OPETH’s highly anticipated and critically acclaimed 14th studio album ‘The Last Will & Testament,’ was officially released on November 22 via Reigning Phoenix Music / Moderbolaget and is now charting internationally.
‘The Last Will & Testament’ has so far been named among the best albums of 2024 by Decibel Magazine (#18), Loudwire, Consequence of Sound (#6), Bravewords (#26) + more TBA!
“…the heaviest and darkest material that he has written in a very long time.” – Blabbermouth (US) 10 / 10
“…a fascinating, striving, and endlessly replayable return from the masters of Swedish progressive death metal.” – Metal Injection (US) 9 / 10
“…a diverse, complex and astoundingly great record.” – Lambgoat (US) 10 / 10
“…a new high-water mark for one of metal’s most acclaimed and beloved bands.” – Pop Matters (US) 9 / 10
“A tremendous album, up there with their turn-of-the-millennium high-water marks.” – Classic Rock (UK)
“‘The Last Will And Testament’ is Opeth at their most groundbreakingly brilliant.” Metal Hammer (UK)
“An album that demands time to be digested and absorbed […] But it promises to be time well spent.” Prog Magazine (UK)
“Opeth’s 14th album brings the return of Akerfeldt’s gargled death-metal vocals, a foreboding register suggestive of hellfire and damnation” – Financial Times (UK) 4 / 5
“Not only the album of the year, but OPETH’s definitive ascent to the Olympus.” Rock Hard (DE) (Album of the Month)
“The songs, the concept and the final result are truly outstanding.” Metal Hammer (DE)
“A blend of progressive rock elements with the fury of extreme music… a piece that’s right in every way…” – Rolling Stone (FR) 4.5 / 5
“‘The Last Will & Testament’ is seen in many ways as the band’s magnum opus.” Dagens Nyheter (SE) 5 / 5
“If there is a meaning in music, it is that it is a work of art, and in this, Opeth are unbeatable.” – Rock Hard (IT) 9 / 10
“Sublime!”
Rock Tribune (BE) 9 / 10
OPETH’s highly anticipated and critically acclaimed 14th studio album ‘The Last Will & Testament,’ was officially released on November 22 via Reigning Phoenix Music / Moderbolaget and is now charting internationally.
The current positions can be found below:
Order ‘The Last Will & Testament’: HERE
Opeth’s fourteenth album was written by Åkerfeldt, with lyrics conferred with Klara Rönnqvist Fors (The Heard, ex-Crucified Barbara). ‘The Last Will & Testament’ was co-produced by Åkerfeldt and Stefan Boman (Ghost, The Hellacopters), engineered by Boman, Joe Jones (Killing Joke, Robert Plant), and Opeth, with Boman, Åkerfeldt, and the rest of Opeth mixing at Atlantis and Hammerthorpe Studios in Stockholm. The strings on ‘The Last Will & Testament’ were arranged by Åkerfeldt and returning prog friend Dave Stewart (Egg, Khan) and conducted by Stewart at Angel Studios in London. Not one to miss a beat, visual artist Travis Smith returns to the fold, crafting his 11th cover, a haunting “photograph” reminiscent of Stanley Kubrick’s infamous “Overlook Hotel” photograph. Miles Showell (ABBA, Queen) also revisits mastering and vinyl lacquer cutting at Abbey Road Studios in London.
Åkerfeldt rolls out the red carpet for storied flautist and Jethro Tull main man Ian Anderson. Not only do Anderson’s signature notes fly on “§4” and “§7”, he narrates on “§1”, “§2”, “§4”, and “§7”. Joining Anderson, Europe’s Joey Tempest lends a backing vocal hand on “§2”, while Åkerfeldt’s youngest daughter, Mirjam Åkerfeldt, is the disembodied voice in “§1”.
‘The Last Will & Testament ‘is gripping from start to finish, jaw-dropping inside and out, representing some of Opeth’s finest material to date. Just as Opeth welcomed many into its distressed arms over the years, the Swedes again deliver on the promise that great music always tells a compelling story—this time with growls.
Moreover, OPETH has landed the the cover story for Decibel Magazine’s current December 2024 issue! The in-depth interview with the band was conducted by journalist Chris Dick while the photos were shot by Ester Segarra. The issue can be found HERE.