Roundhouse Tapes

Opeth | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (November 20, 2007)
• Original Release Date: 2007
• Number of Discs: 2
• Label: Peaceville UK
• ASIN: B000VBIE06
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #46,221 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

OPETH THE ROUNDHOUSE TAPES (2 CDS)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A proper live album from Opeth . . ., November 6, 2007

By 

Mark Gatzke (Plant City, FL USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Roundhouse Tapes (MP3 Download)

While Lamentations is a great live album/DVD concert, its focus on the Damnation CD makes it rather uneven, and, considering Opeth's catalog as a whole, a little misleading. The Roundhouse Tapes corrects any illusions one might have with an exciting and masterful concert that demonstrates the true power of Opeth. The recording is excellent and the choice of material is superb, broadly ranging from their debut, Orchid, to their most recent album, Ghost Reveries. The performance is impeccable of course. Their attention to the finest detail isn't limited to the studio, nor is their passion for this incredible music. Opeth continue to explore the limits of their talent, if there are any, in a live setting guaranteed to please the most critical fan. Enjoy!

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Lead singer... guitar player.... sexy beast..... Bubba Smith, everyone!", December 7, 2007

By 

Squash 'N' Squeak "The Silencing Machine" (The Darkest Regions of Outer Space) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Roundhouse Tapes (Audio CD)

The Roundhouse Tapes is a phenomenal example of what Opeth can do live. Production is great, the audience is great, and the keyboards manage to fit in just perfectly with the older songs. Best of all, this live album spans nearly their entire catalogue (would have been nice if something from Deliverence was included... the it would have been even better!). Lamentations was a strong live DVD, but it focused mostly on their last 3 albums at the time, and I've never been a fan of the "entire album live" idea. But this balances everything out perfectly.

Martin Lopez's replacement, Martin (wow... ANOTHER Martin? That makes 3 now) "Axe" Axenrot is a very good replacemet drummer and doesn't miss a beat, although I'll miss Lopez. Martin Mendez and Peter Lindgren do a great job at laying down rythm guitar and bass (I'm gonna miss Peter too...), and Mikael does an excellent job at playing lead guitar, vocals, and interacting with the audience to lighten the mood. I was afraid that keyboardist Per Wiberg, who first appeared on Ghost Reveries, wouldn't work well with the early songs... yeah, I was wrong. Per makes the keyboard sound right at home with early classics like When and The Night And the Silent Water.

Besides the awesome setlist, and Opeth's ability to play all of the songs flawlessly, Mikael manages to have some fun and lighten the mood, like when he's introducing all of the band members. It makes the band more human. I mean, how many times have you watched a metal band perform live and they try to look like the most serious, angriest mofos on the planet instead of having a little fun? I think Opeth doesn't deserve credit just because of their ability to compose mind-blowing songs that integrate between death metal and progressive rock at the drop of a hat, but also for not alienating their fans until we can't even tell if they're for real.

I guess the point of all my rambling praise is that you absolutely must buy this album if you're a fan of Opeth. It's that simple. Can't wait for the DVD release!

15 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very Good Live Album, November 27, 2007

By 

Shared Gum (alexandria, va United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Roundhouse Tapes (Audio CD)

This is a very good live cd, and I would give it over 4 stars, but I don't think that it is quite a 5-star cd.

Since I recommend this cd, let me first focus on the positives:
- Under the Weeping Moon and Night and the Silent Water sound excellent with new production, and they're worth the purchase alone.
- The energy is awesome - you can feel that this was a great and intense performance. Mikael sounds great!
- The song choice was very nice as well - little bit of everything for everyone. There are always people who would prefer one song over another, but I am quite happy with the choices here.
- This point would only concern the rabid collectors, but the artwork is great. There are some nice "artsy" photos of the band.

Negatives:
- Mikael's banter sounds juvenile. It's weird, I get the sense that he is a really nice guy who tries so hard to sound like an 80s hair-metal frontman when he is talking to the audience. I could really do without the stuff about "Windowpane helping them get chicks backstage" and all the "evil" references, as well as the discussion about different types of intercourse. Yes, I know that he is a married guy with children, and I know that he is joking, but I just think that this band should move past that.
- As another reviewer noticed, more improvisation would have been good. Also, there is a tad bit too much crowd noise on Melinda.

Overall though, I recommend this cd to any Opeth fan. If you are new to the band, you may want to read some Blackwater Park, Morningrise or Damnation reviews and choose where to start. Also, currently, the band has full-blown versions of some of these songs on their myspace page, so you may want to listen to them there. (11/28/2007)