After three decades and 13 albums, Opeth remains a band with a clear and unyielding vision for their sound, never afraid to push boundaries in pursuit of it. From their debut Orchid (1995) to their grand and theatrical In Cauda Venenum (2019), the Swedish metal icons have kept fans on their toes with their unpredictability. Now, with their 14th album, The Last Will And Testament, the band is reinventing itself yet again.
“I felt like I was done with what we captured in the last four records,” says frontman Mikael Åkerfeldt during a recent London trip, seated alongside lead guitarist Fredrik Åkesson. “I knew I wanted to do something else, but I was questioning what that should be. We’ve never asked fans what they want. I don’t listen to our past records; it’s always been about what feels good to us at the time.”
The result is a concept album that reflects the haunting aftermath of World War I, touching on themes of betrayal, heritage, and identity. The album’s sound marks both a return to the band’s metal roots and a venture into new territory.
When the lead single §1 – the first chapter of the story – was released, it featured the return of Åkerfeldt’s iconic growls, a fan favorite that had been absent since Watershed (2008). But Åkerfeldt admits that reintroducing the heavier side of Opeth’s music comes with mixed emotions.
“I’ve definitely been affected by fans saying we’ve lost it, that I’m too old to scream,” Åkerfeldt reflects. “Part of me wanted to say, ‘Fuck you, I can still do it!’ But it had to come naturally. Up until now, it just didn’t fit with the music we were writing, and I did fall out of love with the more extreme side of heavy music.”
“But,” Åkerfeldt continues, “we’ve been a band for so long, and we’re not going to let people’s opinions dictate what we do. That’s never going to happen. But I was very glad to see they liked it!”
While there are nods to Opeth’s past in The Last Will And Testament, it’s not an album driven by nostalgia. With sharp narrative turns—partly inspired by HBO’s Succession—unconventional song structures, and contributions from Jethro Tull’s Ian Anderson and Europe’s Joey Tempest, this is Opeth’s most progressive album to date. But for Åkerfeldt, “progressive” is not synonymous with complexity.
“To me, progressive doesn’t mean intricate. It means pushing the boundaries,” Åkerfeldt explains. “Yes, there’s prog metal where musicians show off their skills, and that’s cool, but I just wanted to mix genres. That was the main thing for me.” He gestures to Åkesson, adding, “And it just so happens that all of the guys on this album happen to be fucking awesome players too.”
This unconventional approach extended to the recording process. For Åkesson, who joined the band during Watershed, The Last Will And Testament marked a shift in their working style. Instead of being involved in every step of the process, Åkesson was only given parts of the tracks and asked to convey the emotional feel Åkerfeldt envisioned.
“I was only sent the snippet of the track where I had to play the solo,” Åkesson says. “I didn’t get to hear the rest of the song at first, except for the closing track A Story Never Told. For that one, I wanted to do something that balanced between Ritchie Blackmore and David Gilmour. It was challenging to come up with solos on top of Mikael’s parts, especially on §5, because you had to be switching between modes. But I’m always looking to get better, and it felt like I was reaching a new era in my playing by doing it that way.”
Åkesson chuckles, adding, “It’s funny too because I helped our bassist Martin Méndez on his solo album White Stones and he did the same thing—just sent me snippets… honestly, wankers!”
But if Åkesson’s lead guitar skills weren’t already put to the test, the stakes were raised when Åkerfeldt decided that The Last Will And Testament should be “a single-coil record.”
“It started from the first writing session,” Åkerfeldt says, recalling the beginnings of the album in his studio’s cramped basement. “I could barely even stand up in there, so it was a case of ‘Whichever guitar is closest, that’s what I’ll use.’ In this case, it was a Fender Telecaster, Bruce Springsteen-type ugly thing.”
At first, Åkerfeldt admits he wasn’t thrilled to use the Telecaster, but once he started playing, he found the sound inspiring. “I did all the demos on this Telecaster and when I went to the studio, that was the only guitar I brought.”
Åkerfeldt laughs at the contrast with Åkesson’s preferences, saying, “Fredrik asked me, ‘Which guitars are you going to bring? How many PRS? Strats? Gibsons?’ But for me, it was just this fucking middle-of-the-road Telecaster!”
For Åkesson, an avid collector of guitars, the single-coil rule wasn’t as strict. He shares the extensive list of guitars he used on the album, including a 1955 Les Paul Junior, a 1972 SG, and a PRS Custom 24. “I had a Strat from the ’70s for some of the leads and a ’73 Strat too. That was the foundation of the heavy rhythm guitars,” Åkesson notes. “So while Mikael stuck with his Telecaster, I used quite a few guitars myself.”
Despite the differences in gear, the two agree that The Last Will And Testament represents a new era in the band’s sound, one that continues to push the limits of what metal can be while staying true to their roots.
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