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|| Artist......: Opeth ||
|| Album.......: The Last Will and Testament ||
|| Year........: 2024 ||
|| ||
|| Genre.......: Metal ||
|| Label.......: Valhall Music ||
|| Cat.No......: SCR056 ||
|| ||
|| Source......: CD ||
|| Encoder.....: libFLAC 1.3.1 20141125 ||
|| Bitrate.....: 895 kbps avg. ||
|| F.Rate......: 44.1kHz ||
|| ||
|| Playtime....: 00:50:56 / 341.63MB ||
|| R.Date......: 2024-12-18 ||
|| S.Date......: 2024-11-22 ||
|| Website.....: ||
|| ||
|| ||
|| 01. §1 5:57 ||
|| 02. §2 5:33 ||
|| 03. §3 5:10 ||
|| 04. §4 7:00 ||
|| 05. §5 7:29 ||
|| 06. §6 6:03 ||
|| 07. §7 6:30 ||
|| 08. A Story Never Told 7:14 ||
|| ||
|| ||
|| Mine is better tagged... ||
|| ||
|| Opeth is a band that needs zero introduction at this point, but ||
|| I'll do one anyways. The Swedish prog legends were renowned due ||
|| to their unique mix of death metal devilry and soothing ||
|| progressive rock segments, shifting and entwining both of them ||
|| to their whim, without feeling forced in any way. This formula ||
|| was pretty much unique to them and they kept going with it for ||
|| many years. Watershed, released in 2008, was the last album to ||
|| feature this formula, as it was evident that the band was ||
|| moving into more prog territory from earlier albums, and it was ||
|| more than notorious here, with a bigger emphasis on clean ||
|| vocals and a somewhat more subdued approach that, nevertheless, ||
|| was still Opeth. ||
|| ||
|| Heritage, the follow-up, saw Opeth discarding the entirety of ||
|| the death metal elements, with the band going full prog metal. ||
|| This creative choice was met with quite some disapproval at the ||
|| time, but the decision was final. Later releases were in line ||
|| with this choice, and while there were still some embers of the ||
|| sound of yore, the band embraced a more 70's prog-rock approach ||
|| that still was good, but left many fans disappointed with many ||
|| stating that "Opeth doesn't sound like Opeth anymore". ||
|| ||
|| And it was so for 16 years. It was assumed that kerfeldt and ||
|| company would not return to their former sound. And while ||
|| Mikael never fully stated that he was "done" with doing death ||
|| growls, it was no longer a topic of discussion. Opeth moved on, ||
|| and many of the faithful moved on with them. And so, when The ||
|| Last Will and Testament was announced, everyone (myself ||
|| included) presumed that it would be one more excellent prog ||
|| release from Opeth... until " 1" was released. ||
|| ||
|| Not only did we get a song reminiscent of the Watershed era, ||
|| but the growls were back, baby! The moment many of us wanted ||
|| was here. kerfeldt's vocals returned and this was just a taste ||
|| of what was to come. This was just the beginning of The Last ||
|| Will and Testament. I don't think it is hyperbole to state that ||
|| this was the most anticipated album of the year. And it does ||
|| not disappoint... at least, not entirely. ||
|| ||
|| From start to finish, this is still the Opeth that fully ||
|| embraced the 70's prog-rock sound, but now in a darker, ||
|| claustrophobic shade. The reincorporation of the extreme vocals ||
|| and approach was made while tinkering very little with the new ||
|| essence of the band. While there are exquisite moments of ||
|| brutality and fiendish riffs, it never strays too far from what ||
|| Opeth is now. The overall sound of the album serves as a ||
|| reminder of this, yet barely needs any discussion. They sound ||
|| as good as ever, with constant shifts in tempo, mood and ||
|| rhythms. It is as groovy as it can be demolishing, as ||
|| suffocating as it can be soothing. It is a joy to listen to. ||
|| The guitars and synths complement each other, and drift between ||
|| discordant darkness and hopeful serenity, with many solos to be ||
|| found (check the synth solo in 6). The bass oscillates around ||
|| the guitars while never losing any sense of cohesion. The ||
|| drums, which are played by the relatively newest addition to ||
|| the band, Waltteri V yrynen, are executed flawlessly and pack ||
|| quite a punch at moments. ||
|| ||
|| While every member executes their role perfectly, with no ||
|| noticeable flaws, I think it is time to discuss the biggest ||
|| element to return to Opeth: the growls. ||
|| ||
|| Back in 2008, kerfeldt's vocals were showing some signs of ||
|| decline that only accentuated in the following years (the worst ||
|| offender being Bloodbath Over Bloodstock), which would ||
|| eventually lead him to stop doing harsh vocals entirely, at ||
|| least in the studio. Anyone that attended any Opeth live show ||
|| since Heritage's release can attest that his harsh vocals had ||
|| lost significant power and depth, so the choice was ||
|| understandable. It wasn't until very recently that his harsh ||
|| vocals recovered some of their former glory. Since Heritage, ||
|| kerfeldt's clean vocals have shown an outstanding progress, ||
|| even more so in the last few years, and he unleashes every ||
|| flavor possible in this new album. Falsetto, Vibrato, ||
|| harmonies, everything is here. His growls have recovered some ||
|| more depth and resemble his work back in 2008 with Watershed & ||
|| Fathomless Mastery, perhaps even a bit more energetic. And ||
|| unlike the aforementioned Opeth album, the vocals are more ||
|| evenly distributed here. However, I do have some issues with ||
|| the record as a whole... ||
|| ||
|| First of all, as I stated before, Opeth is now a prog-rock band ||
|| and have been so for the last decade. While the old formula is ||
|| back, the old sound as a whole is not. It lacks bite and ||
|| weight. Make no mistake, The Last Will and Testament is heavy, ||
|| just not as heavy as many expected it to be. Second, the ||
|| closing track "A Story Never Told" feels an underwhelming ||
|| closure to the album and the story it presents. It is beautiful ||
|| and a bit mournful, but it barely holds a candle to other album ||
|| closers like "White Cluster" or "Hex Omega". Then again, Opeth ||
|| is not that way anymore. Third, and the worst offender by far, ||
|| the hideous visualizers for 1 and 4. The cheap AI images may ||
|| be disguised in flashy effects and transitions, but they are ||
|| still noticeable. While this is something more and more common ||
|| nowadays and slowly making its way into a semblance of ||
|| acceptance, it is a shame that a band of this caliber would ||
|| take the cheap route for a couple of videos, maybe even their ||
|| Single's artwork. ||
|| ||
|| The Last Will and Testament marks Opeth's return to the dark ||
|| familiar soundscapes of their early repute, while showing quite ||
|| the restraint to embrace it. I have constantly compared this ||
|| album to Watershed, their last album with extreme elements from ||
|| 2008. And I have done so as it is the most thematically ||
|| similar, but also because this was (at the time) the weakest ||
|| album they had released of that era. And if the weakest of ||
|| their early repute can kick the shit out of what is essentially ||
|| the comeback everyone wanted, then it means Opeth is still some ||
|| steps away from achieving a full return to form. But they are ||
|| now, with some odd choices, on the right path. ||
|| ||
|| Opeth's new album serves a double purpose: to retread their ||
|| previous path in a different manner (very successfully) and to ||
|| introduce their newer fans to their former repute and renown ||
|| brutality and duality in a more accessible way. The Last Will ||
|| and Testament is the sound of a new era for this band, one that ||
|| hopefully continues to improve in the future and deliver more ||
|| masterpieces like 1, 2 and 6. If you are a longtime fan, ||
|| chances are you already enjoyed this work, but if by any chance ||
|| you still haven't, give yourself the time to listen to The Last ||
|| Will and Testament. It is a trip worth taking. ||
|| ||
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