Opeth - Lamentations: Live at the Shepherds Bush Empire 2003 (DVD)
Music For Nations - DVDMFN22 - 2004
By Paddy Walsh
With the advent of DVD, it seems every band worth its salt requires a DVD release of some sort. Even some rather substandard bands have been releasing them of late, so it's about time that the mighty
Opeth followed suit.
Lamentations contains a 120 minute live set plus an hour long documentary for good measure, and it's nothing short of excellent.
Recorded in 2003 in London, the live set chiefly promotes their recent
Deliverance and
Damnation releases, and is split into two sets. The first is a live rendition of
Damnation in its entirety plus 'Harvest' from
Blackwater Park. The material is flawlessly played and passionately sung by vocalist Mikael Akerfeldt. The sound quality of this recording is breathtaking, with each note and instrument sounding crystal clear. The highlight of the set is surely 'Closure', as it has been reworked and thusly transformed into something of a prog epic. Beautiful stuff. However, it is the second set which most fans will be wanting to see, as it contains their heavier and better known material. The sound is huge for these songs. Heavy, complex and haunting,
Opeth have never sounded better, and watching this performance is as close to matching the power of the band live as you could possibly hope for on DVD. My only gripe is the lack of material from anything prior to
Blackwater Park. Not to take away from the brilliance of that which is played, but it would have been great to see some material from
Still Life and beyond. An unfortunate result of label-hopping throughout their career.
The documentary is a triumph for those who wish to see the band in their 'warts and all' glory. Containing interviews with each member and plenty of studio footage, it provides a nice insight into the band's recording process, and will prove fascinating to those who worship
Opeth.
Overall,
Lamentations delivers all that it promised, and is difficult to fault. It is certainly flawless from a production and performance point of view, and it is only the lack of older material which stops this from being perfect. Nonetheless, an essential purchase both for fanatics and passing fans alike.
8.5/10
Opeth Official Site
Music For Nations Official Site
