeal, asking earnestly, why, getting horny and then again, nonchalantly playing, he really fucked-off.

Now even as I knew, as did every other not-wannabe fan present that he would come back, we shouted and yelled at the top of our voices, and begged  them to continue. We wanted the barrage of smashing riffs and hammering growls to hit us as hard as possible, we wanted the acoustic passages to mesmerize us and we wanted the stage presence of Mikeal to enthrall us for the rest of the night. At least I wanted more. And come back they did. With a bang. Finally, “Deliverance” struck us all. Alright they fumbled a bit, but “Deliverance” was all that mattered to me. Fuck. “Deliverance”. Signed off in Peace.

Now what made me say that I was dis-satisfied with them is that I have so many favourites, close to 50 odd songs, that would have easily left out any 40 and leave they did. Innumerous songs. “Blackwater Park” should have been palyed, as should have countless other Opeth songs. But I think that is the hallmark of an Opeth performance, that is the hallmark of Opeth’s history and that is Opeth’s legacy.

I want to write more. I want to relive that night. but for now, I am too spellbound to be able to write anything. In the name of Opeth, I trust. All I know is that Peter was very good, but Frederick is brilliant; Lopez was perhaps the best fit for Opeth and Axe, thought slightly different, complements the band well; Per was thoroughly entertaining and creative and his absence will be felt; Mendez is as truthful to his music as ever. Mikael is absolutely DIVINE.

Long Live Opeth. Long Live Opeth. Long Live Opeth.