After three decades of dazzling the world, Opeth have made their most daring creative leap yet. The Last Will & Testament is a progressive and dramatic triumph, and yet more proof that expecting the unexpected is the only way forward for fans of Sweden’s finest.
“It’s a restless record for me,” concludes Åkerfeldt. “It’s an explosion of ideas, which I like. It’s a bit shorter and snappier. But I definitely didn’t want to rehash anything. The only thing that has come back is some of those death metal screams, but the mindset is still much more forward looking. In typical Opeth fashion, it’s not a direct record that you understand and that you love or hate right away. It takes time and if you put that time into it, you might like it… or hate it! It feels like it was written on a whim. Which it was, in a way! I hear things on this album and think, where the fuck did that come from?”
Lineup:
Mikael Åkerfeldt – Vocals, guitars
Fredrik Åkesson – Guitars, backing vocals
Martin Mendez – Bass guitar
Waltteri Väyrynen – Drums and percussion
Joakim Svalberg – Keyboards, backing vocals
Special Guests:
Ian Anderson (Jethro Tull) - spoken word (tracks 1, 2, 4, 7) // flute (tracks 4, 7)
Joey Tempest (Europe) - backing vocals (track 2)
Mirjam Åkerfeldt - spoken word (track 1)
All Music and Lyrics written by Mikael Åkerfeldt
Lyrical concept by Mikael Åkerfeldt, dramatic consultation by Klara Rönnqvist Fors
Produced by Mikael Åkerfeldt
Co-produced by Opeth and Stefan Boman
Engineered by Stefan Boman, Joe Jones and Opeth
Mixing by Stefan Boman and Mikael Åkerfeldt and Opeth at Atlantis and Hammerthorpe, Stockholm, Sweden
Mastering and vinyl lacquer cut by Miles Showell at Abbey Road studios, London, UK
Strings conducted by Dave Stewart at Angel Studios, London, UK
Strings arrangement by Mikael Åkerfeldt and Dave Stewart
Drum technicalities by Kit Cunningham
Artwork by Travis Smith with directions from Mikael Åkerfeldt
Biography by Dom Lawson