You’re going to have to wait until June 5 before you can order Watain’s 13th anniversary DVD Opus Diaboli in the States. It has all the blood and fire of the Watain live show, but with none of the controversial aroma associated with having a stage show that’s been ceremonially doused with rancid animal blood. With that in mind, Opus Diaboli is ideal for the squeamish; painstaking curated, with heaps of archive footage and photography added to the package, it’s also the goat’s pajamas for super-fans, too.
https://youtu.be/X0ocQSef1R0
Here’s vocalist Erik Danielsson’s thoughts on Opus Diaboli:
“Just having released our 13 Year Anniversary DVD on our own label, and being on tour with some of the greatest bands on this planet, truly makes this time in our history as a band very special. I feel that this atmosphere of eagerness and renewed power in the band permeates all of the shows we perform on this tour, one that will definitely go in the books as one of the most incredible and inspiring journeys we have embarked on. Each night is a an explosion of harsh passion and glimmering darkness, and the late and magical hours following the shows themselves have been many in number, I can assure you…
“The making of Opus Diaboli also left us with an increased sense of self-awareness, having now been able to fully commemorate the dark and strange journey that has been our past, and with that as a foundation be able to look forward into the great unknown again… It is with renewed sense of purpose that we now enter the last phase of the old era of Watain, before we descend into a darkness out of which we will emerge only when the stars are right.”
It’s not easy to contractually arm-wrestle these trailers from the band. Some poor schmuck has to hunch over Final Cut Pro during their lunch break to put together two coherent minutes. We offer silent praise, and publish herein, a copy of the press puff [below], which has all the necessary details conveniently laid out, leaving no room for the Deciblog to stray into the realms of Total Factual Inaccuracy. Perish the thought.
From the press release: “Swedish black metal heathens WATAIN are set to unleash a new DVD upon the masses. Titled Opus Diaboli, the production commemorates the band’s 13 years of chaos by providing a visual and audio documentation of their ceremonial anniversary concert performance in Stockholm and the long years of physical, intellectual and spiritual work leading up to it. Opus Diaboli is an epic 90-minute journey into the forbidden realms of wild-hearted Satanic metal and the manifestation of a unique band that has truly chosen a path few have ever dared to tread upon.
Comments the band in a collective statement: This movie was first meant to be the recording of our 13-year anniversary concert, but as everything with WATAIN, it took on a life of its own and become one of our most ambitious projects to date. It is a very personal and emotional piece of work and is certainly not for the faint of heart. But for those who wish to explore the glimmering abyss of WATAIN further, this will be a rewarding release for sure. The box version of Opus Diaboli [available exclusively through the band’s own WOLFWEAR.NET] contains an exclusive photobook. It was an overwhelming experience going through the massive archives in search of photos that best sum up the storm of passionate turmoil that has marked the WATAIN journey, especially since we wanted to stay away from live photos and focus more on moments off stage. The results were however very satisfying and offer a rare and spicy mixture of photos of which most have never been published previously. We are also proud to announce that this will be the first release on our own label His Master’s Noise, a name originating from Bathory who had it in mind for their own label back in the early 1980s. Just like with our merch store WOLFWEAR.NET from which the limited box set will be available, this time we have chosen to stand by our own and do things our way.”
Opus Diaboli DVD: A four-panel digipack including the DVD, two audio CDs featuring the full concert plus a 16-page booklet with historical photos and flyers.
Opus Diaboli Box: Limited 12” box including the DVD, two audio CDs and two LPs featuring the full concert plus an exclusive 64-page booklet with historical photos and flyers.”
**Watain are, of course, haring across the States and Canada as part of the inaugural Decibel Tour. The remaining dates are:
5/08/2012 Opera House – Toronto, ON
5/09/2012 Club Soda – Montreal, QC
5/10/2012 Imperial – Quebec City, QC
5/11/2012 Palladium – Worcester, MA
5/12/2012 Irving Plaza – New York, NY
GET YOUR TICKETS HERE
