A WINE AND CHEESE EVENING WITH OPETH, COMING TO A CITY NEAR YOU

I think it’d be interesting to see Opeth perform their new album Heritage in full. That’s the first thing I thought of while watching this live performance of “Pyre,” a bonus track on the deluxe edition of Heritage, on a Swedish morning television show. All those big amp and cabinet stacks, racks of keyboards, giant-sized drum kits and even Mikael Akerfeldt’s trademark PRS guitar are nowhere to be seen, simply because they’re not needed. Instead we get a bare-bones set-up with a 4-piece drum kit, one keyboard synthesizing a Hammond B3 (it’d be sweet if they had the real thing, but alas) and Akerfeldt playing a semi-hollow body; a most un-metal configuration. I’d love to see Opeth perform an entire set in this orchestration because the emphasis would be squarely on the music itself — what is being played, the notes — without any distortion or blast beats to cover things up or headbanging to distract attention away from the music. It’d be delightful; an “evening with” event, wear your fanciest shoes, enjoy a nice glass of red wine along with a plate of charcuterie and fine cheeses! How sophisticated.

The likelihood of that happening is pretty low, but you should still watch this video. Come for the music, stay for the program hosts saying “death metal” in English amidst a flurry of Swedish.

-VN