Of Beautiful Dark Atmosphere

Opeth, The Vintage Caravan

In Cauda Venenum Tour – Europe 2022 presented by Mind Over Matter Music, Arena Wien – Große Halle, Austria 20220920

The time is just right for highlights of the dark art. And there are several at the tip to autumn. Machine Head set the Stadthalle on fire, Chants de Rats dismember the Venster99, and at Arena, Soen are about to follow as well as Pallbearer and Elder.

But before, MOM presents two masters of their business. Because the opener this evening listens to the well-known name not Spirit, not Parasol, but The Vintage Caravan. The three-piece from Island is a fantastic blast, that brought them to the Rock In Vienna already, and other places in Austria soon, as they tell. One highlight hunts the other with „Whispers“, „Crystallized“ about being cold, „Forgotten“, „On The Run“ and more. Powerful Hard Rock like The Answer opening for AC/DC, and likeable stories between for example about the fear of an open fly.

This nordic charm leads us to the main protagonists of the evening. Opeth’s last visit was at the Vienna Metal Meeting, and cloudy weather like at the SBOA helps their atmosphere. Today, they brought their latest album „In Cauda Venenum“ with them, featuring songs like „Svekets prins“ and „Hjärtat vet vad handen gör“ as starter. From „Heritage“, they perform „Nepenthe“, from „Damnation“ the beautiful „Hope Leaves“, and from the outstanding 2008 masterpiece „Watershed“ „The Lotus Eater“. Their prog compositions fit the friendly five-piece around Mikael Åkerfeldt like the Death Metal growls blow up the final „Deliverance“. No wonder, the big hall is crowded all the way to the back and the stairs and gallery as well.  

Opeth are a lot about atmosphere, as Mikael unfolded in interviews e.g. with the Rock Hard. He told about listening to Scott Walker on a rainy day at a record store and other favorite influences. The other way around, you can taste Opeth in likes of Porcupine Tree and Helmet, as well as in Jana Draka or U-Bahn-Star Javier Medina Bernal.