Progressive Metal giants deliver tides of gloom and melancholy through to intense, sophisticated, winding storytelling.
Denver, Colorado is home to the evening’s openers Khemmis – a surprising mix of Doom and Tradiotional Heavy Metal. Having never heard them before, I wasn’t sure to expect, but they were actually the highlight of the night for me. A fantastic blend of many styles, Khemmis seems to cherrypick all the cool parts from genres I otherwise find boring. (yeah, I said it)
While a short set, they plundered their way through their 5-song set with the hunger of a younger band, but the expertise of one that’s been around forever. Those dudes clearly love what they do, and they totally kicked ass. Will definitely catch them next time through.
Mastodon took the stage second, with an incredible light and laser show, synchronized to their music that offered trippy and abstract visuals on the video walls, and was well complimented by their vibrant light show. Their set was heavy on new material from their 2021 effort titled “Hushed and Grim”.
Opeth finally appeared to take the now-modest crowd on a ride through their catalogue, playing 1 song each from 8 different albums spanning their 30+ year career. While they only played 8 songs, Opeth is well known for writing incredibly long and complex songs, taking the listeners on a sonic stroll with every choice in their pedigreed catalogue.
Check the Gallery below for the full set of 18 photos –
