“The Last Will And Testament is a very special album for me”

Opeth pushes the boundaries with The Last Will And Testamenta dark and personal album for Fredrik Åkesson.

A dark and progressive concept album for Opeth

Opeth guitarist Fredrik Åkesson has shared his excitement for the band's new album, The Last Will And Testamentwhich will be released on November 22 via Reigning Phoenix Music/Moderbolaget. In an interview with Taylor Max TVÅkesson said that this album was particularly meaningful to him, saying that it represents a bridge between the old Opeth and the band's new progressive direction. “This album is special to me. It brings together old and new Opeth in a never-before-seen direction,” he confides.

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An increased presence of guitars

Pour The Last Will And TestamentÅkesson and the band's leader, Mikael Åkerfeldt, wanted to give a more important place to guitars, unlike In the Tail of Poison (2019), where keyboards were more dominant. “Mikael wanted me to play solos on almost every track,” explains Åkesson. “This time I approached the solos as small compositions within the songs, giving them more care.”

An album rich in collaborations and mystery

Written by Åkerfeldt, with lyrics in collaboration with Klara Rönnqvist Fors, The Last Will And Testament stands out with exceptional contributions, notably from Ian Anderson (Jethro Tull) and Joey Tempest (Europe). The album is marked by a theatrical atmosphere, set in a post-First World War plot, where a conservative patriarch reveals family secrets during the reading of his will. The story reveals the reactions of his twin children and the mysterious presence of a young girl suffering from polio, taken in by the family.

Produced by Åkerfeldt and Stefan Boman, The Last Will And Testament is Opeth's darkest and most audaciously progressive record in years. Set in the 1920s, it evokes a classic thriller, with each song shedding new light on the deceased protagonist's secrets. This musical journey, intense and melodramatic, perfectly illustrates Opeth's ability to merge genres and push its own limits.