Beloved and influential Swedish progressive metal band Opeth plays Chicago for the first time in nearly three years in support of a new album, last fall’s In Cauda Venenum (“Poison in the Tail”), released in English and Swedish versions. The band, established in 1989, has traditionally recorded only in English, so it’s fascinating to hear how the mother tongue of front man Mikael Åkerfeldt interacts with their intricate sound; when he sings in Swedish (a language I do not know at all), he seems to fold his vocals in among the keyboard sweeps with a homey, organic assurance.…
Beloved and influential Swedish progressive metal band Opeth plays Chicago for the first time in nearly three years in support of a new album, last fall’s In Cauda Venenum (“Poison in the Tail”), released in English and Swedish versions. The band, established in 1989, has traditionally recorded only in English, so it’s fascinating to hear how the mother tongue of front man Mikael Åkerfeldt interacts with their intricate sound; when he sings in Swedish (a language I do not know at all), he seems to fold his vocals in among the keyboard sweeps with a homey, organic assurance.…