Opeth's lengthy songs limit the number of tracks able to be played, but the nine songs on The Roundhouse Tapes include material from 1995's Orchid, 1996's Morningrise, 1998's My Arms, Your Hearse, 1999's Still Life, 2001's Blackwater Park, 2003's Damnation and 2005's Ghost Reveries.
In a live setting Opeth's music can be challenging, because it goes from loud and intense death metal to mellow acoustic progressive. Sometimes during the quiet parts the crowd noise is a bit distracting. They also won't shut up during Mikael Akerfeldt's lengthy between songs banter.
The audio quality on the DVD is crystal clear. The video is decent, interspersing shots of the band with glimpses of the crowd. The stage is sparse and spread out, and Opeth doesn't do much moving around, so quick cuts are used to create that sense of movement and action.
As far as DVD extras, there aren't many, just an interview with the band, fan footage and photos. One cool thing included in the DVD are postcards of each band member. It's not as comprehensive as 2003's Lamentations DVD, but The Roundhouse Tapes is a good show, and the inclusion of some of the band's older songs makes it a nice collector's item.
(released November 11, 2008 on Peaceville Records)
