The Sight of Joy Upon My Return:  Opeth, Mastodon, and Zeal of Ardor, Deliver Tremendous Performances in Hollywood

December 1st, 2021

               Approximately 1 year and 9 months past, since “the scene of the crime.”  March 4th, The Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles, California.  Headlining this event, and the last day of their tour, Opeth would perform a nearly 2-hour set, alongside Graveyard being the sole opener.  Humourously, as Mikael Akerfeldt would be, made a comment about “the Corona virus” when former drummer Martin Axerot hit one of his less used cymbals, saying, “Well, we all have Corona now.”  The audience laughing, about 99% of us still thinking this was a popular meme.  Leaving the concert, awaiting the exemplary shows in the late Spring, early Summer:  Bolzer, Bloodbath, Rotting Christ, and Borknagar, to name some.

            A few weeks later, the world changed forever.  The reality of Covid was real, from the NBA cancelling the season during the games, wonder about jobs, the economy, and of course, bands touring.  There was no clear answer in sight, and the question about the number of bands that would possibly be on hiatus, or even quit (Anathema, unfortunately.  Completely broke my heart).  Fast-tracking to late 2021, and although things aren’t perfect, perhaps never truly reaching the normal we once knew, the majority of concerts seem to be rising for the better.  And definitely a whirlwind of a situation, I would find myself back at The Palladium, with Opeth co-headlining this tour, bringing along Mastodon and Zeal and Ardor, with the former changing sets each night.  Tonight however, Opeth would close this evening, just as the fateful last show I attended before Covid.

            Seeing Zeal and Ardor open for Deafheaven and Baroness a couple of years ago, I was immensely excited to see them again.  You want to talk about displaying such a unique style of music?  Imagine hearing a singing, Soul choir, clapping your hands along the beat of their voices, and a thunderous blast beat occurs simultaneously.  Mixing in this tremendous style of Melody, Spiritual music concepts, and gritty Black Metal, there’s so much you can appreciate and be involved with emotionally.  It took a couple of songs, but right around “Gravedigger’s Chant”, the crowd was clapping along the band, even a mosh pit playing around the end.  As excellent as the music plays and takes cues from the vocals/lyrics, the latter is certainly the greatest strength and highlight for Zeal and Ardor.  Manuel Gagneux’s brilliance in creating such a despairing atmosphere vocally, yet being catchy in the quality way, I would love to hear an acoustic piece with those vocals alone.  Denis Wagner and March Obrist are the backup vocalists for Zeal and Ardor, but their roles weren’t minor.  Echoing many of Gagneux’s lyrics, while adding such power and sensational wonder to the room, it completely fits with the fierce riffs companying the words.  “Death to the Holy” was a fine ending to this magical, yet still short set from Zeal and Ardor.  If you consider yourself to be an open-minded, curious Metalhead, do not miss them live and/or on record.

1.  Wake of a Nation

2.  Church Burns

3.  Gotterdammerung

4.  Ship on Fire

5.  Gravedigger’s Chant

6.  Run

7.  We Can’t Be Found

8.  Death to the Holy

               I’m not quite sure the method to which shows Opeth and Mastodon switch, in terms of which cities, venues or so, would prefer one or the other, but at least tonight, this was definitely a Mastodon crowd. The floor absolutely packed to the gills, with “Crystal Skull” invoking a huge fury of bodies clashing all around.  Mastodon are one of those bands, like The Black Dahlia Murder, where it’s almost just as fun to watch the crowd passionately react to them. 

               I don’t ever tire seeing Brann Dailor drum and sing continuously.  Doesn’t matter if it’s a simple beat, or extreme music, I bow to, and admire, drummers who can do that so well, and Brann’s glistening energy brings forth such a command to the music, it’s simply a treat to watch.  7 songs from their newest record, Hushed and Grim, were played tonight, and I personally enjoyed most of the tracks, especially “Skeletons of Spledor”.  Although I wish tracks from Once More ‘Round the Sun were played, an album I feel is quite underrated in their discography, Mastodon’s setlist was certainly well-balanced, and even “The Czar” from Crack the Skye, made an appearance.  Brent Hinds played the majority of the solos, and he was an inferno tonight, nailing the notes with ease, and their sound quite loud and crystal clear, his technique was one of many reminders why Mastodon is highly revered by many.  Visually too, their use of unique lights, colourful, hypnotizing lasers that would have fit perfectly at Dreamstate, was simply outstanding. 

One other addition myself, and others I saw in the crowd enjoy, the addition of keyboardist Joao Nogueira, who played on Hushed and Grim.  The parts Nogueira played on some of the outros, as well as boosting the sonic attack of Mastodon during the songs, added a powerful texture to the sound.  Overall, it was a fantastic performance from Mastodon, with Brann coming to the stage after their set, thanking the crowd, throwing drumsticks, and telling us they’ll be back next year.  With this monumental visual aspect added to their set, as well as the strong performance Mastodon played, I would look forward to seeing them again, especially playing a full headlining set.

1.  Pain with an Anchor

2.  Crystal Skull

3.  Megalodon

4.  The Crux

5.  Teardrinker

6.  Bladecatcher

7.  Black Tongue

8.  Skeleton of Splendor

9.  The Czar

10.  Pushing the Tides

11.  More Than I Could Chew

12.  Mother Puncher

13.  Gigantium

14.  Blood and Thunder

               To an engaged, eager, rocking Palladium crowd, Opeth would close this eventful Wednesday evening.  Memories of this almost exact show and setting a year prior, I remember Opeth’s previous show to be great, but the sound I’ll admit, wasn’t the most optimum I heard.  Right away as “Hjartat vet vad handen gor” slammed into the PA, I knew this Opeth performance was going to be even greater, as the sound volume, quality and punch, were drastically better this time around. 

               Despite the overall criticism of various Opeth fans about the albums from Heritage and beyond, I will say the songs are more enjoyable live.  Hearing them with the live distortion makes such a difference, in my humble opinion.  That would be especially true for Sorceress, their strongest release since Heritage, with the title track from the former, full of spirit in this setting.  I’ve made peace that Opeth, studio album wise, this is the direction they will be going.  And they’re not as strong as the previous material, but live, I do enjoy the songs a greater deal.

               But no doubt, the highlight of the set, and the entire evening, the songs that set Opeth part from countless bands, a prime from 1998 – 2005, a 6-album span that you can argue is untouchable, respective of any other band.  “Demon of the Fall” received a monstrous roar from the crowd, and compared to the show last year, Mikael Akerfeldt’s growls were much better tonight.  Perhaps because last year’s show was the last show on the tour, but the sustain in his growls, the bite in the diction and words, sounded outstanding!  “The Drapery Falls” was the personal highlight for myself, as it’s rarely played these days from Opeth, and the end dynamic between the growls/singing at the end sequence was beautifully done.  “Windowpane”, to my surprise, was played with a quiet laggard.  Joakim Svalberg’s Mellatron and keyboards not only added a unique level of bass to this distortion-less track, but the rhythm they provided during the interludes after the bridge, gave an enriching level of character I haven’t heard it before in.  Adding a live keyboardist for Opeth was a fantastic idea from the jump, and the amount of easter eggs your musical imagination seeks and discovers, display more colours you can keep for yourself. 

               “Deliverance” seems to be Opeth’s common, but still massively assaulting ending song to the set, with no shortage of chaos and mayhem found all around the fans, aggressively belting out the words, while increasing the mosh circle.  Fredrik Akesson’s solo was played note for note wonderfully, more than deserving to be Mikael’s axemate, on a nightly basis.  Although 75 minutes for Opeth and Mastodon as co-headliners is a solid amount of time, hearing at least 1 more song from Opeth would have been icing on the cake.  Nevertheless, this was the most enjoyable and quality Opeth performance since the debut of Heritage, and the Los Angeles crowd showed up in numbers and in spirit, cheering for the entire tour package and then some.

               Our lives have entailed a mix of wonder, questions, doubt, and a fuzzy future.  Covid, at least for a considerable time, is here to stay.  Shows and concerts, one of the most passionate and critical aspects of my life, took a heavy burden, with no real solutions for nearly a year.  To come back to the last venue, I attended before Covid took over, and to see Opeth headline again, sounding better than previously possible, alongside bringing a stellar tour package with them, it reminded me that maybe, there will be a stronger light of hope and promise, for next year.  Stay safe, everyone, there are more events, shows and tours, to witness and to be a part of. 

1.  Hjartat vet vad handen gor

2.  Demon of the Fall

3.  Cusp of Eternity

4.  The Devil’s Orchard

5.  The Drapery Falls

6.  Windowpane

7.  Sorceress

8.  Deliverance