Opeth in Roppongi
Opeth gave the Tokyo audience world-class prog metal and an unexpected Napalm Death cover when they took to the stage in Roppongi.
Opeth at EX Theater Roppongi, Tokyo, Japan on 27th November 2025
Opeth, originally formed as a Swedish death metal band in Stockholm in 1990, has evolved into a tight unit performing genre-bending, and somewhat complex, prog metal of the best kind. The influences that seep into the band’s music are seemingly endless. Echoes of the original death metal sound remain, but are joined by jazz, blues, hard rock and folk music influences and much more. It certainly keeps things interesting.
Mikael Åkerfeldt, Opeth’s frontman, has grown into an untouchable supreme leader of not only this band, but the wider Swedish metal scene. His songwriting and performance skills, combined with his devotion to and love for music and the absence of ego, have made him a high priest in the temple of Swedish rock.
He was on form and in a good mood when he took to the Tokyo stage for the first of two nights in Roppongi. Martín Méndez, the band’s long-time Uruguayan bassist, has in recent years been joined in the engine room by Finnish drummer Waltteri Väyrynen (Paradise Lost, Bodom After Midnight, Bloodbath). It is a ridiculously tight foundation upon which lead guitarist Fredrik Åkesson (Talisman, Southpaw, Ghost, Tiamat, Arch Enemy, Krux, John Norum) and Joakim Svalberg (Yngwie Malmsteen, Tiamat) on keyboards create a painting which Åkerfeldt turns into musical magic.
With a world-class lead guitarist like Fredrik in the band, it is easy to forget what a fine guitarist Mikael is. However, for those in attendance this evening in Roppongi, it was obvious that Mikael is not only an extraordinary songwriter and singer, but he is an underrated and humble guitarist. The sound in the venue was exceptionally crisp. A prog metal audience can be demanding. Clearly, the Opeth crew wasn’t leaving anything to chance here. The splendid “Paragraph 7”, taken from the band’s 2024 album “The Last Will and Testament”, was one of the highlights of the set. Another was the excellent “Demon of the Fall” from the 1998 album “My Arms, Your Hearse”.
Having seen Opeth live several times, two things stood out for me this time around: One, we got what felt like an extra dose of harsh, growling vocals from Mikael. And, two, the choice of encore. As an encore, the band surprised us with a cover of Napalm Death’s cult classic “You Suffer”. The song is less than two seconds long. The band performed it three times for us. This was an unexpected but glorious addition to the setlist.
A splendid evening in Roppongi came to an end with the untouchable “Deliverance”, the title track from the band’s 2002 album.
Photo credit: Teppei Kishida
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