A double dose of Swedish metal mastery – Opeth and Grand Magus in Helsinki on 9.2.

In the wake of their 14th studio effort, “The Last Will and Testament”, progressive metal titans Opeth are once again on tour. The latest LP of Opeth was originally scheduled to be released in mid October of last year, but was eventually pushed to late November of 2024. Since the album didn’t hit the shelves in time for the band’s North American tour last fall, Opeth’s European trek can be considered as the proper beginning for their album’s promotional tours. Said European tour had its premier last Sunday at the legendary ice hall in Helsinki, and fellow Swedes of Grand Magus served as the opening act. 

Arriving at the ice hall well before Grand Magus were set to play their part at 19:15, the venue was sparsely populated without even a hint of overcrowding. Grand Magus, the Stockholm-based heavyweights of traditional heavy metal, released their 10th album “Sunraven” last year. Moreover, it has been close to ten years since the band last visited Finland, so the circumstances couldn’t have been riper for their return to the nation’s capital. That last Grand Magus concert in Finland took place at the Helsinki ice hall as well, and I remember being there to watch the band warm up the crowd for Behemoth and Amon Amarth. 

Unfortunately, the bleak ice hall and the lukewarm crowd therein were not the proper setting for the magic of Grand Magus to bloom in full. The trio, comprised of Fox Skinner on bass, JB Christoffersson on vocals and guitars, and Ludvig Witt on drums, did their best, but the thirty-minute set just didn’t quite take off properly. Their technical execution was on point though, and I’m grateful to have witnessed them live again after so many years. Perhaps the next time I see them will be at their own show instead of as a warm-up act. Fingers crossed.

Just before 21.25 p.m., the lights in the ice hall dimmed as a signal it was time for Opeth to storm the stage. By this point the “black box” of the ice hall was packed to capacity, and everyone were eager for the opening night of “The Last Will and Testament”-tour. Storming is indeed the right word to describe the start of Opeth’s set, for the band began with “§1“, followed immediately by “Master’s Apprentices“. The former is arguably the most impressive offering of their new album, while the latter is an undisputed death metal masterpiece the band hadn’t played live since April 2017. Representing 2001’s “Blackwater Park”, “The Leper Affinity” ensured that the atmosphere did not let up an inch. Adding to the intensity was the fact that the first three songs were played back-to-back with hardly a break in between, letting the music, lights and video presentations speak for themselves. 

After the onslaught of the first three songs, singer and guitarist Mikael Åkerfeldt addressed the crowd to say hello and introduce the next song, which was also a live debut by the name of “§7“. The frontman expressed worries at their ability to perform the complex tune live, but as the singer himself noted afterwards, the effort didn’t completely suck. With their setlist, Opeth leaned on a formula of an intense beginning, a mellow middle section and a raging conclusion. Besides “§7“, the middle part contained softer songs such as “In My Time of Need” and “Häxprocess“, the latter for the first time since Novermber 2017. 

The rarities didn’t stop there. Retired from Opeth concerts all the way back in 2009, “The Night and the Silent Water” made its melancholy comeback to the setlist last Sunday in Helsinki. And what a comeback it was! The entire 11-minute song was performed with meticulous perfection, and the chilling last minutes of the tune rank among the finest moments I’ve experienced at an Opeth-concert. The atmospheric drop was drastic when “§3” followed, as that song seems like a hopeless quagmire to my ears. With absolute bangers like “Ghost of Perdition” and “Deliverance“, however, the 12-song set was concluded in a royal fashion.

Throughout the evening, Mikael Åkerfeldt chatted up the crowd in his usual relaxed and lightly self-deprecating manner, to which the audience was very receptive. Even though the low-points of the set’s dramatic arc were a tad too low for my liking, overall the tracklist was rather excellent. For a while it seemed like we would be spared the awful hockey-talk that is the bane of every Opeth show in Finland, until some knucklehead in the audience decided to shout about it. Thankfully Åkerfeldt didn’t take the bait. Of the eleven Opeth shows I’ve seen in my lifetime, last Sunday’s gig in Helsinki ranks very close to the top.

Pictures: Matti Hirvonen web – instagram

Opeth setlist:

§1
Master’s Apprentices
The Leper Affinity
§7
Häxprocess
In My Time of Need
The Night and the Silent Water
§3
Ghost of Perdition
A Story Never Told

Sorceress
Deliverance