Bands – Opeth & Katatonia
Venue – Masonic Temple’s Jack White Theater
Location – Detroit, MI
Concert Date – February 10th, 2026
Words & Photos – Porous
After what felt like neverending frigid temperatures here in Michigan, this past Tuesday night started to thaw out a bit. I hadn’t seen live music in over a month, so my own mood was starting to warm up as well. The die-hard fans awaiting Masonic Temple’s doors to open would have been fine either way. And then once all inside, we’d gather within the great Jack White Theater to warm our hands and forsaken hearts around a hellish hearth of not one, but two, legendary Swedish metal bands!
KATATONIA
For this second half of Opeth’s North American tour, they brought along fellow countrymen and progressive metalheads, Katatonia! This was my first time experiencing their progressive gothic metal in-person and it was so hauntingly soothing. They opened with “Thrice”, off their latest full-length Nightmares as Extensions of the Waking State, and it definitely set the mood for the remaining 45 minutes. A back-and-forth of doomy progressive metal riffs and passages of melancholic purgatory, with Jonas’ gorgeous gothic vocal cadence leading the path forward. Combined with dark atmospheric lighting and the venue’s ornate theater aesthetic, Katatonia’s performance was perfect from start-to-finish.
Katatonia will be on tour with Opeth throughout most of February, and then headlining a stretch of North American dates with support from Rivers of Nihil in March. Visit Katatonia’s official site for dates and tickets!
OPETH
It’s incredibly difficult to express in words just how amazing Opeth are. And it’s not only due to my conversational writing style, but mostly because this band has consistently released albums that go beyond what their metal predecessors and peers deliver. Opeth have a way of creatively incorporating other genres and technical riffage into their progressive metal, that is always simultaneously unique and the best thing I’ve ever heard. This was the 4th time I had the privilege to experience this Swedish five-piece, but I believe it was the first time getting to see vocalist Mikael in that delightful hat.
As one would expect, Opeth opened with the first track off their 2024 release, The last WILL and TESTAMENT. Mikael, Fredrik, Joakim, Martín, and Waltteri all performed the entire set with effortless precision and natural swagger. Over their fourteen full length albums, Opeth’s sound has transitioned from more death metal in their early days, to incorporating more prog rock in the last few efforts. And in this reviewer’s opinion, this latest album is not only one of the greatest things they’ve ever put out, but one of the most incredible I’ve ever heard.
Opeth played a variety of songs from their discography, including some of my favorites like “The Devil’s Orchard” and “The Drapery Falls”. In between songs, Mikael would banter with the crowd in one of the most perfectly deadpan deliveries I’ve heard of a frontman. The man’s got jokes! But he also had a wonderful cover hidden up his sleeve. As Opeth are known for their lengthy song durations, it was only fitting that they treated us to their rendition of the Napalm Death classic, “You Suffer” (it’s a 1 second song lmao).
T’was truly the perfect way one could spend a Tuesday night in Detroit, Michigan. Gothic and progressive death metal inside the gorgeous Jack White Theater (part of the Masonic Temple). The fans all left reinvigorated and ready to take on these last couple months of winter. Being able to cover concerts like these and document the pure joy everyone experiences at them is one of my favorite things ever. If you’re reading this and haven’t experienced live music in a while, I’d urge you to correct that. You’ll feel better. I always do. In fact, give Opeth’s official site a gander for upcoming tour dates!
Follow @porousphoto on Instagram to see more photos from the show.
Biography: Porous has been possessed by heavy music for the vast majority of his life. For a good chunk of it, that love was exorcised by playing metal, punk, and hardcore with other musicians. Nowadays Porous writes/records music mostly on his own, but engages with the community by supporting/encouraging other artists, and one of those ways is through writing! In early 2025 he joined MoshPitNation to contribute album/show reviews, concert photography, and hopefully an infectious love for metal, punk, and hardcore. For more photography, visit his digital portfolio.
