Opeth
Lamentations

THE REVIEW

In 2003, Opeth, fresh off the double 'Damnation/Deliverance', were ready to go all out and decided (or was it a record label decision?) to record a concert and make a nice DVD from it.

Let's start with the fundamental aspect of the concert: the music. I can't help but be biased here, having cherished Opeth for two years now. The concert is ideally divided into two parts: the first is entirely acoustic, Damnation is played from start to finish - although the track order differs from the album - along with the legendary Harvest. The second part, heralded by a truly dark introduction, bursts the eardrums. It closes with the masterful A Fair Judgement Documentary, an opportunity to introduce to the audience the arrival of the keyboardist Per Wiberg in the band.

And here comes the main drawback of the DVD: the tracks go no further back than "Blackwater Park". So, the tracklist is limited to 3 albums. The direction, photography, framing, and all the embellishments are remarkably well-done, with cameras focusing as much on the individual members as on wide shots that give a sense of the stage - not vast at all, rather quite intimate - trodden by Our Own. Notable mention to the lights - a dauntingly vast system and especially well managed.

Last but not least, we find a well-crafted making of of the usual double 'Lamentations/Deliverance'. In conclusion, what can be said about this DVD? It's a good concert, well made, well recorded, well directed. In the end, its major flaw is having excluded some of the band's strong pieces, those that some might have aspired to see. Otherwise, everything is fine: Opeth hit the mark again.