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Rating: It might have been the crowd, it might have been the nerve-wracking wait for the "opening of the gates" (a term now commonly used even when there isn't a gate in sight), but as time went by, the Roman evening didn't seem as cold as it actually was. A heterogeneous crowd had gathered near the entrance of the Alpheus theatre, surprisingly featuring all sorts of people, from the kid in a leather jacket trying to grow his hair out to the man with quite a few springs behind him and some gray hair, from die-hard Death fans to folk and progressive music enthusiasts.
The concert starts around 21-21:30, and opening are the Amplifier, a band from Albion: their music is a rock oriented towards more alternative sounds, largely influenced by space rock (there's heavy use of effect-laden sounds) with song structures that owe, without great pretensions, to more rudimentary noise. Contrary to what most of the audience might have thought, their performance was quite engaging — more so for those who had ears for them and weren't shouting at the three Englishmen while waiting for Opeth. Amplifier drew heavily from their self-titled debut studio album — the best, in my opinion — performing the opener "Motörhead", "O Fortuna" (the only one from their second full-length "Insider"), "Panzer", the captivating "Neon" (give it a listen), and, as a closing, "Airborne". You immediately notice some acoustic issues, the flaw that stands out is the microphone's signal being too low; however, their show was excellent, they certainly deserved more respect and attention. During this first hour, there was even time to throw out the idiot of the moment — the bouncers were fearsome — who thought it wise to enter completely wasted and spend the ticket money in an intelligent way (he was acclaiming Opeth from the first minute and didn't even see them take the stage!).
The equipment of this band, mostly unknown in Italy — which, in my view, deserves more than just a look — is swiftly cleared from the stage, while the drummer fervently throws endless sticks into the agitated crowd (for the first time since the show started… but due to the free sticks!) and the singer/guitarist seems a bit indecisive about which effects to disconnect first before clearing his stuff — his speed in maneuvering through the myriad of pedals was incredible.
The stage empties, on the left the veils covering the guitars and basses are removed, while at the center a long black cloth is taken away to reveal the drum kit with the trademark logo (the famous, beautiful, and intricate "O" of Opeth) on the bass drum to the drooling crowd. Within a few minutes, the Swedish band makes their entrance, greeted by a roar that shakes the Alpheus hall, which is anything but gigantic (compared to the ones hosting that evening).
Rome, 1996: opening concert for the Swedes with Cradle of Filth. Rome, 2006: after 10 years, many things have changed for Opeth, following "Orchid" and "Morningrise" (the only studio albums released until their first Roman concert!) a series of memorable masterpieces has followed, from "My Arms, Your Hearse" to "Ghost Reveries". There's even time to justify their absence from the capital: Mikael explains that someone told them "there isn't an adequate heavy-metal audience in Rome"… the result? Another deafening roar (and that's two, but there will be many), and a smile drawn from Åkerfeldt and company, who at the end of the concert, considering the enviable response from the audience, promise to return on their next tour.
Apart from these frequent interludes, which punctuated the splendid tracks performed and showcased an excellent entertainer Åkerfeldt in great form and with a splendid relationship with the audience (in the end, he even collects demo CDs thrown from under the stage), let's talk about music: the opening is entrusted to "Ghost of Perdition", however deprived of the initial hissing distorted guitar notes which, at least in the studio version, had the ability to "prepare" the listener. Instead, the start of their performance happens with unheard violence, a violence that persists with the subsequent "When" taken from "My Arms, Your Hearse", this too stripped of its intro (have they wanted to leave the fans breathless?!). It seems that the problems related to the audio have partly resolved, but one can still sense a certain coldness in the overall sound, with the voice at times being too "distant".
The regression in the band's discography stops for "Bleak" — from their fifth studio effort "Blackwater Park" — before taking another step back to 1999 and "Still Life", from which the Swedes borrow the superb "Face of Melinda"… and in the backstage, Åkerfeldt's little daughter with large headphones can be glimpsed enjoying the splendid track dedicated to her. The concert is in full swing when the blow hits me, the reason for which I would have given all the money spent on the ticket and travel with my eyes closed, that "The Night and The Silent Water" which for more than one in the audience caused cold droplets to run down their forehead and sent shivers down their spine. I am talking about the maximum expression of Opeth's art, anyone who truly wants to understand what a great composer Åkerfeldt is and what great musicians stood by his side absolutely must listen to this poetry transposed into music. It's not just one of their pieces that I prefer, but also a summary of their way of conceiving music; unmissable, all the more so for those wanting to approach the Opeth sound for the first time.
The concert proceeds with the much-criticized — by the critics, according to Åkerfeldt, who is a bit bitter about this — "The Grand Conjuration", and then with another piece many in the audience were waiting for: "Windowpane", directly from the 2003 album "Damnation". The tones become quieter, someone in the audience dares to light a small flame with their lighter, everything seems perfect, everything as it should have been. We are nearing the end, and here comes "Blackwater Park" from the album of the same name, a somewhat bizarre way to close the concert (although considered extraordinary by most, this song never appealed to me much). But, after the special goodnight wished directly to the audience by the band (many, especially those appreciating them live for the first time, like myself, were incredulous to have them right there, just a few meters away), the crowd remains still, hopeful for the band to return to the stage, which, in a final stroke, performs "Deliverance" from the homonymous album: the final riff, which repeats obsessively with Martin Axenrot's pounding double bass drum and the thundering six and four strings, leaves no room for anything but the most unrestrained headbanging. And this time, the "good night" whispered by Mikael is definitive and leaves everyone a bit stunned, someone dazed, others already excited, some wide-eyed, others physically — I emphasize — exhausted.
An unforgettable performance by Opeth, from the super funny frontman to the much-acclaimed brand new drummer, passing through Peter Lindgren, Martin Mendez, and the man of darkness Per Wiber (truth be told, a bit too overshadowed during the concert, coincidentally!)… no unnecessary introduction!
I leave the theater with ringing ears, and this is the only negative note — if we really want to exaggerate — of the evening. And the morning after, and for days to come, an idiotic smile remained plastered on my face, the reason for which is easily understandable…
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