THE LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT

'The Last Will and Testament' is in many ways a look back for Opeth - the growling vocals are re-introduced in the music by band leader Mikael Åkerfeldt and the album is a concept record that follows the reading of the protagonist's last will and testament, with multiple family members in attendance of this reading, revealing long-kept and previously unknown secrets and of their family history. This is a very fascinating concept that gives way to some dramatic, dense and epic music, which is exactly what this album is all about. And while 'The Last Will?' might not be sonically invigorating but a safer embrace of what had made Opeth special in the first place, it is a brilliantly conceived and well-executed amalgamation of their more recent experiments with progressive rock and their old-school harshness and extremity, and what a better occasion to say that the listener shall be able to unpack elements from most of the band's preceding albums, like 'Sorceress', 'Pale Communion', 'Watershed', and even 'Ghost Reveries'.

The conceptual side is noteworthy here as well as the impressive performance of debuting drummer Waltteri Väyrynen and the great contributions from Jethro Tull's very own Ian Anderson. Divided in paragraphs, '§1' of the album offers a heavy prog onslaught and introduces what could be seen as a main theme here, followed by the gorgeous main riff of '§2', a more melodic entry with some spoken word from Anderson. '§3' is an interesting synthesis between 'Sorceress' and 'Watershed', while the next track keep the refined flow of the album, introducing the next big "theme", a jazzier interplay between the flute and the lead guitar, an excellent moment. '§5' is dense and precise in execution, another piece of the puzzle, which alongside the epic and mysterious '§6' (replete with flashy soloing) harkens back to the density of 'In cauda venenum'. The closing paragraph seven is technical, ominous and vivid, on display is the intuitive heavy writing of Åkerfeldt, while the closing track is a moody, mellow conclusion disclosing the aftermath of the concept's story. This is an excellently crafted conceptual work that celebrates past glories instead of attempting to bring Opeth one square ahead, still a delightful entry in an otherwise magnificent discography.

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