Jump to content

The Last Will and Testament

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Last Will and Testament
Studio album by
Opeth
Released22 November 2024 (2024-11-22)
RecordedFebruary – March 2024
Studio
GenreProgressive death metal[1]
Length50:52
Label
Producer
  • Mikael Åkerfeldt
  • Opeth
  • Stefan Boman
  • Dave Stewart
Opeth chronology
In Cauda Venenum
(2019) 		The Last Will and Testament
(2024)
Singles from The Last Will and Testament
  1. "§1"
    Released: 1 August 2024
  2. "§3"
    Released: 6 September 2024
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic84/100[2]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[3]
Blabbermouth.net10/10[4]
Kerrang!3/5[5]
Louder Sound[6]
Metal Injection9/10[7]
PopMatters9/10[8]
Rock Hard10/10[9]

The Last Will and Testament is the fourteenth studio album by Swedish progressive metal band Opeth. The album was originally set to be released on 11 October 2024 through Reigning Phoenix Music, but was pushed back to 22 November 2024 due to manufacturing delays.[10][11][12] This is the band's first studio album since In Cauda Venenum (2019), and the first release with drummer Waltteri Väyrynen, who in 2022 officially replaced Martin Axenrot after his departure the year before.[13] It also marks the return of death metal elements such as death growls not used since Watershed (2008).[citation needed]

Concept

[edit]

The album is a concept album set in the post-World War I era, unfolding the story of a wealthy, conservative patriarch (whose wife is infertile) whose last will and testament reveals shocking family secrets. The album begins with the reading of the father's will in his mansion. Among those in attendance are three siblings, twin boys and 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. The twins are the result of a donor procreation. During the reading of the will, the twins find out that they are not related to the patriarch, and consequently they are left out of the will. The girl is the patriarch's only child by blood and so she is his true heiress, although she is the daughter of the patriarch's maid.[14][15] Nearly all songs on this album start with a section symbol and a Roman numeral from I to VII next to it in their title, except for the closing track "A Story Never Told"; this was explained by frontman Mikael Åkerfeldt:

The lyrics are like the reading of the testament. That's why the songs don't have titles, just paragraph one... two... down to seven.[15]

Reception

[edit]

The album received acclaim from critics and fans alike. It was praised as a return to form, akin to earlier efforts like Ghost Reveries and Watershed, while simultaneously expanding upon the prog-infused sound established in the band's recent catalogue, especially since Pale Communion. Ian Anderson's contributions were also singled out for praise.[4][7]

Track listing

[edit]

All tracks are written by Mikael Åkerfeldt.

The Last Will and Testament track listing
No.TitleLength
1."§1"5:56
2."§2"5:33
3."§3"5:10
4."§4"7:00
5."§5"7:29
6."§6"6:03
7."§7"6:30
8."A Story Never Told"7:11
Total length:50:52

Personnel

[edit]

Opeth

[edit]

Additional personnel[16][14]

Technical personnel[16][14]

  • Stefan Boman, Joe Jones and Opeth – engineering
  • Stefan Boman, Mikael Åkerfeldt and Opeth – mixing
  • Miles Showell – mastering
  • Kit Cunningham – drum technician
  • Travis Smith – cover art
  • Terhi Ylimäinen – photography
  • Amanda Martinez & Independent Kostym – clothing
  • Klara Rönnqvist Fors – dramatic consultation

Charts

[edit]
Chart performance for The Last Will and Testament
Chart (2024) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[17] 29
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[18] 5
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[19] 22
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[20] 51
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[21] 12
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[22] 4
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[23] 3
Greek Albums (IFPI)[24] 44
Italian Albums (FIMI)[25] 41
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[26] 44
Japanese Hot Albums (Billboard Japan)[27] 45
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[28] 13
Polish Albums (ZPAV)[29] 6
Scottish Albums (OCC)[30] 7
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[31] 4
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[32] 3
UK Albums (OCC)[33] 42
UK Independent Albums (OCC)[34] 5
UK Rock & Metal Albums (OCC)[35] 3
US Billboard 200[36] 140
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[37] 20
US Top Rock & Alternative Albums (Billboard)[38] 28

References

[edit]
  1. ^ DaVita, Joe (2 August 2024). "Opeth Bring Back Death Growls on First Song Off New Concept Album 'The Last Will and Testament'". WBUF. Retrieved 13 September 2024.
  2. ^ https://www.metacritic.com/music/the-last-will-and-testament/opeth
  3. ^ Jurek, Thom. "The Last Will and Testament - Opeth". AllMusic. Retrieved 22 November 2024.
  4. ^ a b "Opeth - The Last Will and Testament". Blabbermouth.net. Retrieved 23 November 2024.
  5. ^ Beebee, Steve. "Album review: Opeth – The Last Will & Testament". Kerrang!. Retrieved 23 November 2024.
  6. ^ Everley, David. "Opeth - The Last Will and Testament album review". Louder Sound. Retrieved 23 November 2024.
  7. ^ a b Blum, Jordan. "Album Review: OPETH The Last Will and Testament". Metal Injection. Retrieved 23 November 2024.
  8. ^ Begrand, Adrien. "Opeth's The Last Will and Testament". PopMatters. Retrieved 25 November 2024.
  9. ^ Hackländer, Stefan. "Opeth – The Last Will and Testament". Rock Hard. Retrieved 22 November 2024.
  10. ^ "Opeth – New Album Details Revealed". Brave Words & Bloody Knuckles. 1 August 2024. Retrieved 1 August 2024.
  11. ^ "Opeth Shares New Single, Reveals 'The Last Will And Testament' Album Details". Blabbermouth.net. 1 August 2024. Retrieved 1 August 2024.
  12. ^ https://blabbermouth.net/news/opeths-the-last-will-and-testament-album-pushed-back-by-six-weeks-due-to-delays-in-manufacturing-process
  13. ^ "Opeth Enlists Ex-Paradise Lost Drummer Waltteri Väyrynen". Blabbermouth.net. 9 September 2022. Retrieved 1 August 2024.
  14. ^ a b c "Opeth Shares a New Single "§1" - New Album Coming Soon". Ghost Cult Magazine. 2 August 2024. Retrieved 2 August 2024.
  15. ^ a b ""Screaming, for me, is almost like rapping": Mikael Åkerfeldt talks..." Kerrang!. 20 August 2024. Retrieved 27 August 2024.
  16. ^ a b Robin, Laurent (9 July 2024). "Albums". Opeth – Official Website. Retrieved 2 August 2024.
  17. ^ "ARIA Top 50 Albums Chart". Australian Recording Industry Association. 1 December 2024. Retrieved 29 November 2024.
  18. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Opeth – The Last Will and Testament" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 7 December 2024.
  19. ^ "Ultratop.be – Opeth – The Last Will and Testament" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 December 2024.
  20. ^ "Ultratop.be – Opeth – The Last Will and Testament" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 December 2024.
  21. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Opeth – The Last Will and Testament" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 30 November 2024.
  22. ^ "Opeth: The Last Will and Testament" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 30 November 2024.
  23. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Opeth – The Last Will and Testament" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 29 November 2024.
  24. ^ "Official IFPI Charts – Top-75 Albums Sales Chart (Combined) – Εβδομάδα: 48/2024". IFPI Greece. Archived from the original on 4 December 2024. Retrieved 4 December 2024.
  25. ^ "Album – Classifica settimanale WK 48 (dal 22.11.2024 al 28.11.2024)" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 30 November 2024.
  26. ^ "Oricon Top 50 Albums: 2024-12-02/p/5" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved 27 November 2024.
  27. ^ "Billboard Japan Hot Albums – Week of November 27, 2024". Billboard Japan (in Japanese). Retrieved 27 November 2024.
  28. ^ "Album 2024 uke 48". VG-lista. Retrieved 30 November 2024.
  29. ^ "OLiS - oficjalna lista sprzedaży - albumy" (in Polish). OLiS. Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Note: Change the date to 22.11.2024–28.11.2024 under "zmień zakres od–do:". Retrieved 5 December 2024.
  30. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 30 November 2024.
  31. ^ "Veckolista Album, vecka 48". Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 30 November 2024.
  32. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Opeth – The Last Will and Testament". Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 December 2024.
  33. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 29 November 2024.
  34. ^ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 30 November 2024.
  35. ^ "Official Rock & Metal Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 30 November 2024.
  36. ^ "Opeth Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 3 December 2024.
  37. ^ "Opeth Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 3 December 2024.
  38. ^ "Opeth Chart History: Top Rock & Alternative Albums". Billboard. Retrieved 3 December 2024.
Retrieved from "https://wiki.riteme.site/w/index.php?title=The_Last_Will_and_Testament&oldid=1263185110"