From the opening strains of their radio single “Windowpane” it is apparent that vocalist/guitarist Mikail Akerfeldt, guitarist Peter Lindgren, bassist Martin Mendez, drummer Martin Lopez, and touring keyboardist Per Wiberg must have digested some of the same early rock influences as I did. Using a controlled blend of depth and dramatics, there’s whispers of emersion, Lake and Palmer, Les, Weather report, UFO, Led Zepplin, Andre Segnoria, and various Latin precussions. Akerfeldt’s buttery smooths bartone speaking voice segues seamlessly into a suave beautiful instrument on “Death Whispers A Lullaby,” and “Hope Leaves” before rising in intensity to a controlled gutteral growl ontunes such as “Master’s Apprentices” and “The Leper Affinity.”
The group, by choosing to strip back a few layers of brutality to let the beauty show through, has solidified my long-held belief that many in the more extreme genres of metal are better players, compositionists, and arrangers than are given credit. Opeth are held in high regard by their musician peers for a reason. The clean twin guitar harmonies juxtaposed with majestic bass lines and punctuated by dynamic drum flourishes showcase the incredible depth and unexpected beauty of the genre.
Here’s the tech stuff: The DVD is presented in High Definition widescreen format, and offers audio options in Stereo, 5.1 Surround, and DTS. The 2 hour track listing includes: Windowpane, In My Time Of Need, Death Whispered A Lullaby, Closure, Hope Leaves, To Rid The Disease, Ending Credits, Weakness, Harvest, The Leper Affinity, Master’s Apprentices, Deliverance, The Drapery Falls, and A Fair Judgement.
Lamentations also includes a 65-minute behind-the-scenes documentary on the making of the Deliverance and Damnation albums by Fredrik Odefjard.
If you’ve never been much of a fan of the death genre before, let me tell you, this is the pinnacle of the form.