Bow Down and Worship...?
Opeth are a very lucky band indeed. Taking to the stage after The Dillinger Escape Plan, any band is going to appear to be ten times better than they really are. When it’s a band as talented as Opeth, the results are astounding. Their rambling sound coupled with long hair brings back memories of Vikings and olden rock gods. With Opeth hailing from Stockholm, Donington must have a very different feel compared to their usual crowds.
They start as they mean to go on, creating a labyrinth of twisting, turning guitars overlaid with unobtrusive vocals from their polite, well spoken front man Mikael Åkerfeldt. The general feeling you get from Opeth is that all aspects of the band are important – even Martin Mendez (bass) gets a chance to shine. Despite the fact that the equal sound found in Opeth is a welcome change, it does sound like their meandering lyrics are being masked by their impressive guitars. It doesn’t matter though, for as they stalk over the stage like menacing tom-cats filled to the brim with six minute songs of infinite cool you realize that Europe does have some of the best death-metal bands around.