On Saturday, February 15th, 2025, we made our way back to Reeperbahn in Hamburg, this time to a venue called Docks, to see the legendary Swedish progressive metal outfit OPETH promoting their latest album “The Last Will And Testament” to a sold-out venue, supported by Swedish heavy metal act GRAND MAGUS.
As GRAND MAGUS started, the sizeable crowd surely took a moment to register their surroundings. It was almost as if they had to be made aware that there was an actual stage in front of them, with a band playing music on it. We attribute this to the very uncomfortable situation in the overly packed hall. The Swedish trio set the tone with their characteristic epic, feel-good heavy metal sound that makes you move to the riffing’s rhythm, whether you intend to or not. We dare you to stay still when the band plays “Steel Versus Steel.”
The magic of this band’s craft lies in their straight-to-the-point compositional style, which delivers short yet powerful and catchy tracks that melodically and rhythmically stick to your brain like a small stone forever trapped in the gaps on the sole of your shoe. If you don’t believe us, put the theory to the test: catch them live and then try getting rid of the chorus melody of Hammer Of The North. Good luck with that.
The headliner of the night, OPETH, entered the stage to a roaring crowd, as expected. They released their latest album, “The Last Will And Testament,“ in November 2024 via Reigning Phoenix Records.
This full-length album sees them go back in time stylistically, borrowing some of the first elements that earned them so much praise back in the day, growls included. We were curious to see how the new album would translate live and which other songs would make it into the setlist, considering their vast discography and the many directions their style has taken over the years. Since we’re not the kind of people who enjoy spoiling ourselves with setlists before a concert, we truly had no idea what to expect.
The Swedish quintet kicked off the evening with the first single of the new album “§1,” also honestly, one of our favorites due to the familiar feeling it evoked when it first dropped. The heavier elements of the pre-“Heritage” era are very present in this track. At this point in their performance, it’s clear the band is genuinely happy to be there, and fortunately, the impeccable sound helps translate that joy into their music.
Next, came a pleasant surprise for us, and apparently for everyone else: “Master’s Apprentice.” The song is an old favorite that—if memory serves us well—hasn’t been in their live setlist for quite a while. Unfortunately (or fortunately?), the band has spoiled this song for us, and we wouldn’t be surprised if they spoiled it for other attendees as well since this must have been the grandest version of this song we’ve ever heard. By playing it so well, the band has made it impossible for the album version to match the energy of this live performance. Far beyond the flawless execution, it was the passion with which they delivered the song that made it so special. So thank you, OPETH, for messing that up for us. We were left wondering: what other record versions of once-great songs do we have to say goodbye to?
The answer came quickly as the first tones of the third song unraveled. It was “The Lepper Affinity,” the song we can now delete from our playlists because the album’s version simply doesn’t hold up to the live one we heard in Hamburg. I guess we’ll get over it, it’s not like it was our favorite song from our favorite album or anything… so yeah, we’ll definitely get over it. On a more serious note, frontman Mikael Åkerfeldt seemed to be in a chatty mood that evening, sharing stories about the songs that they like listening to, and even taking the time out of their tightly scheduled setlist to cover the classic “You Suffer” by NAPALM DEATH.
Among other important matters, he pointed out how challenging it had been for the band to rehearse the songs from their latest album, and how they still weren’t sure how the actual live performance would turn out. Between the songs “§7” and “§3,” there were moments when you could watch the band exchanging glances, as if to say, “Did we really just pull that off?” with the singer even mentioning it to the audience at the end of the last song. It’s always heartwarming to witness, when even experienced musicians with their level of experience and prestige are still grounded and excited about their craft.
However, the highlight of the evening came when the audience was given a little background story about the next song to be played. It was none other than “The Night And The Silent Water” from the album “Morningrise,” a favorite among what we can safely call “Opeth Ultras.” One person in particular seemed especially thrilled by the story: Dan Swanö, the original producer of “Morningrise,” was in the audience that evening. He kept giggling at the very detailed and comical account by the frontman, of a young and ambitious OPETH, about to enter his studio to record their second album, now second out of fourteen.
Faster than expected, it was time for the band to pretend to leave the stage. The encore began with their hit “Sorceress” from OPETH‘s twelfth studio album of the same name. Interestingly, they followed with “Deliverance” as the final song of the evening. “Sorceress” being post-“Heritage” and “Deliverance” pre-“Heritage” made for a fascinating contrast, showcasing the band’s stylistic evolution. While 14 years separate the release of those two songs, they blended seamlessly into one another, providing a “Testament“ (hopefully not the last) to the versatility and uniqueness that have defined OPETH for the past 30 years.
Text and Photos by Michelle R.
