Opeth - The Last Will And Testament review
| Band: | Opeth |
| Album: | The Last Will And Testament |
| Style: | Progressive metal |
| Release date: | November 22, 2024 |
| A review by: | musclassia |
01. §1
02. §2
03. §3
04. §4
05. §5
06. §6
07. §7
08. A Story Never Told
Has there ever been so much fervour and anticipation ahead of an album’s release due to a change in vocal style when there’s not been a change in vocalist? Opeth’s move away from growling caused an alarming schism in the band’s fanbase, but those growls’ return may not herald what those lost along the way were expecting.
Opeth’s musical journey since the start of the last decade has been subject to endless discussion, some rational, some irrational. By the time of the release of In Cauda Venenum, the Swedish titans appeared to be firmly entrenched in their current direction, and were starting to get a firmer grasp on how to most effectively execute their retro-revivalist take on heavy prog rock. While the title announced for that record’s successor, The Last Will And Testament, was decidedly ominous, any discussion of the potential finality of this release was swiftly superseded by the response to first single “§1”, notable not just for the first appearance of growls since 2008’s Watershed, but also for a markedly heavier sound than encountered on any of the records released in the intervening period. It’s a response that has slightly irritated Mikael Åkerfeldt, but disgruntled old-school fans of the band will learn with this album that ‘Growlpeth’ and ‘Newpeth’ are not mutually exclusive.
The title of The Last Will And Testament refers to a legal document (hence the “§” song titles), and said document serves as the focal point of this record’s concept (a concept that is shaped by spoken word from Jethro Tull’s Ian Anderson, who also contributes flute to the album). However, while such a strong conceptual focus harkens back to early albums such as Still Life, when one moves past the initial surprise of Åkerfeldt’s monstruous harsh vocals returning, the music comprising The Last Will And Testament shares far more lineage (or Heritage, as it were) with Opeth’s recent albums than their earlier material.
Although the record’s heaviest moments have a density and tonality not found on the preceding 4 albums, it would be misleading to refer to The Last Will And Testament as a progressive death metal album, as instrumentally it bears little resemblance to extreme metal. Instead of blast beats or double bass rolls, debutant drummer Waltteri Väyrynen (Abhorrence, ex-Paradise Lost) typically maintains the busy, frequently jazzy drumming style employed when part of the band by Martin Axenrot, and the instrumentation as a whole is consistently busy, frenetic and convoluted in the way that In Cauda Venenum and Heritage in particular were. This is Opeth’s recent musical path routed in a darker direction, rather than a reprise of the band’s classic progressive death metal sound.
It's a direction that pays off rather nicely, overall. The aforementioned “§1” is perhaps the heaviest song on the album, and the interchange between growls and cleans, and between chunky heavy riffs and more delicate prog rock meandering, makes for a potent first impression. The range within even Åkerfeldt’s clean singing on the album is impressive, and the drama imbued in his voice in the ‘hiding, hiding’ bit really grabs one’s attention in time for a guitar solo immediately after. On that note, there’s some great solos across the album, whether livelier (“§3”) or more tender (“A Story Never Told”).
There’s a couple of pervasive issues that I’ve had with Opeth’s post-Watershed material. One has been the lack of a compelling overarching tonal feel to replace the loss of the darkly majestic vibe of the band’s turn-of-the-millennium records, and on that front, I find that The Last Will And Testament creates a more compelling atmosphere than its predecessors, perhaps partly due to the heaviness, but also due to the overall layering and production. On the flip side, my frustrations with the band’s ‘over-writing’, for lack of a better word, do remain; Opeth’s retro-prog era has been too often characterized, for me at least, by songwriting that has featured excessive choppiness in the name of convolution at the expense of memorability or emotional resonance, and listening to the likes of “§2” and parts of “§7” inspire a similar response on my part.
It is that issue that makes me appreciate “§3”, which, while not really featuring any standout moments, makes effective and sustained use of a stable core idea and rhythm that Opeth build around. “§4” is also initially a bit more stable, but again turns a bit too choppy not long after; however, Anderson’s flute solo on this song serves as something of a turning point, as the way that this passage and its underlying guitar motif grows heavier is a great moment, as is the following sequence that makes exciting use of panned growls trading off back-and-forth with one another. The growth and progression of “§4” ultimately makes it into my favourite song on the album.
There are other moments of note that I enjoy on the record, whether it be the haunting atmosphere created by the keys on “§5” and the lush balance of melody and aggression in its climactic outro, or the quiet bluesy ending to “§6”. On the whole, there’s quite a lot of things that The Last Will And Testament does right, particularly with the integration of the concept in a way that doesn’t distract from the music despite the spoken word, and ultimately it is probably my favourite release from the band in the past 15 years. With that said, I do have to echo the sentiments of those claiming that the album suffers from a lack of memorability; after a fair few listens, there are very few moments that linger for me, and few songs that motivate me to play the record further than I already have. In some areas it even falls short of its immediate predecessors; despite a pleasantly moving solo, closer "A Story Never Told" is a bit underwhelming when placed next to "All Things Will Pass" from In Cauda Venenum.
Assuming that this is not in fact The Last Will And Testament of Opeth, it is evident from this release that they are very capable of continuing to make impressive and well-crafted music, with or without extreme vocals or instrumentation. However, beyond the basic musical blocks, there was a particular je ne sais quoi to ‘classic’ Opeth that their albums since (and arguably even including) Watershed have struggled to recapitulate or replace with something equally worthy, and for all its merits, I don’t feel that The Last Will And Testament has quite pulled it off either.
Rating breakdown
| Performance: | 9 |
| Songwriting: | 7 |
| Originality: | 7 |
| Production: | 9 |
Comments
Comments: 27
Visited by: 216 users
| corrupt With a lowercase c Admin Posts: 3574  |
If I was struggling to adequately describe Opeth's post-Watershed music, I found the right words right here. I see many of my own feelings about their work over the past 15 years reflected here. Particularly the choppiness and convolution (is that the right word?) of their music for seemingly no gain. What I particularly take issue with is the "famous for being famous" aspect of it. I appreciate you trying to find standout moments in this album, but - as your review beautifully proves - enjoying Opeth has become an academic exercise where it used to be an almost automatic emotional response. I don't see anyone putting that much effort into enjoying any other band. It's clear that many people long for Opeth's Still Life - Ghost Reveries era, some even for their earlier work. But if it weren't for that reference, I doubt we'd even make note of them as a band today.
---- 
Loading...
|
| Lord Slothrop Posts: 414  |
Maybe my opinion will change in time, but as of now I think this album is fantastic, close to a masterpiece even. I find it not only an enjoyable listen, but very interesting and dense with some beautiful production. I seem to find more to discover and like with each listen. Definitely not an extension of their past death metal era, but something more akin to Jethro Tull's A Passion Play, albeit heavier of course. I would love to see Akerfeldt continue the band on this trajectory and see where it leads.
Loading...
|
| Arcticus Posts: 191  |
Written by corrupt on 28.11.2024 at 21:54 Apologies but I find takes like this to be utterly pointless (same with Metallica, Mastodon, any bands whose early stuff is considered classic). If it weren't for everything that came before, the band wouldn't be in the position it's in - they have earned their place with their past work, and if they have fans who are willing to "put effort in" to appreciate their newer material (imagine that!) then more power to them. I don't know why people are expecting this album to sound like "classic" Opeth. I understand wanting it (I'm just as guilty of this as anyone), but wanting something and expecting it should be two very different things. They have obviously changed over the years, personally I feel that 'Watershed' was a step down already and that Mikael's fatigue with the style was starting to show through ("Porcelain Heart" in particular has always bugged me). So I can totally understand him wanting to do something different, even if I personally wasn't a huge fan; 'Pale Communion' was probably my favourite of the prog era but I haven't listened to any of them all that much. 'Sorceress' especially made me lose interest. However after listening to this new album several times I can safely say that my love for Opeth has been fully rekindled. The production is some of the best I've heard, and while the songs aren't as memorable or hooky as their classic material there is still plenty to enjoy. I like that it takes longer to unpack and appreciate what is happening musically - it gives the album more replayability for me. There is still something about Mikael's songwriting (more so on this album than the past few) that ticks a lot of my mental boxes, and I just consider myself lucky that we got this album at all. I am very interested to see what comes next. Oh, and Walt kicks ass on the drums. Just an absolute joy to listen to.
Loading...
|
| gmorin Posts: 48 |
|
| Metal Spartan 78 Posts: 64 |
|
| Cynic Metalhead Ambrish Saxena Posts: 7574  |
Written by Arcticus on 29.11.2024 at 02:04 I don't have to tell this horse sense, but Opeth is a big brand of the metal. Anything comes off it like this will get into line of comparisons with preceding albums. I do agree that folks inclined to have soft corner for such brands to be excessively desired and aligned with the classics, but reality hits hard like this new Opeth album that was nowhere near to be found. What I found amusing with ones here is jeopardizing old classics album over your emotions to see the new album.
Loading...
|
| Lord Slothrop Posts: 414 |
Written by Metal Spartan 78 on 29.11.2024 at 04:43 Agreed. I have read from some that the last song was anti-climatic, but I thought it was a beautiful and moving way to end the album.
Loading...
|
| Daniell _爱情_ Elite Posts: 6106  |
I'm really glad that your great review sounds like a voice of reason among all those heaping praise on the album because it contains growling. Opeth haven't changed at all in their musical direction. The music is what they've been playing since Watershed - I agree with you on this point by the way. Watershed was the first album of Newpeth, cleverly camouflaged to sound like Oldpeth. All it took to fool people was heavily distorted guitars and growling. Even the title of the album was saying something, at least to an attentive listener/reader. Whoever hopes that Opeth will go back to their old style is in for a disappointment further down the line. Growls are all that you will get I'm afraid. As for the album - I can't say anything that hasn't been said before. Impressive through and through, full of ideas, cleverly constructed and arranged, masterfully executed and produced. But leaves me cold and fails to move me. "The Moor" has more feeling and emotions that this whole album put together. The word "overintellectualized" is the best way to summarize this album. Around 7.7 is the highest I can give, I'll round up to 8.
Loading...
|
| Arcticus Posts: 191 |
Written by Cynic Metalhead on 29.11.2024 at 08:05 None of this made any sense to me.
Loading...
|
| MikeVonDoom Posts: 346  |
This new album is as pointless as the fuss around the change in vocals. Basically is the same prog rock BS with adapt vocals, which lead me to think that they did it on purpose just to shut some hard-core fans. I utterly dislike Mikael's _operatic_ vocals trend! The fakery is strong.
Loading...
|
| corrupt With a lowercase c Admin Posts: 3574 |
Written by Arcticus on 29.11.2024 at 02:04 No apologies necessary. I see what you mean, and that's definitely how we treat artists in general. It's more of a philosophical question of whether or not each work should be judged on its own merits. I tend to use a band's entire catalog as context, but I agree that sometimes an album just works. And yes, more power to people who find enjoyment in music however they do. Catalog context is why I disagree with the "they've earned their place" sentiment. I'm not criticizing people who find genuine enjoyment in The Last Will And Testament, but those who try to find semblances of classic Opeth in it by any means necessary, including myself. My point is that if this were a no-name band's release, it probably wouldn't even raise most people's eyebrows. To me, it sounds and feels mostly like a theoretical musical experiment; like a whole bunch of pieces put together without forming something greater than its parts. I don't see a vision, and I can't make an emotional connection to it. But I catch myself and accuse many others here of looking for that Opeth feeling, that sound, that coherence, that musical vision that allowed them to write songs and entire albums that are more than the sum of their parts. Much more. It seems to me that they don't know how to do that anymore and are just going with what's easy. Adding some growls to the mix for good measure and tuning the guitars a little lower, but ultimately not creating anything I find noteworthy. But they're Opeth, so here I am, desperately trying to rebuild my emotional connection and find words to describe this disconnect. When you say you don't know why people are expecting this album to sound like classic Opeth, I say I don't understand how you wouldn't. Not necessarily expecting it, but wanting it to be true. To be able to access those old feelings through new material. Music means so many different things to so many people, and often that includes a para-social element. It definitely does for me, and it makes me go back to bands I used to love, where I wish I could just let go, let them do their thing, and accept that they lost me.
----
Loading...
|
| Zap Posts: 3586  |
Written by corrupt on 29.11.2024 at 11:34 One of my first thoughts when I finished listening to the album the first time was "If this was released as the debut album by a new band they would be on everyone's radar in no time". So I don't agree in the slightest. I think it might even have been received better if this was another band, because people aren't expecting Opeth.
Loading...
|
| corrupt With a lowercase c Admin Posts: 3574 |
Written by Zap on 29.11.2024 at 14:31 Interesting. I mean, I get the point and I agree on the idea. Only the album feels pretty cold and lifeless to me. Care to share what it is that excites you that way?
----
Loading...
|
| Zap Posts: 3586 |
Written by corrupt on 29.11.2024 at 15:12 I think you're misinterpreting me. I said I think it would generally be well received as a new album by a new band, not that I think it would deserve such a reception  That's just how I imagine people would react, but we'll never know.To be clear, I do like the album, but it has its flaws and I agree with some of the complaints about it (lacking in good melodies, memorability, a bit all over the place at times). "Cold and lifeless" sounds pretty harsh to me, but it being quite dense and not lingering long on any single idea makes it hard to relate to, so I (think I) understand where you are coming from.
Loading...
|
| corrupt With a lowercase c Admin Posts: 3574 |
Written by Zap on 29.11.2024 at 15:52 Ah right! My bad. I don't mean to be harsh about the album. It's definitely not terrible. I enjoy parts of it, but in the way musclassia described in the review. I need to go and look for small sections I enjoy. And I can't help comparing that to my Blackwater Park experience.
----
Loading...
|
| Zap Posts: 3586 |
Written by corrupt on 29.11.2024 at 15:56 Fair enough. I don't have this feeling that I need to "look for" sections to enjoy, but if small sections are all I could like about this then I wouldn't be enthusiastic about it either. I enjoy "§1", "§3", "§6", "§7" and "A Story Never Told" quite a lot in their entirety thankfully.
Loading...
|
| ForestsAlive Posts: 41  |
To me, the reviewer got it absolutely right! I listened to the album three times just because the production is so charming. However, those majestic melodies, those hooks, that beautiful voice and that atmosphere of the golden era is simply not there. Akerfeldt writes in a completely different way for the past 15 years, from the structure to the modes. He draws inspiration from 70s prog rather than 90s doom/gothic and that removes so much of the gravitas.
Loading...
|
| Erik M. 2.0 Posts: 6 |
|
| prnzokoshiroltra Posts: 71  |
My fav album of all-time is Mr. Bungle - "Disco Volante" - one of the most iconic and infamous representations of 'kitchen-sink jumpcut avant-garde', so Mikael's or other artsy-glorified-novelties or perceived-wankfests' writing styles (such as the fact I favor Death"s "The Sound of Perserverance" over "Symbolic") I suppose strike me as more coherent n cohesive than they do for a much larger chunk of listeners out there (would also explain why my own stuff can come off so abstract/random/obtuse)... so sometimes what I like can be appreciated n stand out on the strengths of criterion combinations that will sometimes even surprise myself.... ...where am I goin with this? well, for all that buildup to how I actually processed this album or any point I was gonna attempt making clear... Mikael's style of writing has been a good helping of stilted hit-or-miss fool's-gold-or-makeshift-ramshackle to my perspective's ears with occasional approaches and motifs that succeed... sometimes ideas workin in spite of themselves n the willful webbed implementation that can only be (educatedly?) guessed at.... but in my opinion, Watershed was sparsely-riddled halfassery and Heritage was disjointed n stylistically dubious n Sorceress maybe was thematically unsound (but the blatant retro-revivalisms of it didn't irk me as much as it apparently did many others...). Pale Communion, In Caude Venenum and The Last Will and Testament were entertaining enough to justify an ease-up on nitpickery n overall get the horns at least risen to sideways vertice --m/ and there - that's my overblown overprefaced conclusion n I'm stickin to it till hindsight makes me hate everything lol
---- No one can fend off 100 multi-colored Draculas not even Count Chocula or Vlad's Dad (Fat Drac) maybe Leslie Nielsen: Dead & Lovin EET
Loading...
|
| Erik M. 2.0 Posts: 6 |
Written by prnzokoshiroltra on 30.11.2024 at 04:12 Interesting read. Are you perhaps Eugene from The Walking Dead? Because that's the voice I hear in my head when I read your message. 
Loading...
|
| qnick90 Posts: 104  |
Martin Mendez said. "When we stopped with the growls, everyone was complaining, now we stopped with acoustic guitars and no one is complaining"... Well I am! This album is probably the least melodic the have ever released. The progressivness of Opeth stemmed not primarily from growls/singing contrast, but from weird and unexpected chords and transitions.
Loading...
|
| corrupt With a lowercase c Admin Posts: 3574 |
Written by qnick90 on 30.11.2024 at 09:52 You still gave it a 9 though?
----
Loading...
|
| prnzokoshiroltra Posts: 71 |
Written by Erik M. 2.0 on 30.11.2024 at 08:58 was he the guy with the crossbow? or was he the leader guy who was startin to slowly turn into a cold-blooded badass? dunno only saw 1st couple seasons of that show xD maybe Mikael should return to Bloodbath for an album and re-connect with death metal n more straight-fwd, intuitive songcraftage (n give poor Nick's aging growls a break to heal)
---- No one can fend off 100 multi-colored Draculas not even Count Chocula or Vlad's Dad (Fat Drac) maybe Leslie Nielsen: Dead & Lovin EET
Loading...
|
| Arcticus Posts: 191 |
Written by corrupt on 29.11.2024 at 11:34 Thanks for the measured response, I appreciate you not jumping down my throat for disagreeing with you  Regarding the "earned their place" thing I certainly don't mean that bands should just get a free pass, or that albums should not be judged on their own merits - they absolutely should. But even as a thought experiment, the phrase "if this were a no-name band's release" just doesn't make any sense to me, because no other band would release this album, just as no other band would have released St Anger, or whatever famous (or infamous) album you want to pick. I suppose your term 'catalog context' is what I'm talking about, and I just don't think it can be ignored. Each band's journey (musically, personally, spiritually, whatever) leads them to write and release the music that they do, and no other band would produce the same product, even if they were directly trying to imitate someone - it would still be that band's interpretation. Sorry if I'm rambling a bit, I'm just trying to get all my thoughts out. I think what I was getting at with not expecting it to sound like classic Opeth was that if you had listened to the two advance tracks, you could clearly tell that it wasn't going to sound like Blackwater Park, so expecting something like that from the album when it dropped, after 4-5 months of hearing §1 & 3, just seems unreasonable to me. I get wanting that emotional connection - or re-connection - but that's exactly what I said: that wanting something and expecting it are very different. I'm very tired at the moment and my brain isn't quite up for continuing this right now, but if I manage to put some more coherent thoughts together I will come back later and try to explain myself more clearly and respond to your well-made points. Cheers 
Loading...
|
| qnick90 Posts: 104 |
Written by corrupt on 30.11.2024 at 13:50 Welp, it´s not 10/10 sadly...
Loading...
|
| X-FrEaK Posts: 288  |
While the review touches on a lot of good points, and I agree with basically everything that is said, I dont see how agreeing with the lack of memorable moments can result in a 7.8. For me thats what music is about, be it metal, or any other genre, not being able to remember any song a few weeks after listening to this album for a few days non stop is very bad news.
Loading...
|
| musclassia Staff Posts: 7652  |
Written by X-FrEaK on 02.12.2024 at 11:33 A fair view for sure; I think there's certain types of music where memorability has a bigger or lesser impact on its overall appeal. Styles intrinsically oriented around catchiness and immediacy (e.g. bubblegum pop, melodic metalcore), if songs aren't memorable it's a fairly serious negative indictment of the music's quality. For more complex music or atmospherically-inclined music, the enjoyment of listening to the music can owe to more than just the memorability of hooks; the overall vibe of the music can be an attraction in its own right, and there may be complex parts that aren't naturally memorable in the aftermath of listening to the music, but are enjoyable when listening to them. For this album, a substantial portion of its charm and strengths for me is the overarching feel and atmosphere of it, and there's parts (particularly the ones I highlighted in the review) that aren't necessarily earworms that get stuck in your head, but make for satisfying listening. But it's also very reasonable if someone places greater importance on hookiness/memorability relative to the other factors.
Loading...
|
Hits total: 2740 | This month: 1187