''The Last Will and Testament'' is the upcoming fourteenth studio album by Swedish progressive metal band

Opeth Opeth is a Swedish progressive metal/rock band from Stockholm, formed in 1990 by lead vocalist David Isberg. The group has been through several personnel changes, including the replacement of every original member; notably Isberg in 1992. Mikael ...

, set to be released on 22 November 2024 through Reigning Phoenix Music. It will be the band's first studio album since ''

In Cauda Venenum ''In Cauda Venenum'' (Latin for "Poison in the tail") is the thirteenth studio album by Swedish progressive metal band Opeth, released on 27 September 2019 through Moderbolaget and Nuclear Blast. It was released in two versions: a Swedish-language ...

'' (2019), marking the longest gap between studio albums in their career, and its first release with drummer Waltteri Väyrynen, who in 2022 officially replaced

Martin Axenrot Erik Martin "Axe" Axenrot (born 5 March 1979 in Linköping, Sweden) is a Swedish death metal drummer, best known as the former drummer for progressive death metal band Opeth from 2006 to 2021. Since 2004, he is the drummer for Bloodbath. Known f ...

after his departure the year before. It also marks the return of death metal elements such as death growls since ''

Watershed Watershed is a hydrological term, which has been adopted in other fields in a more or less figurative sense. It may refer to: Hydrology * Drainage divide, the line that separates neighbouring drainage basins * Drainage basin, called a "watershe ...

'' (2008), as well as being their first fully conceptual album since ''

Still Life A still life (plural: still lifes) is a work of art depicting mostly wikt:inanimate, inanimate subject matter, typically commonplace objects which are either natural (food, flowers, dead animals, plants, rocks, shells, etc.) or artificiality, m ...

'' (1999).

Concept

The album is a

concept album A concept album is an album whose tracks hold a larger purpose or meaning collectively than they do individually. This is typically achieved through a single central narrative or theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, or lyrical. Som ...

set in the post- World War I era, unfolding the story of a wealthy, conservative patriarch (who 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. Nearly all songs on this album start with a section symbol and a number next to it in their title, except for the closing track "A Story Never Told"; this was explained by frontman Mikael Åkerfeldt:

Track listing

Personnel

Opeth

* Mikael Åkerfeldt – guitars, lead & backing vocals, cittra,

Mellotron The Mellotron is an electro-mechanical musical instrument developed in Birmingham, England, in 1963. It is played by pressing its keys, each of which pushes a length of magnetic tape against a capstan, which pulls it across a playback head. A ...

s, percussion & FX, string arrangements, art direction *

Martín Méndez Martín Méndez (born April 6, 1978, in Montevideo, Uruguay) is a Uruguayan Swedish bassist of progressive death metal band Opeth and second longest serving member of the band, behind lead vocalist, songwriter and guitarist Mikael Åkerfeldt ...

– bass, backing vocals *

Fredrik Åkesson Karl Fredrik Henrik Åkesson is a Swedish heavy metal guitarist. He is a current member of Opeth and is also active in Krux, Monsters of Metal, and Talisman. Biography Åkesson has been playing guitar since the age of 12. His early musical inf ...

– guitars, backing vocals * Joakim Svalberg – piano,

Hammond organ The Hammond organ is an electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond and John M. Hanert and first manufactured in 1935. Multiple models have been produced, most of which use sliding drawbars to vary sounds. Until 1975, Hammond organs generated s ...

Fender Rhodes The Rhodes piano (also known as the Fender Rhodes piano) is an electric piano invented by Harold Rhodes, which became popular in the 1970s. Like a conventional piano, the Rhodes generates sound with keys and hammers, but instead of strings, th ...

& Moogs, backing vocals and FX * Waltteri Väyrynen – drums, percussion Additional Personnel *

Ian Anderson Ian Scott Anderson (born 10 August 1947) is a British musician, singer and songwriter best known for his work as the lead vocalist, flautist, acoustic guitarist and leader of the British rock band Jethro Tull. He is a multi-instrumentalist w ...

– flute (§4 and §7), spoken word (§1, §2, §4, and §7) * Joey Tempest – backing vocals (§2) * Mia Westlund – harp * Mirjam Åkerfeldt – spoken word (§1) *

London Session Orchestra The London Philharmonic Orchestra (LPO) is one of five permanent symphony orchestras based in London. It was founded by the conductors Sir Thomas Beecham and Malcolm Sargent in 1932 as a rival to the existing London Symphony and BBC Symphony ...

– strings * Dave Stewart – string arrangements Technical Personnel * 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

References

Opeth albums 2020s concept albums 2024 albums {{2020s-album-stub