14 albums in and a 5 year wait since “In Cauda Venenum” (2019) Opeth take this album to an entire new level of their signature brand of progressive music. If you’re expecting a full on death metal album this may not be for you, however, if you’re looking for an incredibly well written progressive rock/metal album you should love this one.
The evolution of Opeth is most prominent on “The Last Will and Testament ” and Mikael Åkerfeldt makes no apologies for this album being their most eclectic blend of pre and post “Watershed” styles, he says “If you pay close attention to the album you will love it….. Or hate it”.
Lyrically it is a concept album based on family betrayal when it comes to death and inheritance and how quickly family members turn on each other. Mikael said that the TV show Succession was in the back of his mind while composing the story he set in 1920’s.
Musically in my opinion this is their best album to date! It’s literally all over the place yet extremely coherent. It’s extremely epic and at times sounds like a rock/metal opera especially having guests vocalists Ian Anderson from Jethro Tull and Mikael’s close friend Joey Tempest from 80’s band Europe, and yes it works!
The album is 8 songs and falls just short of an hour in length. The first 7 tracks are unnamed representing chapters of the story except for track 8 named “A Story Never Told” which is very grandiose and intense and the perfect way to close out this absolute masterpiece! The songs are easily their most progressive and accessible and Mikael’s death vocals are better than ever and used in just the right spots along with the most melodic he’s ever been.
Opeth pride themselves on never releasing the same album twice and this album pushes that even further into new territories. There are moments that are extremely heavy and then you feel like you’re listening to Progressive rock with the most memorable melody, and all in the same song. The production, done by Mikael himself, is incredibly well done and focused on the dynamics of the diversity of the song structures.
It’s completely evident Mikael’s influences and musical tastes are not limited to death metal. Years ago I saw them on tour with Porcupine Tree and was confused at the billing but he is obviously a fan of prog and admitted to being a big Europe fan, hence having Joey Tempest on the new album. Mikael did say the album was written on a whim which can be the reason all of his influences poured out into the writing on the album as well.
I have been an Opeth fan since their first album “Orchid” in 1995, and while I still enjoy and appreciate their early style, “The Last Will and Testament” is a culmination of everything they have ever done and demonstrates they are far from running out of ideas and keeping it fresh. This is easily my favorite album of theirs and of 2024. I’m sure their will be fans that want to hear the “Still Life”, “Ghost Reveries”, and “Blackwater Park” styles but I would tell them this, if you want to hear those albums you already have them, go put them on. I expect mixed opinions of course but this is their most balanced and well written material to date and I hope fans hear this the same as I do.
Glasser’s Rating: 10/10
‘The Last Will & Testament’ Tracklist:
01 – §1
02 – §2
03 – §3
04 – §4
05 – §5
06 – §6
07 – §7
08 – A Story Never Told
Lineup:
Mikael Åkerfeldt – Vocals, guitars
Fredrik Åkesson – Guitars, backing vocals
Martin Mendez – Bass guitar
Waltteri Väyrynen – Drums and percussion
Joakim Svalberg – Keyboards, backing vocals
Special Guests:
Ian Anderson (Jethro Tull) – spoken word (tracks 1, 2, 4, 7) // flute (tracks 4, 7)
Joey Tempest (Europe) – backing vocals (track 2)
Mirjam Åkerfeldt – spoken word (track 1)
All Music and Lyrics written by Mikael Åkerfeldt
Lyrical concept by Mikael Åkerfeldt, dramatic consultation by Klara Rönnqvist Fors
Produced by Mikael Åkerfeldt
Co-produced by Opeth and Stefan Boman
Engineered by Stefan Boman, Joe Jones and Opeth
Mixing by Stefan Boman and Mikael Åkerfeldt and Opeth at Atlantis and Hammerthorpe, Stockholm, Sweden
Mastering and vinyl lacquer cut by Miles Showell at Abbey Road studios, London, UK
Strings conducted by Dave Stewart at Angel Studios, London, UK
Strings arrangement by Mikael Åkerfeldt and Dave Stewart
Drum technicalities by Kit Cunningham
Artwork by Travis Smith with directions from Mikael Åkerfeldt
OPETH North American Tour Dates (w/ TRIBULATION):
10/11: Milwaukee, WI @ The Rave / Eagles Club
10/12: Cleveland, OH @ Agora Theater & Ballroom
10/14: Toronto, ON @ Queen Elizabeth Theatre
10/15: Montréal, QC @ L’Olympia
10/16: Worcester, MA @ Palladium
10/18: Brooklyn, NY @ Kings Theatre
10/19: Pittsburgh, PA @ Stage AE
10/20: Washington, DC @ Warner Theatre
10/22: Atlanta, GA @ Tabernacle
10/23: New Orleans, LA @ Fillmore New Orleans
10/24: Austin, TX @ Emo’s Austin
10/25: Dallas, TX @ Majestic Theatre
10/27: Denver, CO @ Mission Ballroom
10/29: Phoenix, AZ @ The Van Buren
10/30: Los Angeles, CA @ YouTube Theater
10/31: San Francisco, CA @ The Warfield
OPETH European Tour Dates 2025:
02/09: Helsinki (FI) @ Ice Hall
02/11: Stockholm (SE) @ Cirkus
02/12: Oslo (NO) @ Sentrum Scene
02/14: Copenhagen (DK) @ DR Koncerthuset
02/15: Hamburg (DE) @ Docks
02/17: Cologne (DE) @ Palladium
02/18: Berlin (DE) @ Tempodrom
02/19: Munich (DE) @ Muffathalle
02/21: Paris (DR) @ L’Olympia
02/22: Amsterdam (NL) @ AFAS Live
02/23: Brussels (BE) @ Ancienne Belgique
