Opeth (23/11/2009)

Opeth playing at the Enmore Theatre

Oh My Fucking God, I couldn't breathe. I simply couldn't breathe. Opeth rendered me absolutely breathless. I couldn’t breathe or speak or even think. For me not to be able to form words is pretty fucking impressive. I was mesmerised. They just blew me away from those first few seconds, and I was enthralled until we all started piling out of the theatre. Mournful guitar riffs, amazing bass, haunting solos and their trademark intricate harmonising melodies - and intertwined through it all was Mikael Åkerfeldt's gorgeous voice, both crooning to the crowd and gravelling growls just exploding from him. Heaven incarnate! I love their albums, but even that cant compare to Opeth live in full glory! I didn’t think they could get any better - boy was I wrong! The first song wasn’t even half way through, and I could already tell that it was the best gig I've ever been to. They played a selection of songs from across their back catalogue, and it was a range of sounds too. Opeth seems to have that contrast. Some of their songs are slow and dreamy, others are fast, wicked and brutal - and others switch back and forward through the styles.

It was a religious experience for me. Bewitching, beguiling, engaging, enthralling. I was already obsessed with Opeth, but now i would follow them to the ends of the earth to hear them one more time... Can anyone piggy back me to Melbourne and sneak me into the show? Mikael said that this is the last time they will be in Australia for some time. They have been touring for two years, so they are off back home to Sweden to rest and start on their new album, but they plan to come back when its finished. Its not soon enough! They need to come back next week!! Mikael has such a sense of humour too - he was quite jovial, cracking jokes and making comments between songs. Especially when the guy in front of me started flashing LOL When they had played their last song, the crowd started chanting "OPETH! OPETH! OPETH!" - it was rhythmic and rose to a crescendo... The lights were flashing in time to the crowd, and then peaked, orgasmed into silence... and then the crowd started singing it. Crooning their name... We all got into it, and eventually Opeth just walked back out on stage. Apparently it gave them goosebumps - it definitely gave them to me. Mikael promised just one last song, but before that, there were the solos... and god did they play well.... drum solos, guitar, bass... Fredrik Åkesson is a fucking genius on guitar!! Such speed and precision.... he took my breath away. And after that they played Hex...

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Me and the boys from Contrive

Contrive from Melbourne was the Support Act - and I loved them. I sort of didn’t know what to think at first, not what I had expected from listening to some of their tracks online. They seemed to have a few sounds - but they really got into it, and i loved their performance. You all know I'm a fan of The Racket - the metal and hard rock radio program on triple j - Andrew Haug, Contrive's drummer is the host of it. I met the guys after the show - they seem like such nice guys! I think I can tell the twins apart, but I wouldn’t swear that in a court of law ;-p Their new album was mixed by Devin Townsend, and Paul Haug filled in for Slayer's Tom Araya when he had laryngitis in Melbourne last month. That is pretty fucking impressive!

More pics to follow.
Blog posted from my mobile on the night:
Contrive supported Opeth
live from OPETH gig