Opeth Celebrate 25th Anniversary With Three-Hour Show in New York City

Opeth came stateside on Oct. 22 to celebrate their 25th anniversary as a band. After performing a number of dates in Europe, the Swedish metal legends shared an intimate evening with a New York City audience, performing Ghost Reveries in its entirety.

Superfans of Opeth blissfully immersed themselves in Opeth's music throughout the evening, surrounded by the architectural majesty and golden statues of the Beacon Theatre. The three-hour show really was for the hardcore Opeth followers, and it began with the celebration of yet another milestone, the 10th anniversary of Ghost Reveries.

This tour marks the first time Opeth performed not only the album in full, but various songs from the record for the first time ever. Fans were treated to "Beneath the Mire," "Hours of Wealth" and "Isolation Years" for the first and only time in Opeth's career. This brought a unique feel to the room as the deep cuts were mixed in with all-time favorites like "Ghost of Perdition" and "The Grand Conjuration." The progressive rock element of Opeth's live show was especially pronounced during "Atonement," where keyboardist Joakim Svalberg and guitarist Fredrik Åkesson both offered prolonged solos to thunderous applause.

After a quick intermission, Opeth returned to present other chapters of their 25-year career, beginning with the two opening tracks from Opeth's most recent album, Pale Communion. Some of Opeth's most celebrated albums such as Blackwater Park, Damnation and Deliverance were also represented live with once song being performed live off each.

For Opeth's encore, they finished up with concert staple "The Lotus Eater," which has been harnessed often as a final act since Watershed came out in 2008.

Since frontman Mikael Akerfeldt currently has no interest in recording new Opeth music using guttural vocals, this gig was especially unique. Ghost Reveries, one of Opeth's most demonic records, features perhaps the most celebrated screams of Akerfeldt's career. To hear them live, potentially for the last time, feels almost like watching Anthony Hopkins reprise his role as Hannibal Lecter: masterful and unapologetically brutal.

Check out some exclusive photos of Opeth's NYC gig in the gallery above!

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