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Opeth - The Roundhouse Tapes CD (album) cover

THE ROUNDHOUSE TAPES

Opeth

 

Tech/Extreme Prog Metal

4.10 | 224 ratings

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Gatot
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator
4 stars An excellent adrenalin generator ..!

One thing I love about Opeth is the combined hard-edge rhythm section, ambience, growling vocal and the normal one, sudden breaks after full blast of metal music vein. I was only impressed by the band when Steven Wilson of Porcupine Tree got involved in the album making. That's because of at first I did not like anything that growls. But Mikael Åkerfeldt's growling is different with any other metal music. So since then I love the music of Opeth because it has everything: power (for sure!), energy, complexities and melody!

This live set provides songs with this kind of characteristics. This Swedish band's latest opus is the 2 CD live set The Roundhouse Tapes, which was recorded in November of 2006 at London's Camden Roundhouse during their Ghost Reveries Tour. There are only 9 songs on the 90 minute set: six songs on CD one, while another 3 songs on CD Two. A DVD version of the concert is scheduled to be released in early 2008.

This concert is like a representation of their albums with only "Deliverance" not being represented. The opening track "When" and "Demon Of The Fall" are taken from their "My Arms, Your Hearse" (1998). It's really uplifting to start the live concert with a full blast music like "When" where you can hear all the heavy sides of Opeth and the slow parts as well. As this is live concert, I like the fact that this was taken from the live concert. Even though the arrangements are exactly the same with studio version but I can feel the live vibes. Actually, this track starts something like any other metal band deliver: high-tension rhythm section with drive and energy, full blasted with all instruments they play, followed by low register growling vocal (this is really cool .!!!).

The next track "Ghost of Perdition" refers to their "Ghost Reveries" album and as the opening track this one starts with full blast and in fact more complex than the first. It then moves into a musical break with soft riffs like Tool has normally performed in their music. But Opeth is of course different from Tool, musically. "Bleak" provides a kind of break as the previous tracks are truly heavy one. This is not to say this track is mellow, but it's softer as compared to previous ones. I enjoy the ambient of this track, really! There is also track with softer style like "The Night and The Silent Water".

For me personally, "Blackwater Park" is something of special due to the fact that I like the album very much. It has everything that heavy music offers: solid rhythm section and riffs, nice groove and soul, good flow of music coupled with well managed transition pieces involving great guitar riffs and solos. This is suitable for those of you who like long duration track with many passages ranging from soft part as well as heavy part, growling as well as normal vocal line. And everything is blended nicely in the tight composition of the music.

The overall performance by Opeth on this CD is excellent. The arrangements are very similar to the original recordings, and the sound quality is excellent too. I cannot wait the issuance of the DVD! Mikael Akerfeldt speaks quite a bit between songs, and you can hear some crowd noise. The Roundhouse Tapes is a good offer before the band release their new studio album. Keep on proggin' ..!

Peace on earth and mercy mild - GW

Gatot | 4/5 |

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