Search - Opeth - Lamentations (Live at Shepherd's Bush Empire 2003) on DVD

~Just incredible~

TensionExperiment | East Coast | 03/15/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Okay, real fast, Britney Spears fans, lovers of all things bluegrass avoid this review =]I inserted this DVD into my machine and three pictures fell off of my living room wall, it's THAT good. Now, being a raving Opeth fanboy, my reaction to this release may be more intense than the average Joe, but the crazy Swedes have done it again. Just to see Opeth live, which is something I will never have a chance to do in the flesh, was an amazing experience.Forget that the entire Damnation album is performed, forget that The Leper Affinity and Deliverance alone are so thrashingly powerful that you run the risk of losing part of your short term memory, just buy it. Technical merits abound, the DVD has 5.1 and DTS surround, all the more needed if you wish to actually hear Martin Lopez' kick bass rumbling while you are in the shower. Mikeal Akerfeldt and crew remain the reigning masters of death metal, and this release only reaffirms it. This is a must have for fans of amazing music. "Windowpane," "Hope Leaves," and "Deliverance" are worth the price alone.Then, after the rapturous musical set ends, you get the pleasure of watching an hour long documentary on the making of Deliverance/Damnation. This is a side of Opeth that most casual fans may never see, and it is well worth watching. Not to mention the fact that we also get to see the incomparable Steven Wilson [Porcupine Tree] as he works his mixing/producing magic."

My Favorite Music DVD - EVER!!!!

Sunshine the Werewolf | Canada | 01/23/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"OPETH - Lamenations (DVD)
-
Since the purchase of this DVD I do not believe I have gone a week without watching at least part of the Concert. From start to finish this DVD showcase one of World's greatest bands proving why they are one of the greatest bands.
There are two sets: The 1st set opens with Windowpane and continues though all of the Damnation Album (Actually they throw in Harvest off BWP before the closer Weakness.) Set One may be subtle in its delivery, yet it beautiful and incredibly atmospheric. The exception is the ending of Closure, Which I believe has the only real distortion off of Damnation. This ending erupts which is only a preview of what is to come during their second set.
The Second Set (The Heavier Part) is composed of songs off Deliverance and Blackwater Park. From what I've heard, they had some label issues and couldn't record anything Pre-BWP for this DVD. SET II, kicks off with Master's Apprentices... which is was the perfect way to begin thing on a heavier note and then they continue with: The Drapery Falls, Deliverance, and The Leper Affinity. For a closer Opeth plays the beautiful: A Fair Judgment, which is my personal favorite, slower Opeth song.
In addition to this 2 hour concert there is an hour plus Documentary with Steven Wilson. (Incase you don't know he was their Producer for BWP, Deliverance and Damnation. - He is also the front man of the UK band called Porcupine Tree.) This Documentary is a great way to get inside the making of the last 2 albums as well as to get to know the Band and Mr. Wilson.
Some highlights are, the scene where Martin Lopez is recording the end of Deliverance... very cool. There is also a scene where Mikeal is doing some death-growls with a goofy look on his face. He keeps giving a look to Steve Wilson as if he's questioning his approval on his previous scream. (Actually it is quite humorous to hear a vicious death growl and then see the looks he gives Wilson)
All in all, this DVD is required for anyone who either loves Opeth or those may have even a remote interest in the band. In fact everyone who has a remote interest in music should check this out. Even the first part of the Concert (SET I) would easily be acceptable by my Fathers 70's Rock Roots.
Favorite Tracks: Closure, Master's Apprentice, The Leper Affinity and A Fair Judgment.
-5.0 Stars

P.S. To those who said this DVD was boring because there wasn't enough stage antics... go buy the Killswitch Engage DVD. Personally I'd rather watch a talented band compose a work of art. Then a band that will do overdubs to correct the mistakes they make while playing live and dancing around like fools. Nothing Personal KsE but antics may impress the 15 year olds but Opeth are the Masters of a live performance and this DVD clearly demonstrates that.


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People who dont like this dvd are foolish.

Lord Chimp | Monkey World | 08/21/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is a GREAT concert DVD. Ignore negative reviews, trust me. Live Opeth is a powerful, indelible experience and the DVD captures that as well as is possible with the medium. The song selection is great (all of _Damnation_, killer tracks from _Deliverance_ and _Blackwater Park_). They couldn't include anything from earlier albums because other labels own those songs (copyright laws are unethical and should be abolished), but what is here is outstanding.

The footage is some of the best I've seen on a metal DVD, with very little of the unnecessary and annoying hyperspeed editing that usually ruins these things. "Lamentations" has lots of varied camera angles, crystal-clear picture, and tight editing (but alas, limited camera angles of drummer Martin Lopez). The sound is great and the performances will send shivers through your body to your innermost core. Akerfeldt's voice is awe-inspiring (beautiful singing and soul-withering, crackling death growls) and Martin Mendez wins my eternal respect for his awesome headbanging on "Master's Apprentices". Totally metal."

Lovely Live Show

Sunshine the Werewolf | 03/05/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This DVD combines high production quality* with a stellar performance by one of the most interesting and compelling bands playing in the metal/progressive/difficult-to-categorize vein. Let me begin with a bit of advice: if you have the technology to do so, record the audio from the DVD to CD or into mp3's. Lamentations is now a fixture in my iPod rotation, and listening to Opeth's live playing in headphones as I am walking or falling asleep is sublime. (Hate to moralize here, but how about not sharing those files with people who haven't bought the DVD? Instead, encourage people to support this tremendous and talented band.)The tour that included Shepherd's Bush Empire emphasized their last two discs, Damnation and Deliverance. Indeed, here they play Damnation in its entirety, thereby showcasing their introspective, melodic, slow-groove talents. To be sure, the nearly hour-long second set of frenetic heavy songs (including Blackwater Park's "Drapery Falls" and "Leper Affinity") reminds you of who Opeth is, but - if you didn't much like Damnation - you will probably not feel like you are getting your money's worth.One of the ironies of Opeth is that, on the one hand they can produce the blissful brutality of "Deliverance," while on the other the banter between songs is modest and laconic. Another is that they never appear to be reaching or striving for their music; it is somehow at their fingertips, well within a gentle grasp. Opeth's playing here is so astonishingly relaxed and precise that mistakes leave you snapping back to attention and wondering whether it mightn't actually have been intentional. Akerfeldt's singing is lovely and clear (or impressively guttural and menacing on the heavy tracks), and the guitars weave delicate textures. One of the treats of a DVD is seeing who plays the various parts in a song, and making sense of Opeth's division of guitar labor is suitably entertaining. Lopez's drumming is, in my view, the high point. He is a metronome even as he plays groove, and his fills are extremely tasteful. It is a shame that we don't get more camerawork on his feet.From the long, otherworldy, and almost 70's jam to close "Closure" to the avalanche of sound that starts "Leper Affinity" to the immaculate rendition of "Windowpane," Opeth's Lamentations is a dreamy window into a live sound that exceeds any studio prowess.* The only downside of the impeccable recording is that you hear the annoying and childish calls of the concert fans (there is an especially egregious screech right as the vocals begin in "Hope Leaves")."