Swedish speed

Opeth

with Paradise Lost and Tapping the Vein

Club Laga

$14 advance, $16…

Opeth

with Paradise Lost and Tapping the Vein

Club Laga

$14 advance, $16 at the door

Jan. 23

7 p.m.

(412) 687-4636

Something about winter just seems frighteningly metal. Perhaps it’s the snow, the harsh cold, and the darkness that sets early, but winter makes me want to listen to more metal. The bitter winters have not foiled me yet, because our friends from across the Atlantic Ocean, Opeth, are bringing the metal to the Steel City.

Opeth, the four-piece from Stockholm, Sweden, are perhaps one of the best metal bands out there today. Metal has slowly gone downhill in America in the past decade or so, but not elsewhere. Europe’s scene continues to thrive, as it’s stronger than ever. Opeth won’t model themselves after Gothenburg, Sweden’s In Flames – the trademark Gothenburg sound contains twin guitar solos, which are harmonized – nor will they be shadowing Slayer. No, these guys have their own distinct sound. The band writes songs that are usually over ten minutes in length, which sound like an adventure in itself. It almost sounds as if they meshed four or five different songs together, but there’s something unusual: It’s all good stuff.

Opeth can get extremely heavy or light in the blink of an eye, and with their new CD, Deliverance, a five-song masterpiece over an hour in length, lead singer Mikael’s vocals have more clarity than ever. His singing voice has matured tenfold since my favorite of their efforts, Morningrise, and they just seem to keep getting better. They haven’t gone to any great lengths to change their sound to adapt to the world, either. They just play great metal just as they always have, but keep improving with each release.

Also on the bill are the fresh sounds of metal maniacs Tapping the Vein, from Philadelphia and British doom metal legends Paradise Lost. These three bands should be able to shred the listener’s faces off, in the most beautiful way possible. It’s not often that international acts play at Club Laga, so this is a show you should not miss during any season.