Vocal Coach REACTS - OPETH "Ghost Of Perdition" (Live at Red Rock Amphitheatre)

I always prefer studio versions, but ill make an exception

Hard to believe it's the same guy singing in Bloodbath, check out "Bloodbath 2005 Wacken", legendary stuff for us metalheads

It seems most people go with this much later version of this track for Reaction requests . . .
What is missing (other than some of the original members that made-up the "MKIII" version of the band) is Mikael Åkerfeldt's more confidant "Death Growl" from the Roundhouse Tapes version (Live CD & DVD) when he was still utilizing the harsh voice in the their brand of Death Metal meets Prog Metal on a regular basis, as it was more like a Harsh Scream with the guttural growl (cookie monster vocals) and his baritone melodic voice. It too reflects the same timbre he had for the studio version of Ghost of Perdition on the album "Ghost Reveries" (2005).

Where Death Metal was heading . . .
Yes they were considered a Death Metal band up to "Deliverance" (which the earlier albums had a slight Black Metal influence), but reading the trade magazines about them from 1985 ("Orchid") till the album "Still Life" (1999), the press often talked about their very different approach to the genre, it was more "Progressive" (as in Progressive Rock meets Prog Metal), but had a Gothic tinge to it (not "Goth"), with long atmospheric parts as interludes. But it was their abrupt changes from "Brvtality meets Beauty" with trickles of piano, full-on acoustic guitar soloing/strumming and back into the brutal double bass syncopation drumming and heavy chugging guitar riffs that gave the listener their moments to headbang, all in "1" song.
I had never heard anything like it back in 1999 when I first heard them and went backwards into their catalogue.
As the albums progressed, the younger generation just called them a "Prog Metal band", as many bands were now mixing the Death Metal vocals with clean melodic vocals. But along with Opeth, bands like Edge of Sanity, Gardenian, Extol, Soilwork, Scar Symmetry just to name the few that started to utilize both styles of vocals.

They have now dropped the "Death Metal" style and become a more Retro-Prog Metal band (think; Deep Purple/Rainbow, Uriah Heep meets Opeth) retaining that Gothic quality they were known for, for the last 4 albums.

But I think, if someone wanted to know what Opeth sounded like, and what made them different, THIS would be the track as a perfect example where a song could go, and to 2 different extremes. Keep in mind "Per Wiberg" was their 1st keyboardist as a band member (other than Steve Wilson of Porcupine Tree who produced 3 albums and contributed some acoustic guitars and backing vocals), and also sang back-up for 3 albums and multiple tours, before "Joakim Svalberg" who joins in 2011.

Please take a listen to the Studio version of the song Ken, its quite gorgeously recorded/engineered and you'll hear the "Acoustic Guitar" parts that give it a lush texture to the middle part of the track, and the drumming of the previous member "Martin Lopez" unique style which is perfectly mic'd (who created a band called "Soen", with a baritone melodic vocalist). Another track that may entice you is the title-track "Deliverance", its quite aggressive, complex and shows more of the harsher vocals with the melodic. Their 1st DVD Live show "Lamentations" is excellent and you'll see Mike plenty of times doing the harsh vocals.

- Lastly . . . Ken, many of us who listen to various Metal, Prog, and Guitar Shredders etc. we ALWAYS complained; "Why is the Camera Guy always focusing on the WRONG guy at the wrong time!!!?" 🤣Whoever is the director of the photography back in the day, who had no clue about the music, was always cuing to the wrong camera/wrong musician (especially concert footage at Metal Festivals). But after the 2000's it got better, but the focal point went to the musicianship, not so-much with the vocal parts we wanted to see.

I've seen them live and can guarantee Michael sounds that good live!😊

I think Mikael had issues with his harsh vocals at some point of his career, but nowadays they're better than ever (saw them live last year). Too bad he doesn't do any harsh in the new songs.

The audio engineer and mixer for this DVD is disgustingly talented. Just unreal skill.

good song although I still like the first 4 albums better

Vocally spine and soul. Musically, um yea!

Also yea!

I kind of see metal as less of a genre than a threshold... if you are willing to go "there" you are metal, even if you don't

After Watershed (the album that proceeds the one this track is taken from) they stopped being a metal band, as far as the death growls go. Clean vocals only now. So. To answer your question, I think prog metal is a wrinkle. It's certainly not the future.

Hey, Ken. If I could add another track to suggest, check out King of Those Who Know by Cynic. I think it might be a bit of progressive metal you'd enjoy reacting to!

Nice! I love this song!

They don't want the devil himselg to be in the shot

You should check out Between The Buried And Me

should have reacted to earlier versions. Mikaels screams, while amazing, are kind of worn out by this point. not peak Mikael. this was a more recent concert if i remember correctly

what? excuse me???

I was at this show! Such an amazing experience! Gojira opening up for them made it even better!

masterpiece

To say the truth, even their death metal beginnings were much prog. Also: Mikael always loved 60's and 70's rock, so their evolution isn't something unnatural.
BTW, it's not even his peak vocal form.
Also, you should really try their "Reverie/Harlequin Forest". It's even better in terms of composition and performance.

You want to see him perform the harsh vocals and captured closely by the camera?
Watch their live performance of The Drapery Falls,
And it’s one of the greats songs ever.

Love that you love Michael. Opeth is the best. Great video too !

Their live performances at Shepherds Bush Empire has a myriad of angles!

It's just a compressor or maybe even a limiter on the vocal track, there's really no magic the audio engineers are doing here, has to be said that this is most likely mixed from the multitracks from the mixer and not the actual mix you would hear if you were in the audience.

I don't know why you never see him growling... I saw them live last year and I was pretty close... I didn't see anything secret.

You should really keep diving down the Opeth rabbit hole. Michael Akerfeldt has the cleanest and clearest growling vocals but he's also got an amazing normal singing voice. These guys are next level good. I don't think you'll regret it. Also I appreciate that you clearly do some research about the bands before you make a video.

Just found your channel and you get a sub from me definitely one of if not the best reaction video I’ve seen for an opeth song you definitely have a lot of knowledge with the way you articulate your observation which is much appreciated over most reactions

Mate, go to lamentations dvd recording, when mikael screamed better then he sung
Not as polished but epic

Seen Opeth live twice here in Sweden and they really are this good. That said, there is possibly some post-production editing going on with the DVD/BR releases, but there's none of that live at any rate. Mike's vocals are on point, in real life.

Come think about it, on several official live releases you hear them making clear and obvious mistakes here and there, so I don't think they even bother editing them very much.

Also, regarding "harsh" vocals, as with any other vocal style that pushes it, there are certainly bad techniques out there that some metal vocalists employ, and they WILL ruin your voice in the long run. A good growling technique should technically not do anything to your regular voice, or "clean" singing voice, though.

You should also look into Deadhead live at The Royal Albert Hall with Devin Townsend Project. Man, Devin’s voice is not from this world. Harsh vocals to high notes like no one else.

Having absolutely loved Opeth for years, seeing them many times, My guess after you pointed out his harsh vocals were never in frame is for the fact that, shockingly, he looks exactly the same while singing them. He doesn’t contort his face or turn into the brutal demon he sounds like, and because of this, I think they choose to go for mystique and not show a viewing audience how much less brutal he LOOKS than he sounds.

Sad it's kinda fake reaction. You heard the song before, no doubt. Lack of reaction in the opening shows. None/zero interest from me to watch more than the first 15 sec of you're reaction.

Is this your first PTX reaction? It didn’t seem so. But you don’t have a PTX tab and I scrolled back as far as my eyes would allow.

If you look at Harlequin Forest live at Royal Albert Hall, you get a pretty good view of Mikael singing. As great as this Red Rocks show is, for some reason the camera is all over the place for Ghosts of Perdition. Still love this performance though, it's freaking flawless

I've seen 'em live a few times and seen a ton of their live videos as well, most videos do show him when he does the growly parts as well, so thats odd.

This song is their death metal stuff.

The genre is called Technical Death Metal, which was arguably started by Death (some people call it progressive Death Metal, which isn't usual but it's kinda hyper-correct because it does mean exactly what it is. "Technical" is what is used to replace "Prog" for Extreme Metal genres; Speed, Thrash, Black, Death, Core, etc. when you note that the music had progressive rock elements. So e.g. you wouldn't call Emperor a Progressive Black Metal band, but rather a Technical Black metal band.)

These days Opeth plays a lot of Progressive Metal, so essentially the same stuff but without the growling and sometimes without the distorted guitars and with less intensity, so it's more like Prog Rock.

Either way they are usually still called a Technical Death Metal band, because they still play these older songs live every time they perform.

Bro, you look and sound like somebody from the Tech Vault.

to be honest, on all their live when they are doing the Prog death setlist, i prefer The Roundhouse tape. his voice in this one is deeper,h is growl goes really far, i don't know how to explain since i'm not a singer or musician, but here at the end of each verse, it feels like he is stopping his voice like at the beginning when he is singing "Lingering death" (with a big . at the end) in the Roundhouse tape version it's more like "Lingering deeeatttthhhhh !". Still a great show btw. but wanted to point out this.

Awesome 👏🏻

At the beginning it shows his mouth when growling

Magic happens when the keyboardist tries to out work the drummer.