_Opeth, Quiet Child @ The Enmore Theatre, Sydney (16/12/2011)
_
With flowing beards and video game tee's in abundance, you'd be forgiven for mistaking Adelaide prog-metalheads Quiet Child for a swathe of basement dwelling Warcraft addicts involved in some kind of bizarre scenario mix up. Needless to say, a buzz of skepticism filled the aging Enmore Theater, with diehard Opeth fans impatiently waiting upon the Swedish Kings of Death Metal to grace Newtown with their presence.
Despite all preconceptions, the humble quartet stunningly lit up the audience with an eerily enjoyable amalgamation of Katatonia esque gothic cleans and Dream Theater like riffs, masterfully conjoined by frontman Peter Spiker, who's soaring vocals garnered applause from even the harshest of skeptics in the crowd. With even a tribute to the recently deceased Christopher Hitchens within their set, the modest rockers jaunted off the stage to what has to be one of the greatest receptions to an opening act this year, doing the relatively unknown name of the not-so quiet band proud.
With little time wasted, the legendary Opeth subtly crept onto stage, almost invisible against the subtle aqua illumination that engulfed the stage which gave way to the sludgy, organ laden intro from the bands latest release Heritage; The Devils Orchard. Unsurprisingly, the quintet performed flawlessly, with every polyrhythm and time change seamlessly championed by Mikael Åkerfeldt, whose supreme vocal melodies wove together the basis for a rich progressive tapestry within what would be the first of only thirteen tracks.
Yet this set choice would ultimately prove to be the most controversial aspect of a night, with a clear straying away from the death metal roots of the band in favour of a more melodic and substantially acoustic setlist, as exemplified within the stylistic shift of Heritage. Humorously, Akterfeldt noted that whilst many thought the bands tenth release over two decades was "Absolutely fucking shit", they truly believed it to be a "Masterpiece". It would be this choice that would intensely polarize the myriad of Opeth fans in attendance, who either believed it to be the most spectacular or pathetic performance they'd witnessed.
Transitioning quickly into I Feel the Dark, the five piece launched into the Face of Melinda and subsequently Porcelain Heart to the delight of fans, with the journey into familiar ‘classic’ territory marking the high point of the night.
In perhaps the most interesting move of the night, the midpoint in the set was marked by an abandoning of electric guitars in favour of acoustics, with Akterfeld launching into the largely unknown Throat of Winter, a track written for the soundtrack to the video game God of War III. Whilst undeniably a stark contrast to the material previously featured, the eerie dissonance within the (relatively) short work was somewhat of a testament to the true diversity and talent of the band, despite unruly drunken shouts for "fucking metal" from disenfranchised members of the audience, that would only be exacerbated by the subdued acoustic tracks Credence and Closure which would follow.
Returning to their initial setup, Slither, a track which Akterfeld claimed to be a tribute to one of his major idols - Ronnie James Dio. It cathartically returned the prog metallers to where they'd begun the night, with an uneasy sludge-like driving groove sonorously consuming the tiny room; before a well received return to the Watershed era with the epic Hex Omega.
Despite fare welling the crowd, the audience was certainly going nowhere and as expected the usual encore ensued, although not quiet as the audience had anticipated. Rather then featuring any of well known material from the Swedes extensive back catalogue, including the sidetepped Blackwater Park - one of the bands most prominent releases to date, the band took a gamble, closing the night with a new track Folklore, prompting more head-scratching followed by applause despite an incredibly impressive introductory shred laden solo from guitarist Fredrik Åkesson.
Above all, whilst criticism may have spewed from the mouths of many fans as they poured back into the inner city, due credit must be given to Opeth. For not only did they uphold the outstanding technical and visual reputation of the band. Daring to stray away from the philosophy of many modern metal acts, Opeth provided a truly unexpected performance for even the most seasoned of fans.
Luke Shields
Despite all preconceptions, the humble quartet stunningly lit up the audience with an eerily enjoyable amalgamation of Katatonia esque gothic cleans and Dream Theater like riffs, masterfully conjoined by frontman Peter Spiker, who's soaring vocals garnered applause from even the harshest of skeptics in the crowd. With even a tribute to the recently deceased Christopher Hitchens within their set, the modest rockers jaunted off the stage to what has to be one of the greatest receptions to an opening act this year, doing the relatively unknown name of the not-so quiet band proud.
With little time wasted, the legendary Opeth subtly crept onto stage, almost invisible against the subtle aqua illumination that engulfed the stage which gave way to the sludgy, organ laden intro from the bands latest release Heritage; The Devils Orchard. Unsurprisingly, the quintet performed flawlessly, with every polyrhythm and time change seamlessly championed by Mikael Åkerfeldt, whose supreme vocal melodies wove together the basis for a rich progressive tapestry within what would be the first of only thirteen tracks.
Yet this set choice would ultimately prove to be the most controversial aspect of a night, with a clear straying away from the death metal roots of the band in favour of a more melodic and substantially acoustic setlist, as exemplified within the stylistic shift of Heritage. Humorously, Akterfeldt noted that whilst many thought the bands tenth release over two decades was "Absolutely fucking shit", they truly believed it to be a "Masterpiece". It would be this choice that would intensely polarize the myriad of Opeth fans in attendance, who either believed it to be the most spectacular or pathetic performance they'd witnessed.
Transitioning quickly into I Feel the Dark, the five piece launched into the Face of Melinda and subsequently Porcelain Heart to the delight of fans, with the journey into familiar ‘classic’ territory marking the high point of the night.
In perhaps the most interesting move of the night, the midpoint in the set was marked by an abandoning of electric guitars in favour of acoustics, with Akterfeld launching into the largely unknown Throat of Winter, a track written for the soundtrack to the video game God of War III. Whilst undeniably a stark contrast to the material previously featured, the eerie dissonance within the (relatively) short work was somewhat of a testament to the true diversity and talent of the band, despite unruly drunken shouts for "fucking metal" from disenfranchised members of the audience, that would only be exacerbated by the subdued acoustic tracks Credence and Closure which would follow.
Returning to their initial setup, Slither, a track which Akterfeld claimed to be a tribute to one of his major idols - Ronnie James Dio. It cathartically returned the prog metallers to where they'd begun the night, with an uneasy sludge-like driving groove sonorously consuming the tiny room; before a well received return to the Watershed era with the epic Hex Omega.
Despite fare welling the crowd, the audience was certainly going nowhere and as expected the usual encore ensued, although not quiet as the audience had anticipated. Rather then featuring any of well known material from the Swedes extensive back catalogue, including the sidetepped Blackwater Park - one of the bands most prominent releases to date, the band took a gamble, closing the night with a new track Folklore, prompting more head-scratching followed by applause despite an incredibly impressive introductory shred laden solo from guitarist Fredrik Åkesson.
Above all, whilst criticism may have spewed from the mouths of many fans as they poured back into the inner city, due credit must be given to Opeth. For not only did they uphold the outstanding technical and visual reputation of the band. Daring to stray away from the philosophy of many modern metal acts, Opeth provided a truly unexpected performance for even the most seasoned of fans.
Luke Shields