Opeth Announces 25th Anniversary Show At The London Palladium
Band Photo: Opeth (?)
Opeth is set to celebrate the band's landmark 25th anniversary next year with a very special event at the London Palladium on October 18th, 2015.
The unique show, dubbed "An Evening with Opeth," will feature two sets from the retro rocking Swedes, including 2005's "Ghost Reveries" album in its entirety (which in turn is celebrating its 10th anniversary), plus a second set of tracks from the band's 25-year career.
Frontman Mikael Akerfeldt is looking forward to the show, and had this to say:
"The forces that be put up a very mystical and subtle little advert on the so called internet. Yes, we will celebrate 25 years of being Opeth in 2015 and this is reason enough to gather up the forces and play. For you. At the Palladium in London. Not sure if they have a dress-code there, as it is a posh little place. Do we care? No we don’t. It will be a pretty unique evening I reckon, hopefully free of technical difficulties. No thanks to Baal! With that said, we are a live band in the true sense of the word and you can never be certain. Regardless it will be a blast and I strongly advise you to think about attending. But don’t think for too long. It might cost you your seat! We’re currently on tour (Hey! Thanks European progrockdeathmetalheads! You are absolutely fantastic and we love you!) and I’m being called for, so gotta dash. Ta-ta!"
Tickets go on general sale at 9am this Friday 14th November and will be available from this locaiton, with a pre-sale set for 9am Thursday 13th. A very limited amount of VIP upgrades, priced at £150 will also be available on pre-sale which allow early entry into the venue, a 20 minute meet n' greet with the band, a commemorative VIP laminate pass, a gift box containing 3 hand engraved, show-exclusive Opeth red wine glasses (exclusive to VIPs of this show only), a tour poster printed on canvas (also exclusive to VIPs of this show only) and your choice of t-shirt from the merch booth.
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16 Comments on "Opeth Announces 25th Anniversary Show"
Member
2. writes:
It does seem wild "Ghost Reveries" is almost 10 years old. I must say my appreciation for that album has increased over the 10 years and I loved it upon release date. Opeth has remained my favorite metal band for over a decade. Their discography consists of multiple 5 star albums. Not many other bands belong in the same league.
The hardest thing to do with a band like Opeth is rank their albums in order of greatness. For the sake of the challenge here is my current ranking of their albums (some albums have changed spots over the months/years):
1) Blackwater Park
2) Deliverance
3) My Arms, Your Hearse
4) Ghost Reveries
5) Damnation
6) Still Life
7) Pale Communion
8) Morningrise
9) Watershed
10) Orchid
11) Heritage
Former Contributor
3. writes:
It pains me to put the first half-dozen in any kind of order...
1.) Blackwater Park
2.) Ghost Reveries
3.) Still Life (Remastering this was a masterstroke)
4.) Damnation
5.) Deliverance
6.) My Arms, Your Hearse
7.) Watershed
8.) Morningrise
9.) Pale Communion
10.) Orchid
11.) Heritage
In my opinion the first six in my list were what I consider their "golden era". All of them are 5 star albums.
Akerfeldt's last two albums have very few songs that hook me... there are standouts but only because in those songs he'll use a dash of old Opeth melodicism, light/dark interplay, and tension and release. Generally now the dynamics of the songs are less interesting. Previously his long-forms were vivid journeys, his instrumentals cinematic and emotionally evocative... even the more conventional (dare I say pop) songs were positively haunting.
Member
4. writes:
Makes me sad that you both put Orchid near the bottom...
So it's not quite as polishes as their later albums, but I feel like that's part of its appeal. Orchid was raw, and more "progressive" at the time than most of the other stuff they've put out.
I'm not making a list because I don't like ranking things, I just feel like Orchid deserves a little more respect.
Member
Member
6. writes:
By no means would I disrespect Orchid. I love that album. "Under the Weeping Moon" and "Forest of October" are two of the best Opeth songs ever written, IMO. I just feel as though the other Opeth albums are stronger, aside from Heritage.
Like RM? said, I think the top 6 are all 5 star albums. That's what makes ranking them a near impossible task. Heritage is their only "average" album, just because it lacked overall focus and enough intrigue. However, Orichid, Morningrise, Watershed and Pale Communion are all wonderful albums. They simply miss an extra pinch of greatness that the top 6 have. That's just being picky though.
NP: "Ten-Day Interval" by Tortoise
Member
7. writes:
OK, I’ll throw my hat in the ring on this.
1. Deliverance: This has a lock on everything. Great Vocals and Guitars, the best drumming on any Opeth album hands down, and great comradery, cohesion and flow from start to finish. Flawless execution.
2. Damnation: The best of their lighter side. Stellar performances and a maturation of Mikael’s clean vocal range. The fact that both of these were intended to be released as a double album further raises their standing above the others. Weakness was a bit light on substance, but otherwise perfect balance of light to Deliverances’ darkness.
3. Still Life: A much better execution of a concept album over the previous My Arms, Your Hearse. The storyline is incorporated in such a way that the album begs to be listened to from start to finish. However, each song stands on its own equally well. This album has arguably their best integrated twin guitar work. Peter and Mikael were on fire here. White Cluster is an awesome closer that revealed stronger glimpses of their prog side. If the drumming had been on the caliber of Deliverance, this would be my number one. (I still give the drumming here a 9 out of 10, that’s how close these top three are.)
4. Ghost Reveries: The increased use of the keyboards added another layer to the dual guitars all expertly complimented by Mendez and Lopez. Hours of Wealth fell a bit flat and the length of the verses on The Grand Conjuration keeps me from giving it full praise. Great closer in Isolation Years, though. Loved the lyrics and vocals for that song.
These top four are all nearly interchangeable in ranking – almost.
5. Blackwater Park: While still a strong release, this one doesn’t fill me with the emotion and energy like the four above. The guitar interweaving isn’t as complex and the drumming is simpler and doesn’t accentuate rest of the song as well. With this, you can almost hear how this was written/arranged between Mikael and Steven Wilson more so than a band effort. Peter’s influence feels less on this than the other releases in this era of the band. The album starts and ends strong, but the middle songs (especially Dirge for November) seem plain by comparison. Overall, the contrast of light and dark seems a bit muted at the heavy end by a lack of tempo changes.
6. My Arms, Your Hearse: A great release and a cool concept album lyrically. The execution was limited partly by the production and the songs weren’t fully fleshed out like their next 5 albums. Epilogue is like Opeth expertly channeling Pink Floyd an awesome end to the record.
7. Morningrise: This captures the sound of the young band expanding their boundaries. Some of the songs seem long just for the sake of being long (um… Black Rose Immortal?) Still some great grooves are found within and additional contrasts of light and dark begin to take shape. A strong album with more melody than their debut.
8. Watershed: I’ve always been torn on this album. I’ve tried to get into it and see the beauty that others have seen with this “observation”. It just feels like a step backwards after Ghost Reveries. The loss of Peter Lindgren and Martin Lopez really shows, despite strong performances by Akesson and Axenrot. All starts well with a soft Coil leading into the unrelenting Heir Apparent. It’s at the ending of The Lotus Eater where things get uneven and just not on par with the above efforts.
9. Orchid: If you really think about it, this album should be ranked last simply because a band should improve continuously with experience and time. It’s still a good effort and one of the best debuts of any band for its ambitiousness.
10. Heritage: I’ve already said my piece with this album (and Pale Communion). In short – uneven, meandering, and not enough contrast.
11. Pale Communion: RM? Described perfectly my feelings on this album – except he didn’t mention that this is retro and not progressive ;).
I noticed how PTF and RM both listed the Lopez albums above the others, which I really think underscores the idea that even a band with a dominant writer/leader is dependent on the influences of the rest of the band. (The whole greater than the sum and all that.) Peter and Lopez both are dearly missed in this band. At least I miss them here. I’d be curious to see how xFiruath would rank them.
I’ll end with this. How many other bands have a track record as good as this?
Supporter
Former Contributor
9. writes:
In answer to Drum_Junkie's closing question: zero to my reckoning, in the metal spectrum anyway.
I also agree with his statement that Opeth now evinces something of a creative deficit... they're truly a unipolar and monochromatic (grey) entity now. I never needed the death growls (though I'm glad we had them) but Akerfeldt shrugged free of everything that even passingly reminds him of metal and the music suffers for it.
I love prog and I even like experimental and retro music but as good as some of the vocals and guitar work are on "Heritage" and "Pale Communion", I find myself missing the hooks, energy, and complexity-of-form, all of which have been jettisoned.
10. writes:
To also answer Drum_Junkie's closing question: None. No one in the metal world has released six incredible near-flawless albums.
As a side, I also enjoyed reading your take on each album. Lopez and Peter are indeed missed (Lopez, especially). The drumming post-Ghost Reveries doesn't really do much for me. I'm happy that you placed Deliverance at the top of your list. The drumming on that album makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up. Plus, everyone Opeth fan must admit that the final section/riff on the song "Deliverance" is the one of the most amazing metal sections of all time. Every time I hear it I wish it would never end.
I am probably the only one in this community that really enjoys Pale Communion. I hear, understand and agree with all the criticism regarding Heritage. Opeth simply swung and missed with their take on a prog record. However, I do stand by Pale Communion as a good (not great) prog album. It regained the energy, focus and flow that Heritage lacked.
NP: "The Greatest Show on Earth" by Airbag
Member
11. writes:
To also answer Drum_Junkie's closing question: None. No one in the metal world has released six incredible near-flawless albums.
As a side, I also enjoyed reading your take on each album. Lopez and Peter are indeed missed (Lopez, especially). The drumming post-Ghost Reveries doesn't really do much for me. I'm happy that you placed Deliverance at the top of your list. The drumming on that album makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up. Plus, everyone Opeth fan must admit that the final section/riff on the song "Deliverance" is the one of the most amazing metal sections of all time. Every time I hear it I wish it would never end.
I am probably the only one in this community that really enjoys Pale Communion. I hear, understand and agree with all the criticism regarding Heritage. Opeth simply swung and missed with their take on a prog record. However, I do stand by Pale Communion as a good (not great) prog album. It regained the energy, focus and flow that Heritage lacked.
NP: "The Greatest Show on Earth" by Airbag
Former Contributor
12. writes:
Though I ranked "Deliverance" 5th of 11, I cannot overstate how much I love that record. It is a pilgrimage to the heart of inner darkness and violence.
There may be no better opening one-two punch in metal (longform or otherwise) than "Wreath" and the title track. And "Deliverance" was always the Opeth album I would steer proven metal fans toward if they hadn't heard or heard of the band.
Member
13. writes:
PTF. Glad you enjoyed my impressions of the albums. After I typed all that I wondered who in the hell was going to bother to read it! LMAO But, I guess as an Opeth fan, you're used to things being drawn out. ;)
While waiting to see if xFiruath will chime in, I'd like to ask you and RememberMetal? Why you both rated Blackwater Park at No.1?
I'm curious what you see in that album that ranks it over the others. When I listen to Opeth chronologically, I can't help but feel less inspired by BP after Still Life and before Deliverance. And I completely agree on the outro to Deliverance. Other great outro sections were Harlequin Forest and A Fair Judgment.
Another thing to consider regarding the classic "Lopeth" era... those six albums were released between 1998 and 1995 - six albums in about 7 years. For another comparison with a highly regarded artistic group, Tool hasn't even released 6 albums in their 25+ years together. Opeth had such a great creative period, it's a shame that that part of them had to come to an end. Nothing lasts forever, I guess.
Former Contributor
15. writes:
@Drum_Junkie
I’ve always just loved "Blackwater Park" without giving it any thought. The album sits atop a lot of 'best of' lists out there and some of it may not even be deserved. For me, “Blackwater Park” reigns supreme because it strikes me as the bands most balanced release. Here’s some rambling bullet points:
1.) The first four songs and the title track stand among my favorite from the band to date. As a continuous listening experience, the song sequence flows in a way that engages me -a bit- more than their other releases.
2.) In my opinion, the sheer volume of strong melodies and memorable hooks has not been matched by the band since this album. The thought that went into the song structures struck me as more advanced and engrossing than the prior albums too.
3.) Before I discovered Opeth, I was already a big Porcupine Tree fan. Wilson’s presence and influence were a giddy thrill for me. His production of the album was also leaps beyond their previous output. All of the vocals (clean or death, both Michael’s and Steven’s) also rate highly.
All that said, the album does have some strikes against it:
Like you said it starts and ends strong but the middle (“Dirge For November”, “The Funeral Portrait” and “Patterns in the Ivy”) is a bit by-the-numbers. The album is also more mid-tempo than any other ‘98-‘05 release, aside from “Damnation”. Lindgren’s influence was indeed diluted slightly and for those who don’t care for Steven Wilson, I can see how his contributions might be intrusive. There are a few tiny lyrical missteps here and there as well.
"Blackwater Park" is not their heaviest (Deliverance) or most vibrant/dynamic album (Ghost Reveries) but it has always struck me as Opeth’s defining statement.
Member
16. writes:
^ Thanks for the insight RM. I understand your love for BP a lot more now. Makes sense. I still haven't gotten into Porcupine Tree. I've listened to a few things like Fear of a Blank Planet and In Absentia, but I guess I wasn't in the right mood for it to really resonate and pull me in. Steven Wilsons voice comes across as a bit reserved and doesn't really emote as I would expect from the rest of the music. (Too British? lol) Maybe that's part of the reason that Blackwater Park doesn't rank higher for me - that and the mid-tempos.
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Former Contributor
1. RememberMetal? writes:
I can't believe it will have been 10 years since "Ghost Reveries". As with "Still Life", "Blackwater Park", and "Damnation" it is one their track-for-track perfect albums.