VOIVOD
OPETH
HAMMERSMITH APOLLO, LONDON
Sweden’s prog/death masters retrace three decades of adventure
Opeth’s forward-thinking Mikael Åkerfeldt embraces the nostalgia
Voivod: avant-metal OGs
JAMES SHARROCK
AT FIRST GLANCE, VOIVOD’s warped, angular future-thrash seems like an odd choice of support for a band long celebrated for the warmth and fluidity of their sound. But if you’re drawn to the creation of fully fledged, sprawling worlds where anything can happen, the Canadians are the OGs. As they launch into Experiment – still as urgent and bewildering nearly 35 years down the line – their wayward, careering momentum never lets up. Amid Synchro Anarchy’s jabs, tempo-lurches, riffs like woozy sirens and drummer Away’s 70s stomp percussion, frontman Snake embodies the adrenaline-drunk nature of the music, the ever-shifting, hard-edged dynamics akin to being chased through a steel maze as the drugs start to kick in.