“Staking Their Claim In Preparation For World Dominance, Opeth Takes No Prisoners”!

The reign of Opeth has commenced. On October 26^th, 2005, Stockholm, Sweden’s Opeth, sovereign kings of the Magnus Opus, displayed their masterful skills in front of a packed House of Blues as headliners on the Ghost Reveries Tour. The title of the tour is taken from their eighth studio release of the same name. Opeth's music is death metal for the refined palate, like an eight-course meal, especially this evening. It has been said in the past that Opeth is the kind of band, you cannot headbang to, well it's rather hard to keep headbanging or to move when you're mesmerized!! Tonight marked the evening on the bill for Seattle’s power/thrash “wondergroup” Nevermore. They too were amazing. What added to this sensational event was the overall sound of every band. You could distinctly hear every note from every instrument. Did the venue upgrade their equipment or something? Asides from the sound being glorious, so were the lights. They too were gorgeous!! Whatever they did, may it continue henceforth. Anything to pack the crowd in considering the Chicago White Sox is in the World Series, right!?! ;^)

The evening was a magical indeed. This exciting, highly anticipated tour has been eagerly discussed for months before its launch and rightfully so. As the touring package is strong and very suited well I will get to the downside of this in a couple of minutes. Both Opeth and Nevermore respectively have a very strong and loyal fan base. Gracing the covers of BW&BK, Metal Maniacs and other well-known metal mags have raised the hype of this tour. Neither band has been overly active on the touring circuit as of late. However, Opeth did take part in the summer runaway success, Sounds of The Underground Tour. Now by teaming Nevermore with Opeth, that's practically a no-brainer; they fit together like glue. However, one must question why California’s stoner rock band, Fireball Ministry was included at all. It’s like this a speeding bullet train from hell that's forced to break its speed to pick up a hitchhiker. That same hitchhiker turns out to be a deranged, psychotic killer. Okay, perhaps I went a little too far but adding them into the mix, causes the train to derail; it disrupts service. Not that FBM are not good because they are excellent, it is just that they seemed to be ill matched for this specific tour. If all of the shows were like tonight's, I am sure they did not win over many Opeth or Nevermore fans; here’s to hoping they did and this tour did not go in vain for them. Despite the mismatching, the Ghost Reveries Tour goes down in the history books of FourteenG, in the all-time Top 5, as that of pure splendor.

Lineup: James A. Rota II – guitars/vocals; Emily J. Burton – guitars; John Bechtel (Johnny Chow) – bass; John Oreshnick – drums

I must admit that I have wanted to check out Fireball Ministry since this stoner doom metal four-piece piqued my interest last year when I heard their single “Flatline” on Music Choice off their previous release Second Great Awakening. Not to say I was disappointed by the band’s performance, because it was solid. Again, I could gather no understanding why or how they wound up on this bill. They would have faired better on a tour with the likes of a High on Fire or Fu Manchu… In retrospect, 2005 has not only been an amazing year for concerts but it has also left a many of eyebrow up considering how many mismatched tours have occurred this year. INSANE!! On the upside, FBM is a good old-fashioned rock n’ roll outfit. The band did the best they could to please their audience unfortunately; the stoic onlookers were not feeling them. The zombified assembly was a little colder and outwardly less caringly this go round. This time, I could understand the audience’s reaction for aforementioned reasons. Seemingly, they were expecting “more” from the band. Again, it was a great effort! This outfit is definitely not a stranger to struggle; their music primarily focuses in on just that inner struggles and life.

FBM’s headed by guitarist/vocalist, the good Rev. James A. Rota II; his vocals were sharp and clear. John Bechtel, bassist for the band is also the musical partner to Fear Factory’s Burton C. Bell in another project called Ascension of the Watchers was missing in action from the tour. Awaiting the birth of his child, it forced Bechtel to take some time off the touring circuit. In Bechtel’s absence, touring bassist, Jason (???)’s performance was great; he displayed a lot of talent. John Oreshnick displayed his excellent prowess on drums and guitarist Emily Burton’s performance was stellar as well. Loved the design of her guitar; it resembles a burning flame. How apropos!

During their performance, The Rev thanked the crowd for attending their set he also commended us for coming to the show as opposed to the gaggle for saying “heavy metal’s more important than baseball”. Actually, this was a pretty big feat as it turned The White Sox clinched the World Series tonight!!!!!!! So nice of the Rev. to acknowledge that!!

The band performed three songs from Their Rock Is Not Our Rock, their recent release off Liquor & Poker Music: “It Flies Again”, "Save The Saved”, and “Hellspeak”. Believe it or not, the crowd began to warm by the conclusion of Fireball’s set. A few heads were a boppin’ to “Flatline”. Even witnessed a couple people other than myself singing the words to the song. The horns did start to fly! It was nice to see the audience opening their minds to “new” music. Undoubtedly, their fate will not repeat itself when the band hit the road in November with H.I.M., Skindred, and Finch.

Setlist: It Flies Again; Broken; Choker; He Who Kills; Sundown; King; Save The Saved; Flatline; Hellspeak.

Lineup: Warrel Dane – vocals; Jeff Loomis – guitars; Steve Smyth - guitars; Jim Sheppard – bass; Van Williams – drums

The semi-lifeless crowd had undergone a serious transformation; during the set changeover, the audience started to come to life. Chattering picked up as it became ever so apparent that you could hear a pin drop during Fireball’s set in comparison to the pre-Nevermore set noise level. The crowd began to chant, “Nevermore, Nevermore…” Minutes later, the promo screen from hell lifted, the band began to file on stage to mass hysteria. Perhaps some of the hysteria could have been attributed to vocalist Warrel Dane donning a Paul Konerko White Sox jersey! By the way, Mr. Dane looks AMAZING! His work out regimen has been doing wonders for him and best friend/bassist, Jim Sheppard. Healthy living is agreeing with them both.

What tipped the shocker scale is that the audience ranged in ages from young to grizzly! There were kids in their teens to gentlemen with grey beards in attendance. Seriously! The wide range of fans all sung the words to all of Nevermore’s songs; it was most comforting. Guitarists Steve Smyth and Jeff Loomis were magnificent. They were sharp and tuneful. Not sure which part was better, the solos or the shredding. Relatively immovable for the exception of the hairbanging, Shep bathed in the white spotlights. Thrusting his massive frame while the most amazing sounds emanated forth. Sheppard is definitely an underrated talent. Speaking of underrated and overlooked musicians; drummer Van Williams definitely comes to mind, especially after witnessing his skillfulness this evening.

Warrel announced the band had recently released a new album on Century Media Records, This Godless Endeavor. The band proceeded to play the title track. All was going very, very well until the conclusion of “Enemies of Reality” when Dane blurted out, “Well thank you Chicago! We’re Nevermore and the name of our CD is This Godless Endeavor. We’ll see you soon!” Excuse me? A 20-minute set? WTF, this is NEVERMORE! There were so many pissed off concertgoers. The crowd started to display their dismay by booing and hissing, not that this would sway the venue to allow the band to perform their remaining song on the list, “Final Product”. I understand the HOB adheres to their strict curfew times, etc. but this was complete and utter bullshit. Better luck next go round with a longer set! Regardless of the extremely short slot allotted to the band, Nevermore is a premiere act and the new album is definitely amazing and worth checking out.

Setlist: Born; My Acid Words; Bittersweet Feast; The River Dragon Has Come; Never Purify; This Godless Endeavor; Enemies of Reality, Final Product.

Lineup: Mikael Åkerfeldt – guitars, vocals; Peter Lindgren – guitars; Martin Mendez – bass; Per Wiberg – keyboards; Martin Axenrot – drums 

Perhaps Roadrunner Records’ smartest acquisition is tonight’s headliner, the pride, and joy of Stockholm (Sörskogen) Sweden, Opeth. The curtains parted at approximately 8:10 PM. When Opeth took the stage, mass hysteria erupted; the crowd simply lost it. The band opened with “Baying of the Hounds”, off their eighth and most brilliant release to date, Ghost Reveries. Per Wiberg headbanging his ass off, started the night out right with his stunning performance, he definitely set the tone to glory. The seemingly well-rested Åkerfeldt must have had one hell of a nap before the band took the stage as his overly disheveled hair looked as “he had just climbed out of bed", according to one of our staff members. Then we have bassist Martin Mendez decided to do a little house cleaning on stage with his long mane sweeping the floor, rhythmically swaying back and forth like a metronome whilst playing. While Åkerfeldt’s situation was comical, Mendez’s performance was rousing. However, I am stepping a little ahead of the game in speaking of their actual performance. During the first break of clean vocals (of “Baying”), white light showered vocalist and guitarist, Mikael Åkerfeldt illuminating his angelic silhouette even though he had just finished growling like a demon moments prior. At the conclusion of the song, silence befell the venue. Talk about respect!! Impressed with the show of reverence, Åkerfeldt immediately addressed his faithful congregation, “Hello Chicago! It’s great to be back on tour with our friends Nevermore”! The audience cheered awhile, silence befell again. Mikael then announced the next song, “Here’s something for you old school fags, “When”! The audience exploded with exuberance.

The conclusion of “When”, the hysterical frontman began to speak to the crowd, as they held on to every syllable he uttered, “I hear there’s a game or something…baseball…something like that?”, the crowd yelled. “Guess you ladies like soccer like me! We’ll play some Tom Petty and The Boss!!” , laughter ensued. Well as one can imagine, they did no such thing! Instead, they played “Bleak” however before the song got underway, the charismatic Åkerfeldt said, “We love you Chicago!” Vi älskar er också!! “But tonight we want you to sing! We’re gonna have a brief vocal lesson!” Someone from the audience screamed, Åkerfeldt clapped. He continued, “Number one, death metal. Are you ready?” the crowd screamed. Mikael put forth his best growl, the audience immediately followed attempting to mimic the example given, needless to say, it was nowhere close. The effort was appreciated nonetheless. He had then gone on to say he had written “Bleak” when “he was trying to get chicks”. He then said he wanted break out their lighters for the song, “because I want to feel like I’m back in the 80’s”! You had better believe the audience followed their commander's lead. The over zealous crowd lit their lighters before the song began. Mikael quickly said, "Can you wait until the song starts?", the crowd laughed in unison. Light radiated from the floor and the rafters of the venue. It was just as beautiful as the performance of the song. After "In My Time of Need", Åkerfeldt thanked the crowd for singing along.

Introducing "The Grand Conjuration", Mikael said, "We have a new record out called Ghost Reveries. Did you guys enjoy the album?", the crowd cheered ever so loudly in response. He continued, "When was the last time you listened to it? I want to see some goddamn action on the next one! This is "Grand Conjuration"! Indeed the fans made sure action was given; horns and fists hurdled toward the stage like cannons through the smoke filled air. Åkerfeldt said he always felt "Still Life was an underrated album". The crowd acquiesced with their cheers and avid applause! Mr. Åkerfeldt continued to provide much comic relief for the crowd during song intros, this time it was before "Face of Melinda". "Do we look like Lynyrd Skynyrd? A lot of people tell us that!" He continued, "Melinda's great! Thanks for asking"! Fans in the front row on the floor began screaming out various names of songs they wanted to hear. Åkerfeldt retorted, "Do we look like a band that takes requests? The next song will make it easier because it's evil. You heard me, it's evil and a fast mix together…" To thicken the plot he started going on about having "sexual dreams about Burt Reynolds" (???) This would be too easy to make a joke here so I shall leave this be.

The night draws to an end, "We've reached the last song!" the crowd booed and hissed. Åkerfeldt continued, "It's a long one, thirteen minutes I think". Further engaging the crowd in "conversation" he asked the crowd's opinion on headbanging, "Do you like it? Do you love it? We're looking for better bangers, line bangers!" In response to Akerfledt's dialogue, all the fans in the front row headbanged to the 13-minute opus, "Deliverance". Mikael ripped into another hysterical interchange, he first called himself a geeky musician, and then he began to discuss the concept of the 4/4. "AC/DC made a fortune from it!" Thinking it is Opeth's turn, right!?! "I could use a couple extra Cadillacs in my garage!", he proclaimed. He proceeded to give more music lessons, this time about the drums. The conversation lead him to talk about Michael Jackson, another fine example of the 4/4. "The Swedes love Michael Jackson! Add double bass…" He then requested the audience to bang along to the beat provided by Martin Axenrot [Witchery, ex-Satanic Slaughter, Chaos Order, etc.] touring drummer and if the crowd would "do it well", Axenrot "would play a drum solo! As a matter of fact, he just found out he was doing a drum solo"! The crowd laughed and clapped hysterically. "Every fucking body head bang!",  and that they did!! After the conclusion of the song, Åkerfeldt said, "Give it up for Martin Axenrot standing in for Martin Mendez whose at home sick."

Taking a quick break from Åkerfeldt's uproarious repartee, the first break in "Blackwater Park" was spine tingling! I do not think words can describe this song and how it was performed; this song was my introduction to the band. It was utterly fabulous!! Guitarist Peter Lindgren's performance was stunning, of course Åkerfeldt was stellar! His vocals were faultless and pure not to mention his flawless guitar playing to boot. By the way, Axenrot's performance was simply fantastic! The conclusion of "Blackwater Park", the band exited the stage for seemed to be an eternity. After the pre-empted break, Mikael returned alone to introduce the final song of the evening, "Demons of the Fall". The level of excitement remained at a fevered pitch until the end of the song. Åkerfeldt shared his final words of the evening with us, "Thanks so fucking much! We will be back in February"! Unfortunately, Åkerfeldt didn't hear the ultimate comment of the night, a fan screamed, "If I were a woman, I’d have your children!" Talk about adoration!! Hell he'd not only have one, but a multitude for the rock god himself!

Speaking of adoration, never before have I heard or seen Opeth like this before, in concert or even on CD; it was a fierce show almost like a reintroduction into the world of Opeth…a rebirth of sorts. I can all but guarantee there has not ever been a time in the history of this band where they received a bad review…and I doubt they ever shall. Here’s to hoping Opeth will grace the Americas in the not so distant future. Until then, I am about to break out Blackwater Park to tide me over!! Vi ses igen!

Setlist: Baying of the Hounds; When; Bleak; The Moor; In My Time of Need; The Grand Conjuration; Still Life, Face of Melinda; Deliverance, Blackwater Park, ***Encore*** Demons of the Fall

Click here for interview with Mikael Åkerfeldt

Want more photos of Opeth? Click here for pix of the band during SOTU!

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Here for the 2006 installment of the Ghost Reveries Tour!!

Ghost Reveries Tour 2005 Dates:

Opeth with supporting acts: Nevermore and Fireball Ministry

Oct. 09 - Tempe, AZ - Marquee Theatre
Oct. 10 - West Hollywood, CA - House of Blues
Oct. 11 - San Francisco, CA - The Fillmore
Oct. 12 - Portland, OR - The Crystal Ballroom
Oct. 14 - Vancouver, BC - Commodore Ballroom
Oct. 15 - Seattle, WA - El Corazon
Oct. 17 - Salt Lake City, UT - Lo-Fi Cafe
Oct. 18 - Denver, CO - Ogden Theatre
Oct. 20 - Dallas, TX - Trees
Oct. 21 - Houston, TX - Meridian
Oct. 22 - San Antonio, TX - White Rabbit
Oct. 24 - Lawrence, KS - The Bottleneck
Oct. 25 - St. Louis, MO - Pop's
Oct. 26 - Chicago, IL - House of Blues
Oct. 27 - Detroit, MI - Harpo's
Oct. 28 - Toronto, ONT - The Opera House
Oct. 29 - Montreal, QUE - Medley
Oct. 30 - Worcester, MA - The Palladium
Oct. 31 - Philadelphia, PA - Theater of the Living Arts
Nov. 02 - Latham, NY - Saratoga Winners
Nov. 03 - New York, NY - Webster Hall
Nov. 04 - Buffalo, NY - Showplace Theatre
Nov. 05 - Springfield, VA - Jaxx
Nov. 06 - Cleveland, OH - House of Blues
Nov. 07 - Winston-Salem, NC - Ziggy's
Nov. 08 - Atlanta, GA - Roxy Theatre
Nov. 09 - N. Myrtle Beach, SC - House of Blues
Nov. 11 - Fort Lauderdale, FL - Culture Room

All photos Copyright © 2005. Pictures may not be used without the written consent/permission of FourteenG