At The Movies With the Devil: Opeth 'Lamentations'

Scott over at Hook in Mouth made the mention that Opeth's 2003 live DVD,Lamentations, was on Netflix instant play so as I had never seen it what better thing to do then to watch it? You see, if you don't already know by now,I'm a huge Opeth fan. The live show I witnessed and chronicled in 2009 for Watershed was probably one of my favorite sets of all time.

So it was only natural to check out a set from earlier in the career. Lamentations is a set that was filmed in England at the Shepherd's Bush Empire.The set consisted of 2 hours and was comprised of the album Damnation in it's entirety and then a mixed set of Blackwater Park and Deliverance.All three albums are among my favorites of Opeth's long career. The quality on this DVD is exceptional in terms of the filming and the sound. At times it was like hearing these song all over again for the first time. Mikael Akerfeldt is an exceptional frontman as he has a dignified air about him into between songs. There is a shyness to him you can sense but at the same token he is genuinely pleased and satisified with the audience reactions to the songs and to the band.It was also interesting seeing an almost completely different lineup with the exception of Martin Mendez on bass.

If you are a fan of Opeth and have never seen a live show, do yourself a favor and check this DVD out. And if you're not sure who Opeth is then check it out as it is a perfect balance between what the band does both on the mellow and heavy side. After the jump is some clips from the DVD to highlight that last statement.