Opeth‘s new concept album “The Last Will And Testament” is heading for an October 11th release on Reigning Phoenix Music. First up from that outing is the track, “§1” (aka ‘Paragraph 1‘), a radio edit of which is now streaming online. The prog rock outfit’s vocalist/guitarist Mikael Åkerfeldt produced the effort with some assistance from Stefan Boman.
Åkerfeldt also shared some details for the record, offering:
“I have become quite interested in family, and the idea that blood is not always thicker than water. I became interested in how family members can turn on each other. I saw an interview with this guy whose family had all turned against him, over the inheritance, so I wrote a song about that on the last record. The idea stuck with me, and then along came the TV show ‘Succession‘, and I loved that series. That was in the back of my head too. It felt like an interesting topic that you could twist and turn a little bit.”
He continued:
“‘The Last Will And Testament‘ is a concept record of sorts. A restless musical journey in a way mirroring my own relationship with music as a consumer of it. I pick up something here, dismiss something there. I worship and I hate music at the same time. This ambivalence leads me down some type of creative path of my own and then, all of a sudden, a collection of songs has been written. Best-case scenario, these songs are good enough to impress the band. Good enough for the ‘powers that be’ in terms of the industry. Good enough for ‘you’?!”
“I love this record. I have to say it (write it). Maybe I’m proud, even? There are some familiar ingredients in there, I suppose. Most of our music has sprung from the same source, so I guess it’s not much of a shocker if it’s going to sound like ‘us’.
I’m a bit in awe of what we did with ‘The Last Will And Testament‘. It feels like a dream. There is some coherence and songwriting skills I hope, but what do I know? I tend to favor the strange over the obvious, but I feel like I’m in the minority, and that’s fine. So…fair warning! Don’t expect an instant rush (as per usual), but if you do get it (have you got it yet?) right away, that’s okay too!”
As for the album’s concept, a press released offered:
”The Last Will & Testament‘ is a concept album set in the post-World War I era, unfolding the story of a wealthy, conservative patriarch whose last will and testament reveals shocking family secrets. The narrative weaves through the patriarch’s confessions, the reactions of his twin children, and the mysterious presence of a polio-ridden girl who the family have taken care of. The album begins with the reading of the father’s will in his mansion. Among those in attendance is a young girl, who, despite being an orphan and polio-ridden, has been raised by the family. Her presence at the will reading raises suspicions and questions among the twins.’
In addition to guest spoken word from Jethro Tull vocalist Ian Anderson, Åkerfeldt‘s teenage dauther Mirjam once again guests on this record
“The Last Will And Testament” track listing:
01 – “§1”
02 – “§2”
03 – “§3”
04 – “§4”
05 – “§5”
06 – “§6”
07 – “§7”
08 – “A Story Never Told”
For pre-orders, head to opeth.rpm.link/lastwill.
With Tribulation:
10/11 Milwaukee, WI – The Rave / Eagles Club
10/12 Cleveland, OH – Agora Theater & Ballroom
10/14 Toronto, ON – Queen Elizabeth Theatre
10/15 Montréal, QC – L’Olympia
10/16 Worcester, MA – Palladium
10/18 Brooklyn, NY – Kings Theatre
10/19 Pittsburgh, PA – Stage AE
10/20 Washington, DC -– Warner Theatre
10/22 Atlanta, GA – Tabernacle
10/23 New Orleans, LA – Fillmore New Orleans
10/24 Austin, TX – Emo’s Austin
10/25 Dallas, TX – Majestic Theatre
10/27 Denver, CO – Mission Ballroom
10/29 Phoenix, AZ – The Van Buren
10/30 Los Angeles, CA – YouTube Theater
10/31 San Francisco, CA – The Warfield
With Grand Magus:
02/09 Helsinki, FIN – Ice Hall
02/11 Stockholm, SWE – Cirkus
02/12 Oslo, NOR – Sentrum Scene
02/14 Copenhagen, DEN – DR Koncerthuset
02/15 Hamburg, GER – Docks
02/17 Cologne, GER – Palladium
02/18 Berlin, GER – Tempodrom
02/19 Munich, GER – Muffathalle
02/21 Paris, FRA – L’Olympia
02/22 Amsterdam, NET – AFAS Live
02/23 Brussels, BEL – Ancienne Belgique
