LIVE REVIEW: Opeth / Grand Magus - Albert Hall, Manchester 1st March 2025

Three things are apparent as I walk into tonight’s venue. 

1. This place is beautiful, with stained glass windows and plaster moulded ceilings. A more perfect setting would be difficult to find. 
2. The stage looks like it's too small to accommodate the big screens and displays I have been reading about on this tour. 
3. This place is rammed to the rafters. Tonight's support is not yet upon us and it’s difficult to move.

That support is provided by Grand Magus. Vocalist JB wears Aviator shades, a band shirt and leather waistcoat whilst his trademark Flying V kicks off the opening riff to I, The Jury. Magus have not come for the ride. This is a band with a 25+ year heritage and they slowly pummel Manchester's metal masses with their traditional heavy metal style. 

The sound is not the best where I am located and normally I would just relocate, but due to the density of people, this is just not possible, so I hold my ground. 

Magus flow through their short set with tracks new and old. They entertain, prompting the raising of horns, plenty of cheers and roars of appreciation from the packed audience. Most of the tracks played are vocally prefixed with the album they come from and the date they were released, just to assist with the admin.

I am a big fan of this band and always enjoy the goose bump delivering chanting in Hammer Of The North, with tonight being no exception. Grand Magus finish, the chant continues and there are smiles across the stage. Job done. 

I only make it a couple of metres though the solid crowd as I await the main event while trying to take in the massive organ that is the backdrop for tonight’s bands. The floor is a heaving mass of bodies, all straining for the best vantage point. 

We don’t have to wait too long before Seven Bowls by Aphrodite's Child spews forth. The electricity fizzes as drummer Waltteri Väyryen proudly prowls onto the stage to a massive round of applause and cheers. 

The rest of the band follow and they break into §1 from the new album, The Last Will and Testament. We receive a couple of older classics [Master's Apprentices and The Leper Affinity] before frontman and band leader Mikael Akerfeldt's raconteur skills are brought out, telling us how "pumped" he is for this show. 

He is as accomplished as a front man, as he is vocalist/guitarist, and in this arena he excels with a natural ease. 

The rest of Opeth are well known for their skill and perfection in their craft, and they continue to display that this evening. Martin Mendez plays understated but vital bass, Joakim Svalberg' rich keys and backing vocals are essential whilst some of Fredrick Åkesson's guitar work could make you weep for joy. 

An excellent set list including four tracks from The Last Will and Testament dizzy the crowd. A very small dash of Pink Floyd and a Napalm Death burst of You Suffer with the word Wonderwall substituted to acknowledge the location generate smiles. Main set closer A Story Never Told is a personal highlight. 

An encore of Sorceress and the inevitable but perfect Deliverance bring this magnificent night to a close in crushing style. 

I have witnessed Opeth live many times over the years, with and without stage embellishments. Tonight’s two hours is an experience up there with the best.

Review by Thrashtash

Photos by Thrashtash and Hutch