Review: Opeth – The Last Will And Testament

Opeth have been a major influence for me when it comes to death metal and – especially! – how varied this genre can be. They’re one of the bands that coined the term progressive death metal, after all.

I love their early albums, but the band lost me after the departure of Peter Lindgren and the following shift to progressive tunes. Nevertheless, I’ve bought every Opeth record on vinyl and took my time to find the (few) parts I like on every record since “Watershed”.

“The Last Will And Testament” is a musical journey that wasn’t to expected. Sure, the peak performance of every member (inlcuding drummer Waltteri Väyrynen, who makes his first studio appearance on this record) was to be expected, as was the top production, but…

Opeth are known for long, complex songs which are brimming with ideas. The real genius though, is not to throw fifty different ideas into a song, but to meld them into a complex, yet entertaining song and showcase the band’s identity. “The Last Will And Testament” succeeds at that tasks – the record is 100% Opeth at every second adn every song catches the listener’s attention. Opeth once again master the fusion of death metal and progressive rock like no other band.

What’s remarkble though, is the return of growls and a stronger overall death metal-vibe; a nod to the past that wasn’t to be expected when taking the progressive rock-attitutude of the last records into account. But many parts of “The Last Will And Testament” sound like “Watershed” or “Ghost Reveries”, with some vocal parts even going into the early records.

To make things perfect, the whole album is a blast. There’s not one weak song on it. If you’re into complex music, buy this record. If you’re into Opeth’ sound in general, buy this record. If you’re into death metal with groove, buy this record.

Well done, Opeth!