What…you thought we weren’t going to review the new Opeth? Everyone and their brother were posting opinions on how good (or not) it was…even before they heard nothing more than the first single. Hell, I found one guy who devoted a 20-minute YouTube video talking about how he has “early access” and heard the whole album. Patent bullshit. But now we can talk. The Last Will and Testament is available to all. I had about a week of digital listening prior to release, but since then have soaked in the vinyl, the Dolby Atmos version, and the digital version more times than I care to admit, and the long and short of it is this:
God DAMN, this record.
I mean, there’s more below the jump, but… God DAMN, this record.
It seems silly to summarize the history of the band. For almost 30 years Mikael Åkerfeldt has been crafting some of the biggest, best progressive death metal around, and at this point their visibility in the metal community is enormous, whether you dig with their style for or not. The growth from Orchid (1995) to Watershed (2008) was evolutionary at each step, and looking back over that first run of records you can hear the searching and exploration Åkerfeldt was driving with his various band members in tow. Still, no one was prepared for the true watershed moment in 2011: the release of Heritage, which eschewed the extreme progressive death in favor of truly progressive rock music that did away with growls altogether. The band may have lost some extreme metal fans, but they gained a legion of prog nerds across the globe. Over their next four albums, the band leaned and twisted in a number of directions, trying to find where the next path would take them.
Åkerfeldt has said in interviews and on the album commentary (please more of this) that The Last Will and Testament signals a new path forward, one where musically they’re as progressive as ever – this is a full blown concept record, after all – but they’ve re-embraced the more metallic side of their history.
In other words: yes, boys and girls, the growls are back in force.
But let’s be clear: as heavy as The Last Will and Testament is, it’s not a reversion. The music has if anything gotten more progressive; the increased distortion can’t hide that, musically, this is a direct and natural extension of the path Opeth has been following for the last 15 years. And though it might be heretical to say, Åkerfeldt might have his best lineup ever to carry it through. Mártin Méndez continues to be Åkerfeldt’s right-hand man, laying the bass foundation down with musical choices as perfect as ever. On guitar, Fredrik Åkesson may already have proven everything he needs to in his 17 years in the band, yet he still finds a way to deliver possibly the best solo of his career here (we’ll get to that in a bit).
That leaves Joakim Svalberg on keyboards and Waltteri Väyrynen on drums. Svalberg has been with the band since Heritage, playing grand piano on that album and taking over the departed Per Wiberg. He’s a revelation here, too: sitting front and center throughout so much of the album. Dude is a treasure in this band, is what I’m saying. As for Väyrynen, who joined after a stint in Paradise Lost, I’m happy to say he brings not just a vitality and power to the heavy tracks, but also a terrific feel for the band’s dynamic and progressive tendencies. The Last Will and Testament is anything but “the Mikael Åkerfeldt show”; rather, it’s the end-product of a full band (not to mention some fabulous guests) firing on every cylinder.
As mentioned, The Last Will and Testament is a concept record revolving around the death of a well-to-do family patriarch, highly religious and conservative in his views. So of course, there are buried secrets and foolishness that come to light, and the record details the narrative through the reading of the patriarch’s – you guessed it – last will and testament. Each of the will’s seven paragraphs constitute a song, with the closing “A Story Never Told” moving out of the will to unveil the last twist of the tale.
What’s that? You want a track-by-track breakdown? I got you, boo.
“§1” – “Draped in death, the howl of lore” indeed. It might not be my favorite song on the album, but there’s no better calling card to announce the band is back and bringing the metal to the front again. Love the syncopated rhythm of the verse, and we also get our first taste of Jethro Tull mainman Ian Anderson as the patriarch, mirroring Åkerfeldt’s superb growls. When he croaks out “The last will and testament of…FATHER” it’s a blast. Love the middle section with the organ stabs and the guitars sound positively gnarly. Åkesson rips the first of many solos and we’re on our way.
“§2” – Another furious opening, Åkerfeldt’s growls right up front with a driving riff pushing into Blackwater Park territory before getting into a dreamy section with Méndez’s bass jumping octaves before moving into a great deep classic rock swagger. Anderson’s back with narration as Åkerfeldt croons like a 70s rock god behind him. Joey Tempest from Europe swoops in with the lovely background vocals and it all comes together like butter. Svalberg’s keys are prominent before it dives back into furious metal. I absolutely love how heavy this gets – maybe the fastest track on the album.
“§3” – The other night I introduced my son to the great song “One Night In Bangkok” from the musical Chess by, among others, members of Abba. So imagine my surprise and delight upon listening to Åkerfeldt’s commentary and learning the intro to “§3” was directly inspired by that song. Such a heavy, dynamic track…and yet one of the two songs without any harsh vocals. Another absolute KILLER Åkesson solo…and it’s still not the best one on the album. This was the second single released, and despite the many twists and knotty configurations the guitars go through, it’s probably one of the more accessible songs on the album. That’s about to change…
“§4” – The first three songs on The Last Will and Testament were great. The next four are phenomenal, and it starts with “§4”. We’re immediately in that exotic prog space that sounds like Opeth and no one else. The guitar riff is so complex and entwined with Väyrynen’s tighter-than-tight drumming it’s breathtaking. Love the modulation up a step only to have everything drop out as Åkerfeldt’s volcano lines mirror the exquisite harp playing by Mia Westlund. We also get our first taste of Ian Anderson’s flute, as he lays down a call and response solo to the guitar lines. Just like the rest of Opeth, no one sounds like Ian Anderson, his breathy playing completely raising the level of the entire track. When Åkerfeldt screams “Her eye on HIM” the song shifts into terrifying death metal instantly, an incredible moment that dissipates just as suddenly as we move back into more familiar progressive waters.
“§5” – There’s a general consensus among my group of friends is that this is the one — the all-timer of the record. Great rhythmic foundation laid down by Méndez and Väyrynen. Åkerfeldt weaves his lyrics around like a snake. Then…handclaps? Yup, we have handclaps. The sense of space grows and shrinks depending on the moment; when things get heavy — and they get very heavy —all air disappears and you’re left suffocating in the many licks being spilled everywhere. Thick, luscious strings arranged by Dave Stewart, and Svalberg putting sublime touches everywhere when he’s not blasting that organ into the heavens. The guitars are otherworldly, with labyrinth riffing and soaring solos sitting side by side. More and more, I’m coming to realize The Last Will and Testament is really meant to be taken as a whole – aside from promotional purposes, singles have no place here. It might as well be one gigantic track – so thank goodness this is also one of Opeth’s “tight” albums, clocking in under an hour.
“§6” – Väyrynen gets his moment in the sun, kicking off the song in spectacular fashion as Svalberg’s organ grinds underneath. Méndez brings a bit on funk to his baseline, and once again, I’m completely taken by the keyboard work here. It bears repeating: as much as people want to lay all the accolades and “genius” on Åkerfeldt, the man himself is very aware of how much he relies on the rest of the band to not only realize but exceed his vision. The final minute brings us one of Åkerfeldt’s leads, a gentle, expressive solo that wouldn’t be out of place somewhere in a Pink Floyd song.
“§7” – Another ominous, bass-heavy opening to kick off the final paragraph of the will. Ian Anderson is back to announce what he has left his children. Things get heavy, progressive, and knotted as the vocals slam from clean to growls and back again, a whiplash of a song where the pain of the tug is part of the beauty. This is Svalberg’s shining moment – on an album where he is practically everywhere, his work on “§7” might be my favorite. We get more Ian Anderson on flute, more great Åkesson soloing, but there’s one more to go…
“A Story Never Told” – You have to tie things up, and while “A Story Never Told” feels the most like what Opeth has been putting out on the more recent prog albums, it does exactly what it needs to do: wrap up the narrative and bring us home. Åkerfeldt has never sounded better, his clean vocals filled with age and experience, weariness and a tinge of regret as the “hidden” story is revealed that the young, sick daughter born out of wedlock who inherits everything isn’t actually the old man’s daughter at all. It’s a gorgeous song — one of the band’s best ballads in their entire discography — and it’s here, FINALLY, where we get Åkesson’s brilliant solo to close out The Last Will and Testament’s final moments.
I wasn’t expecting Opeth to change gears; I was perfectly happy loving what the band was doing. And I wasn’t expecting The Last Will and Testament to blow my mind – I just wanted another great album from a band I’ve journeyed with for decades. But here we are, Åkerfeldt and Co. once again not giving any fucks about what their fans want and following their own muse, in the process putting out one of the best albums of their career.
-Chris
The Last Will And Testament is available now from Reigning Phoenix Music. For more information on Opeth, check out their website and Facebook and Instagram pages.
One of my least favourite Oprth records, a bit of a mess.