Opeth’s ‘The Last Will And Testament’ has proven a difficult record to pin down, with many fans finding the album as disorienting now as they did back in November— the band have never attempted to cater to their death metal audience, consistently forging forward into new styles, and though the growls have returned, the group’s 14th studio release is just as bizarre as ‘Heritage’ or ‘In Cauda Venenum.’ The five-piece’s new tour is attempting to bring those avant-garde tunes to the live setting, and the contrast against the straightforward, catchy hard rock offerings of Grand Magus wasn’t lost on us: in combination, this latest show at the Bristol Beacon was a trip best enjoyed by the most diehard of fans, taking more twists and turns than other bands could even dream of.

Grand Magus sauntered on rather unceremoniously, with their only staging being a gigantic rendition of their logo emblazoned behind them— frontman Janne Christoffersson had even forgotten to put on his aviators! The band’s sound was far from subject to that comment though as the three-piece’s signature hard rock style came jumping off the speakers from the opening moments of ‘I, The Jury.’ That sound was certainly simple (making the group a slightly unorthodox pick to support a progressive death metal act) but nonetheless effective, with the ripping guitar, marching bass and punchy drums sitting alongside one another cohesively. Really, there’s very little to criticise in how Grand Magus’ set translated to the live setting— whether we’re talking about the Christoffersson/Skinner vocal harmonies in each anthemic chorus or the way each memorable guitar solo cut through the mix, this Swedish three-piece’s show certainly sounded the part.

On the visual end, the show was more of a mixed bag. Christoffersson’s chatting between tracks was undoubtedly endearing, coming across as completely off-the-cuff— Grand Magus managed to feel like a group of lads who happened to stumble into success, and their performance felt very intimate as a result. An element of showmanship did feel missing though, perhaps as a result: though the band were surely have a great time jamming along to new cuts like ‘Skybound’ and ‘Sunraven,’ we would’ve loved to have seen the three-piece be more animated on stage given the simplicity of each tune. It’s a small complaint, especially given how much fun it was to shout each line along with the band— even despite some minor comments, we can’t deny the pure delight that ending cut ‘Hammer Of The North’ inspired in the entire audience, with its main melody getting the entire crowd singing along.

After recently signing with Reigning Phoenix Music, it seems that Opeth have taken the opportunity to bolster the theatrics of their performance: the five-piece were backed by thirteen— count them, thirteen— screens, giving the entire set a stunning visual flare. Whether we were watching family portraits dissolve into monstrous mirages during ‘§1’ or falling into a crimson kaleidoscope to ‘Masters Apprentices,’ the band had a more dazzling show than we’ve ever seen from them. Perhaps inspired by that elevated presentation, the band themselves were also more lively and energised than normal, with Åkerfelft, Mendez and Åkesson bouncing around the stage with the bravado of musicians half their age: for a band on their fourteen studio album, it was fantastic to see them continuing to enjoy themselves onstage, and the audience were keen to give back as much energy as they received, continuing chants of “sh*t your pants” throughout after a particularly audacious story from the frontman.

Say what you want about the Swedish death metal legends, but they’re never short on surprises: rather, Opeth’s latest show sported one of their most diverse and intriguing setlists to date, reaching throughout their extensive back catalogue to appease fans both old and new. ‘The Last Will And Testament’ made a number of appearances, with the thunderous riffs of ‘§1’ and ‘§3’ going down a treat— ‘§7’ was a more left-field inclusion, with its extended outro leaving the crowd without clear direction, though it was still a welcome one, while the closing rendition of ‘A Story Never Told,’ complete with Åkesson’s sweeping guitar solo, had us positively spellbound. Surrounding these cuts though, Åkerfeldt and company had thrown in a number of both fan-favourites and deep-cuts! The one-two punch of ‘Masters Apprentices’ and ‘The Leper Affinity’ saw the band delving further into death metal than we’ve heard from them in quite some time— Svalberg’s piano solo was a beautifully intimate moment— as did the out-of-left-field addition of 1996’s ‘The Night And The Silent Water.’ Far from being a one-trick pony, the band had also packed in just as many softer moments, seeing the crowd just as mesmerised by ‘In My Time As Need’ as they were by hidden-gem ‘Häxprocess.’ Rounding out the show with classic hits ‘Ghost of Perdition,’ ‘Sorceress’ and ‘Deliverance,’ Opeth were on stage for well over 2 hours: say what you want about the set, but you certainly got value for money at the Bristol Beacon.

Opeth’s music isn’t really suited to the live scene, with the frequent changes between ripping death metal and soothing balladry giving many audience members whiplash. Given the band’s unique progressive style though, it’s hard to argue against the technical prowess and explosive energy of the Swedish five-piece. Whether we were singing along to the climactic chorus of ‘In My Time Of Need’, banging our heads to ‘§1’ or laughing to Åkerfeldt’s endearing monologues, the group had us impressed in every moment— though frequently bizarre, we can’t deny that Opeth’s show still brings the heat.