The more positive cd review of the latest of Opeth with their Roundhouse Tapes album

December 28, 2007

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OPETH

THE ROUNDHOUSE TAPES

PEACEVILLE RECORDS

!!!.5

People either seem to love Opeth or hate them; I fall into the more positive category, but I do have to be in the right mood for them. This two-disc live album, The Roundhouse Tapes, put me into that mood immediately. As is necessary with Opeth, a reigning atmosphere of bleakness is in order. Despite the infamous venue (The Roundhouse in London) being able to seat roughly 2,000 people (seated), this record has an intimate feel and does contain that weighty Opeth atmosphere. The band, unsurprisingly, sounds amazing, tight and full. A little too full for my tastes, as it sounds too clean for a live recording, in addition to which the audience sounds washed-out (maybe that’s why it sounds like a smaller venue than it really is). The nine songs here, totaling at approximately 90 minutes, are a pretty good selection from their repertoire—of course, with a band that has numerous records to their credit, and many songs that are very long, it’s impossible to come up with a setlist that will make everyone happy. There are plenty of songs I would have wanted to hear that don’t appear here of course, but then they did include some surprises (“Under the Weeping Moon”). Personal favourites include “Bleak,” “When,” “Blackwater Park” and “Windowpane.” Apparently there is also a DVD release of this concert (with lots of bonus stuff planned) slated for an early 2008 release, so if you’ve already worn out this album, keep an eye out for the DVD.

—Clare B.