The Roundhouse Tapes

Having been lucky enough to see this fantastic band live in concert, I naturally compare any recorded live material this band has to offer to the actual performance I witnessed. Unfortunately, despite the fact that the band is one of my favourites (at the time of writing this review; third favourite band after Dream Theater and Porcupine Tree) I was a bit dissapointed with the live concert I went to see. The sound was not that great, their setlist was a bit harsh (skipping great songs like 'Serenity Painted Death' and 'Ghost Of Perdition' for less memorable songs such as 'Wreath') and while Mikael Akerfeldt's performance was fantastic (his humourous banter with the audience was among the most memorable parts of the show) the band's performance as a whole sounded a bit sloppy.

As a whole, it was a bit dissapointing to see one of my favourite bands live and realize that they are only 'fantastic' as a studio band. As well, the 'Lamentations Live' CD I have also affirmed my belief that the band isn't too great live. Keeping all of this in mind, it came as a suprise that 'The Roundhouse Tapes' actually turned out to be a fantastic recording of a great performance.

The band is in top-gear for this show. I must have missed the band at their peak when I went to see them live, but 'The Roundhouse Tapes' is a real treat for any fan of the band's work. There is everything you can hope for in an Opeth concert, including Akerfeldt's famous wit.

While there's still alot of stuff here I prefer in studio (I am rating this from a live-album perspective) there's actually stuff here that sounds alot better live than it EVER did in studio. In particular, 'Under The Weeping Moon' is a fantastic Opeth song, but it was hindered at the time of it's studio recording by rather lacking production quality (a burden that the entirity of 'Orchid' suffered from, unfortunately...) but live, one can appreciate the composition to it's brim. 'The Night And The Silent Water' is another gem from the performance; the epic finale in particular. The build-up is complimented greatly by the reverb that the venue gave the instruments; an effect that can't be replicated in studio without sounding contrived and lame.

While this isn't 'essential' in the overall kingdom of progressive music, as far as live progressive music goes, this is one of the best live albums I've listened to in the genre, or even metal for that matter. Great renditions of a great set-list.

This is better than most of Opeth’s later career, but there really isn’t any specific reason for it. If anything, it should be pretty bad: it’s following one of the weakest, most bland and Opeth-y album of their career and the entire thing is two-discs, lengthier than most of their studio albums; overly-long running times have always been one of the band’s greatest Achilles’ heel. But no, The Roundhouse Tapes is easily the greatest thing post-My Arms, Your Hearse Mikael ever put together. Metal genres have always flourished in the element of live performances, and even a bizarre, unwieldy and inconsistent band like Opeth is quite at home onstage. Just like any classic live album, the music on this release simply displays a unified cohesiveness (did I seriously just say that about this band?) that can only be found through years of practice and rehearsal. To put things simply, The Roundhouse Tapes simply works, unlike Still Life or Deliverance.

If you know what Opeth has sounded like since 1999, this release isn’t going to change your world or original impression of the band. They play loud and heavy for a few minutes, everybody moshes and headbangs, and then they play quiet and soft so people can rest and smoke their weed. This goes on for ten minutes until… it doesn’t go on, and the song simply ends up being good or bad. The general style of Ghost Reveries and Blackwater Park is very much present, but quite successfully juxtaposed against their older approach to music. Opeth today doesn’t play “riffs” so much as they play what can only be considered “uberprog guitar passages FROM THE FUTURE”, but the weirdness throughout songs like “The Ghost of Perdition” sounds a bit more right, even though the riffs are still wrong half the time. Considering that Opeth’s oldest albums were the ones that manage to make the most out of their impulsively indecisive take on dynamics, it’s no surprise that the older cuts like “Under the Weeping Moon”, “The Night and the Silent Water” and “Demon of the Fall” are some of the best. The tracks from their 1995-1998 era still manage to display a few rotting vestiges of their original melodic death/doom-influenced sound. Check out that riff in the former at 1:00; it’s something that wouldn’t sound out of place on an Edge of Sanity record, even when performed in 2007. And those dark and gloomy verses of “Demon of the Fall” sound even more powerful than before, while the chorus is perhaps the only part of any Opeth song ever that demands to be sung along with. DEMON! DEMON OF THE FAAAAAUUUUGHHHALL!

Culling fan favorites like “Windowpane” and “Bleak” as well as older songs, the setlist on this album is pretty much as good as you can get with this band. You could mix and match Opeth songs all day and still end up with end products hardly differentiable from the original, but the songs chosen for this album is simply fantastic. Every song included is one of the best from their respective studio albums. Even the songs chosen from their weakest albums manage to stick out from the rest, like the triumphant ending riff of “The Face of Melinda” and the extra heavy bit of “The Ghost of Perdition” at 6:08. Pleasantly, none of the songs that normally piss you off are around, and you’re only left with a legitimate demonstration of the peak of Opeth’s songwriting ability. There is a track from every album in their career, excluding Deliverance (left out for the better, in my opinion), and two from My Arms, Your Hearse and Blackwater Park. Seeing how easy it could have been to flub the song selection and include a lot of praised garbage like “Dirge for November” and “Moonlapse Vertigo”, the great setlist is something about The Roundhouse Tapes that shouldn’t be taken for granted.

Frankly, Opeth are a formidable live band. It’s obvious that the group knows how to command a crowd quite well: every member displays utmost confidence with their instruments and meshes quite well with their bandmates. In terms of performance, this whole album is really quite impressive: all of the silly tricks, turns and nuances of a song like “Bleak” become a lot more enjoyable with the added energy of actual human emotion injected. All of the things the studio albums have lacked since 1999 (atmosphere, passion, creativity, e.g. what Opeth fans quite erroneously laud the band for) is present in spades. The previously mentioned track captures the curious and eastern-sounding atmosphere it only hinted at earlier. Part of the reason for this is keyboardist Per Wiberg, whose presence is genuinely felt throughout The Roundhouse Tapes. He compliments even the older songs that lacked keys, providing a unique twist that differentiates many of the tracks from their studio counterparts. This is guitarist Peter Lindgren’s final album with Opeth, and if Watershed is any indication, he had a greater influence on the band than most give him credit for. Him and Mikael both add some much needed crunch to the band’s more abrasive moments, and moments like the opening riffage of “The Ghost of Perdition” and “When” provide solid headbanging moments amongst the noodling and inconsequential guitar blathery. Bassist Martin Mendez is still rather underused even in a live setting, as some more improvisation on his part could have provided some nice contrast between the guitars (a la previous Opeth bassist Johan DeFarfalla) and have helped cement this release’s greatness.

Music wise, The Roundhouse Tapes is the only Opeth album after the first three you’ll ever need. Every song is song is long and meandering, but they meander familiar and welcome territory that sounds awesome performed live. It’s a simple thing: the quiet, progressive rock meedly-deedly-doo of “The Face of Melinda” simply sounds better with that live, rhythmic, bouncy step and energetic crowd singing and clapping along with Mikael. Not to mention the truly epic riff at the end, one of the only decent ones found on Still Life, and here it sounds even heavier and better. The quiet part of “Blackwater Park” is extra haunting here as well, riding that memorable there-and-back guitar line for a long time before exploding in above-average riffage. And that little guitar solo at 8:11! I rarely find Opeth leads anything to write home about, but here they escape their traditional trappings and flourish with all their jazzy influence intact. In fact, “Blackwater Park” is amongst the best tracks here and displays everything that goes right: Mikael’s vocals, both clean and harsh, sound clear and fantastic (well, his clean vocals are still fairly weak and effeminate, but better than in the studio), Martin “Axe” Axenrot’s drums are consistent with some nice fills every once in a while, and the song itself just barely manages to avoid tripping over it’s bizarre song structure due to a newly-acquired epic feel. “Blackwater Park” is also house to the majority of the stage banter on The Roundhouse Tapes, and as most people tend to point out, Mikael Åkerfeldt really is a fairly funny man. His cracking wise brings a smirk to my lips a fair few times, particularly while he introduces the band during that goddamn sexy “porn music”.

This review has been fairly unfocused and all over the place, but such things are acceptable when it comes to critiquing Opeth. No, this is not some sort of masterpiece of progressive death metal (not that it’s really death metal in the first place), as bands like Edge of Sanity and Akercocke will always have 10 times the songwriting ability of what Mikael puts into Opeth. But after being burned time and time again by nearly everything this band has released for nearly ten years, The Roundhouse Tapes is a breath of fresh air. It takes the few moments of greatness this group has scraped all throughout their recent career, and compiles it together in a veritable “greatest-hits” of a live album. The music is given a much needed boost in energy and performance vitality, and throughout the hour and half duration things are kept interesting enough to maintain relevance and enjoyment all throughout the album. The crowd claps and cheers nonstop, Mikael tells them to shut up, and they play extremely long and convoluted songs with a level of precision quite surprising (I’m taken aback that the group never accidently plays the wrong parts from different songs): at the end of the day The Roundhouse Tapes is simply proof of a unexpectedly great metal show. The only actively enjoyable Opeth can be found on their first three albums, but if you’re as naïve as I once was and still want to investigate what clearly MUST BE THE SINGLE GREATEST BAND EVER, then this live release is the only material post-My Arms, Your Hearse worth buying.

Or, you could just not listen to Opeth. That’s not a bad decision either, really.

Despite I'm a huge fan of Opeth I can't help but think that this record isn't as good as the other reviewers pointed out. It's not the musicianship that annoys me; no, every song here is played without flaws or mistakes, the guitar interplay between Akerfeld and Lindgren is perfect and so is the drum work by Axenrot. The keyboards and bass are also very well played, so what's the problem?

The big problem about “The Roundhouse Tapes” is its durability. You won't listen to this album too many times, that's for sure, mainly because the studio versions are much more enjoyable and carry a better atmosphere than the live numbers. Atmosphere, yes, that's the right word, that's what this album lacks; Opeth is a “studio band”, is a band that creates songs that need a certain sound and special atmosphere. The majority of the group's songs are melancholic and dark, and I can't get those feelings from this live album, the songs sound somehow... different.

But, hey, this piece isn't that bad, all in all! As I've already said, the musicianship is great, every song is played FLAWLESSLY, and that's saying something because songs like “Ghost of Perdition” or “Bleak” aren't easy to play at all. Mikael's clean voice remains as beautiful as on the studio albums, just listen to his vocal performances on “Face of Melinda” and “Windowpane”... Beautiful! On other hand, his growls sound a bit weaker here than on the studio albums, sometimes he even stops growling during the songs, it's like he's slowly losing his harsh voice. Anyways, a fantastic performance overall.

Mikael also constanly delivers some nice jokes that keep the listener happy and interested. I especially like the small musical section that the band plays after “Blackwater Park”, in which Mikael presents the band. That part is absolutely hilarious, especially when he calls Martin Mendez “the legend from Montevideo, Uruguay!” and Axe “a pretty (or cute, I can't remember now) guy”. Another funny bit is when he asks the crowd, in his monotonous voice, to “shut the fuck up” during “Face of Melinda”.

So, highlights? “Ghost of Perdition” is absolutely nailed, which is impressive since that song must be one of the most demanding tracks Opeth ever written and recorded. Kudos to Legolas, pardon, Axe, for the flawless performance during it! “Face of Melinda” is really nice too, with an extended jazzy intro and outro. “Windowpane”, the song that “will bring chicks to Opeth's backstage”, is another highlight: great keyboards, Per! “Under the Weeping Moon” is another personal favourite, the breakdown sounds even better here than on the studio (the production of “The Roundhouse Tapes” is 10000 times better than the one of “Orchid”). On other hand, the biggest disappointment is the allmighty “Demon of the Fall”, which is ruined by the poor growls of a tired Akerfeldt. Anyways, the crowd interaction is a plus.

Concluding, despite the great production and overall performance, this record won't hold your attention for many time, that's for sure. It's an enjoyable album, though, if you like live records I recommend this one, also because the tracklist has songs of almost every Opeth album (I miss a “Deliverance” track, though, I absolutely love “Deliverance”). Ah, I would like them to perform “The Moor” or “Atonement” too, but oh well...

One last word to the stunning artwork, Opeth got be one of the best bands out there, artwork-wise (Iced Earth occupies the second place, perhaps).

Best Moments of the CD:
-Mikael's jokes.

"If you're a big fan of the band, get it, but if you aren't, search for other records."

This live album serves as a stopgap between Opeth's Roadrunner debut "Ghost Reveries" and their new album (at the time this review was written, its working name is "Shoelace Pie"). Opeth has already released a damn good live DVD in "Lamentations," which gave people an idea of what the band sounds like live. So why release another live performance four years later?

One reason may be because "Lamentations" was limited because Opeth could only contractually play songs from albums after "Still Life." Here they play at least one song from every album except for "Deliverance." Even so, there are only nine songs; they are spread over two discs so the set is more expensive, but they fail to fill either disc with music. The song selections are somewhat suspect, as well. I'd much rather have "Forest of October" represent "Orchid." Also, couldn't "Blackwater Park" be shortened to make room for another song from "Still Life"?

This is also the last chance to hear departed guitarist Peter Lindgren, but it isn't really that big of a deal because he does not do anything special anyway. Martin Lopez had already left by this point, having been replaced by Martin Axenrot, who gives a mediocre performance. In fact, the entire band gives mediocre performances. Sure, all of the songs are played perfectly, but they are not much different from their studio versions, so what is the point in listening to them? The only thing that is here that would not appear on their regular albums is Mikael Åkerfeldt's deadpan banter with the audience. Some fans seem to enjoy this, and at times he can be very funny, but this is not one of those times. At times it goes on for so long it passes into awkwardness.

Overall, this album is worth maybe one listen, then it will most likely collect dust while the studio versions get their spins in the CD player, because none of these songs surpass any of their studio-recorded counterparts. The total running time of just over an hour and a half is a joke. If they want us to pay for two discs, they damn well better fill them to the brim, because there are plenty of Opeth songs could have fit in the leftover space. I would not refer to myself as a diehard fan, but I certainly am a big fan of Opeth's music, but even I could not justify spending money for this album, even if they had priced this at a single disc rate. If none of the above commentary is enough to sway from the purchase of this album, go for it. Just know that there are no surprises nor anything worthwhile other than live versions of Opeth songs played to the note by the band.

Setting aside layers upon layers of criticism, Opeth went from an obscure progressive-laden death metal band to a group you’d find headlining international tours regardless of area or scene. So in reflection of past years both rewarding and enduring, progressive death metal’s entrepreneurs came to London’s Camden Roundhouse with a special set composed of material spanning across their unpredictable career and a topnotch recording crew; the result is one killer live release entitled “The Roundhouse Tapes.” Sure we’ve enjoyed CDs like “Still Birth,” yet this here has more beef than anything else they’ve ever done; it might very well be the finest thing made by Sweden’s progressive frontrunners.

As one could expect, these guys stride straight into a whooping ninety minute set with stellar instrumentation and fantastic transition patterns between heavy and progressive atmospheres. Now considering how long most of these tunes are, it would seem difficult to sit through and nail out each note accordingly; however, our shape-shifting buddies do so from beginning to end. Quite straining it must be, but they pulled it off nicely. Anyone finding the show a bit vague will still enjoy Mikael Åkerfeldt’s humorous commentary throughout; mainly because that profanity-based narration is carried by his arid, monotonous voice. Overall, Opeth’s talented showcase relies solely on keeping musical composure throughout a sturdy presentation of tunes, yet they stay both tight and calm when needing to do so.

Production wise, this here is one fine establishment of digital bliss. The vocals are mixed slightly above all other instruments, yet you’ll have no trouble fishing out the percussion, guitars, bass, or keyboards regardless of whatever is going on musically. Alas, “The Roundhouse Tapes” is like arriving in some mysterious place with air cleaner than an episode of 7th Heaven as the whole effort just comes off very organized and soothing. Every riff, growl, beat, bass line, keyboard note, and whatever else they use is captured without flaw; there really isn’t a better quality product than what we got here.

Now Opeth’s studio discography has been forever morphing since “Orchid” was released in 1995, and throughout their career, other full-length records demonstrated an emphasis on difference rather than a typical structure. Needless to say, “The Roundhouse Tapes” issues a compilation of these progressive monster’s doing an incredible set featuring everything from “Under The Weeping Moon” to the relaxing “Face of Melinda,” and that’s really all one could ask for. When it all melts together, there’s just a nice two-disc set featuring some of Opeth’s best songs on both brutal and progressive spectrums; it’s really amazing to experience such a wide musical agenda all in one setting.

Live albums are seldom considered a group’s finest effort, yet what we have here combines Opeth’s finest material with great production and a wonderful overall performance on their behalf; excellence in all areas is what makes our two-disc set in question so solid. “The Roundhouse Tapes” gets two thumbs up for obvious reasons, but I like how it’s just like a typical Opeth show as their entire spectacle remains natural to its core, even when doing such a huge show like so. In conclusion, loyal fans need to scoop this one up whenever the chance presents itself, but I also think this release is good enough for nearly everyone to enjoy.

Opeth’s mammoth world tour in support of its most recent studio album, “Ghost Reveries” landed in Sydney in April 2006. I caught that concert and it ranks as one of the best gigs in any genre that I’ve ever witnessed. The show taped here in London brings back fond memories of the Sydney date. The recording captures superbly the same live ambience of a large venue and sheer guts of Opeth’s performance that I recall very clearly.

Live, Opeth is a formidable proposition. The skill and professionalism of the musicians are such that, on stage, they can easily reproduce note for note anything they have recorded in the studio. It’s not just a matter of simply playing the dots, though. In concert the band stretches out and re-shapes even well-known passages, increasing the dynamics and drama of the symphonic-styled compositions. With the added gusto that a big stage and a rabidly enthusiastic audience can contribute to the event, a recording of an Opeth show is bound to be a cracker and this two-disc set doesn’t disappoint.

Like the night in Sydney the Roundhouse gig serves as a guided tour of Opeth’s eight albums with at least one song from each (excepting the mighty “Deliverance”). A smart move this, since a “Latest Album Live” CD or DVD might be seen as too much in the mould of “Lamentations”. Moreover, a career-spanning repertoire shows Opeth’s continued commitment to its back catalog, all solid discs and none eclipsed by later albums, as this live recording amply demonstrates. Even Opeth’s debut, “Orchid”, and its successor, “Morningrise”, which today sound just a trifle twee with their Tull-isms and labored lyrics (“black metal nonsense”, Mikael Åkerfeldt admits at one point in this live show) are still astonishing records and “Orchid” itself stands as one of the great debut albums of all time. From this impressive start the band’s career has been about gradual development of concept, composition and performance. True Opeth fans own and listen to all of the band’s albums, not just the most recent. If it’s not too grand a comparison, devotees of Beethoven don’t throw out their recordings of the first two symphonies once they’ve heard the Eroica.

Peter Lindgren has, of course, left the band since this recording so it stands as a fitting tribute, with his and Åkerfeldt’s superb guitar interplay, essential to Opeth’s music, captured perfectly here.

Also featured strongly is Mikael Åkerfeldt’s penchant for stopping the show to deliver some deadpan and inanely funny jokes and pay-outs on the audience. It’s not the “rock star” thing, as Åkerfeldt himself would say, that one might expect at a metal show where the pace is assumed to be relentless. Åkerfeldt thinks nothing of banging on about any subject he likes or gently insulting the audience for many minutes. It’s a canny trick, I suspect, giving the crowd’s hearing time to reset before another dramatic barrage. At the Roundhouse show the audience is especially noisy and Åkerfeldt is forced to tell them at one stage to “shut … the … fuck … up!”

It all adds to the spectacle and the atmosphere, I suppose, and the excellent recording quality really does bring the massive sound of the show to your speakers brilliantly. You might have to decide whether you want to buy this now or wait for the DVD release in 2008. But of course, if you’re a true Opeth fan you’ll take pride in being a completist and having both.

At the pinnacle of their immense run of touring, Opeth played a few shows in the UK that contained material spanning the bands entire career, from 1995’s ‘Orchid’ to ‘Ghost Reveries’, released ten years on. The date chosen for this live recording was the Camden Roundhouse show in London, on November 9th 2006. The setlist is certainly a crowd pleasing one. Their previous live release, ‘Lamentations’ focused entirely on the ‘Damnation’, ‘Deliverance’ and ‘Blackwater Park’ albums, however this time, save ‘Deliverance’ there is at least a track from every Opeth album to date.

The announcement of this release got a lot of people excited as it’s a chance to hear some much older Opeth material with the added texture of keyboardist Per Wiberg. I must say, he adds a lot to tracks like ‘Under The Weeping Moon’ and ‘The Night And The Silent’ with atmosphere that was sometimes missing from those first two records. Aside from that, everybody is on top form, not a mistake made all night. New drummer Martin ‘Axe’ Axenrot has had a lot to prove after the departure of the greatly loved Martin Lopez, however his critics will be silenced after his first recorded release with Opeth. He performs every part perfectly and I expect that his contribution to new material will be just as strong as his contribution to their live show.

As this is a live album, it will be mostly Opeth fans that purchase it so the quality of the music itself is not really worth discussing but the setlist features some of the bands best songs, including ‘When’, ‘Bleak’, ‘Face Of Melinda’ and of course the classic ‘Demon Of The Fall’. The recording quality is top notch and the only minor complaint I have with the recording is the guitar tone on a couple of tracks, but of course that’s more personal preference than anything and it certainly shouldn’t stop anyone from giving this a listen.

I feel that Opeth’s lyrics have improved over time and so the quality of the lyrics on ‘The Roundhouse Tapes’ vary. Of course the lyrics are generally good but there are certainly some tracks with more professional and meaningful lyrics than others. Hell, Mikael Åkerfeldt himself said the lyrics to ‘Under The Weeping Moon’ were a load of “black metal nonsense”. Anyway, there’s nothing new to talk about lyrically, but Opeth’s lyrics are generally poetic, well written and will always accompany the mood of the music well.

Live albums aren’t normally all that important to a band’s fans (with exceptions being bands like Iron Maiden who are famous for their live show) but ‘The Roundhouse Tapes’ is certainly a very good release. I suppose it could be considered a good introduction to Opeth as the album covers all of their sounds over the years and the high quality of the recording doesn’t take away anything from the excellently engineered studio albums. However, most people that do buy this will be existing Opeth fans and while it is certainly interesting to listen to and hard to fault, the coming release of the show on DVD will put a lot of people off buying this, instead opting for the DVD. I can’t blame them, and I’d certainly recommend purchasing their studio works first but this is a quality live album and worth a purchase from any big Opeth fan.

Originally written for www.ultimate-guitar.com team