Me and my buddy arrived at the club at 6:15 Saturday night, and expected to be able to enter at 7:00 when the doors supposedly opened.  The show was scheduled to begin at 7:30.  As it happened the doors did not open until after 7:30 and luckily the first band, Into Eternity, did not start on time.  After entering we each grabbed a grossly overpriced beer at the first bar before heading in to the main stage area.  We picked out a great spot right behind the sound board and lighting guy.  We had a pretty good view of the right half of the stage and there was a half wall right in front of us, so we could lean on it throughout the show for support.  And it was a very nice luxury to have as our legs and backs got tired quickly.

Into Eternity began the show around 8:15, I’m guessing.  I didn’t have a watch on and never bothered to ask my buddy what time it was.  No big deal, however.  IE played hard, played fast, and played loud.  Very loud.  So loud in fact that I had a hard time distinguishing each song from the next.  There were parts of a few songs that I recognized but for the most part it was mostly noise.  The singer had incredible range, however, and loved to show it off.  I would have, too, if I had those pipes.  I don’t remember how many songs they played but I do remember that I couldn’t wait for them to stop.  Maybe it was because I knew Nevermore was next, or maybe I was getting frustrated listening to them.  Who knows.  Either way I was happy when they left the stage.  Among the songs in their set they played Splintered Visions, Point of Uncertainty, and either 3 Dimensional Aperture or Beginning of the End.  Or both.  I could not differentiate between the two.  This is a band that sounds much better in recorded form than in live form.

Nevermore was next and about 15 minutes before they began their lighting guy came back to the board and sat down in front of us.  My buddy started talking to him and he turned out to be a real cool guy (not that I was surprised or anything) and he told us that Nevermore was filming that night for a live DVD.  SWEET!  When Nevermore came out on stage the place erupted.  I knew we were in for a great show and the guys in Nevermore delivered.  They opened with the first song from their latest cd, Born.  With Born they ripped up the place right from the start and did not let go until the end.  After Born, which was impeccable, they played My Acid Words and then Bittersweet Feast, both also from This Godless Endeavor.  Next came The Riverdragon has Come from Dead Heart in a Dead World.  The place went nuts, of course, and they preformed it well.  Next up was Never Purify from Enemies of Reality.  I do like this song but I would have preferred either Narcosynthesis or I, Voyager.  Regardless, it was a thunderous song and gave me a greater appreciation for the studio version.  After Beyond Within singer Warrell Dane joked that they had yet to play anything from the album Dreaming Neon Black on tour so they jumped right in to Beyond Within, and again the place went nuts.  As with the previous song from Enemies of Reality I would have preferred a different song like Poison Godmachine but Beyond Within was so well done that I forgot that I wanted to hear something different.  They then performed the title track from their latest, This Godless Endeavor.  It is a nine minute-plus opus that really covers all the bases.  It begins slowly and builds towards a hard-charged climax.  Just an incredible song and would have been a great one to close their set with.  They were not done, however, thankfully, and they played Final Product next.  The mosh pit, which was present during most songs, was very apparent now.  The last song they played was Enemies of Reality.  Again, the crowd went crazy feeding off the energy from the band.  A great way to close the set. 
Overall the band played with incredible precision and passion.  It was evident that they love what they do and appreciated the crowd’s energy.  After the set was over I turned to my buddy and said nothing more than “That was thunderous.”  I think after hearing Nevermore play I have experienced what thunder sounds like in musical form.  The sound was in the club was excellent (I don’t think they were nearly as loud as Into Eternity) and I could actually hear each song.  They played furiously and were very cohesive.  Drummer Van Williams was unreal.  Guitarists Jeff Loomis and Steve Smyth played unbelievably well and bass player Jim Sheppard held the groove in place perfectly.  I loved the band before the show and even more afterwards.  I was left nearly breathless.

After Nevermore came the headliner Opeth.  This was the main attraction and for good reason.  After 15 years together and slowly progressing towards “mainstream” metal acceptance, Opeth has become one of the premier metal bands on the scene.  The songwriting and musicianship are absolutely top quality.  The crowd was already in a frenzy just knowing that they would soon be seeing the mighty Opeth, and when the band hit the stage the crowd erupted.  Their musical ability was quickly apparent when they opened their set with The Baying of the Hounds.  This song is the second song on their latest cd Ghost Reveries.  A good song to open with, but then again almost any Opeth song would do just as well.  Lead singer Mikael Akerfeldt ripped through the death metal growls as if it was normal for him.  On top of that, he’s got one heck of a clean vocal as well.  It truly is amazing that he can perform both vocal styles with equal ability.  The second song was When from the album My Arms, Your Hearse.  Again, the band played flawlessly.  The double bass drum and twin guitars provided a fierce musical attack on my eardrums, but I’m not complaining.  Next up was probably my favorite Opeth song, Bleak, from the album Blackwater Park.  It was such a treat to see this song performed live and they did the studio version justice.  After Bleak came a brief death metal vocal lesson from Akerfeldt.  He played teacher and got the girls and guys to follow his lead with the growls.  And surprisingly the girls did a much better job.  It was an interesting way to lead in to the next song, In My Time of Need, which is a ballad and has no growling at all.  No matter, it was a beautiful rendition and it allowed the crowd to take a short rest.  It also allowed the band to relax a little, as they had played with incredible energy thus far.  The next song was The Grand Conjuration, a fantastic song from Ghost Reveries.  This is a complete Opeth song, containing everything the band has to offer.  Death metal growls, clean vocals, hard-charging guitars and heart stopping rhythm.  Then came another slower song, Face of Melinda.  The beginning of the song is a beautiful ballad and had the crowd singing along.  Towards the end the song picks up in intensity.  Next was a song dedicated to Burt Reynolds, Deliverance, the title track to the 2002 release.  This song is unbelievably intense, and the final three minutes or so showcase the bands unmatched ability to play mind-blowing music.  There are few words to describe what I heard; suffice it to say that it absolutely needs to be heard by the mass population.  I stood in awe at what Opeth accomplished.  After that musical orgasm came Blackwater Park, the title track from arguably the bands finest hour.  The double bass drum that drives the ending of the song is unreal.  I don’t think I saw drummer Martin Axenrot (filling in for Martin Lopez) break a sweat.  He performed with absolute precision.  The last song of the night was described by Akerfeldt as a nice little lullaby.  Of course he was joking because no song with a title like Demon of the Fall could be viewed as a lullaby.  This song contains the most evil scream in all of heavy metal.  I thought that the floor was about to rip open and the walls would collapse when Akerfeldt came to that point in the song.  It was so intense and forceful.  He commanded attention and the audience obeyed.  I was left speechless after that spectacle.  Opeth came, they saw, they conquered.  It was as simple as that.  It was the most satisfying concert I have ever witnessed, even more so than seeing Dream Theater a year and a half ago. 

Side note: on the way out we had to go through the outer bar and my buddy noticed that Jeff Loomis and Van Williams from Nevermore were there having a beer and chatting with fans.  We stopped to shake hands and say thanks for a helluva show.  Nice guys, too.

Thanks for the great details, voodoo.... Great live review....  and it is obvious that you had a hell of a good time...

Good review!

Spiraling Into Depression!!!!