_ _______ _ ...:... _ _______ _ ___ / .:::::::::::. \ ___ | / .. (:::::::::::::) .. \ | | . .:::::.`:::::::::::'.:::::. . | | .::.. `:::.::':::`::.:::' ..::. | _ _______ | .::' ::::':::::`:::: `::. | _______ _ \\ | | :: `' ::':`:: `' :: | | // \ | | `:. .::' . `::. .:' | | / . | | .::::::..::::' ... `::::..::::::. | | . | | `:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::' | | .... | | `:' `::::: :: :: :::::' `:' | | .... | ' | : `. ': :: :: :: :: :` .' : | ` | |.....: . .......: :: :: :: :: : ...... . : ....| . ...................: : :: :: :: :: : : ................. . _____________:_____________ _____________:_____________ _ ___\` __ /_\` _______/_\` __ _/_\` /___ _ // __ / (/ ___/ (/ _ (/ /_______/\ _ _ /_________ ___________ ______/\ _ ______________/\__/_ _ \\\\\_________\__/\_________\__/\_____/\_____/\____________/ /// - -\-\-----------\__/----------\__/-------\_____/---------------/-/- - - -------------------: : :. ..:: :: . :------------------ - : : :......: :: :` ': :: : .....: : : ___ _ | | : ` ' : | | _ ___ _\---------- : | -------- : B E R C : -------- | : ----------/_ /_\ . : . ..:.. ..:.. . : . /_\ /// . . : : . . \\\ /: :\ /:: Artist :: Opeth ::\ :: Album :: The Last Will and Testament :: :: Year :: 2024 :: :: __ _ _ __ :: -:--\\-----------------------------------------------------------------//--:- :: \ / :: :: . Genre :: Metal Source :: CD . :: :: Label :: Valhall Music R.date :: 2024-12-18 :: _::__ Cat.nr. :: SCR056 S.date :: 2024-11-22 __::_ ::// \\:: ::/---------------------------------------------------------------------\:: :: :: /: Encoder :: LAME 3.100 -V0 :\ ..: Bitrate :: avg. 270kbps :.. . Quality :: 44.1 kHz/Joint Stereo . . Size :: 103.59MB . . . __ __ _ . : _ ____ _ _ ____ _ : . _ __ __ .\\\\------- : | ---\ /---------------------\ /--- | : -------////. +/ -\------- | | ----\ tracklist /---- | | -------/- \+ /: . : : . :\ /:: ::\ :: 1. §1 5:57 :: :: 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 7:14 :: :: :: :: :: :: ------- :: .. >> 50:56 .. __ __ _ . : _ ____ _ _ ____ _ : . _ __ __ .\\\\------- : | ---\ /---------------------\ /--- | : -------////. +/ -\------- | | ----\ release notes /---- | | -------/- \+ /: . : : . :\ /:: ::\ :: :: :: Opeth is a band that needs zero introduction at this point, but :: :: I'll do one anyways. The Swedish prog legends were renowned due :: :: to their unique mix of death metal devilry and soothing :: :: progressive rock segments, shifting and entwining both of them :: :: to their whim, without feeling forced in any way. This formula :: :: was pretty much unique to them and they kept going with it for :: :: many years. Watershed, released in 2008, was the last album to :: :: feature this formula, as it was evident that the band was :: :: moving into more prog territory from earlier albums, and it was :: :: more than notorious here, with a bigger emphasis on clean :: :: vocals and a somewhat more subdued approach that, nevertheless, :: :: was still Opeth. :: :: :: :: Heritage, the follow-up, saw Opeth discarding the entirety of :: :: the death metal elements, with the band going full prog metal. :: :: This creative choice was met with quite some disapproval at the :: :: time, but the decision was final. Later releases were in line :: :: with this choice, and while there were still some embers of the :: :: sound of yore, the band embraced a more 70's prog-rock approach :: :: that still was good, but left many fans disappointed with many :: :: stating that "Opeth doesn't sound like Opeth anymore". :: :: :: :: And it was so for 16 years. It was assumed that kerfeldt and :: :: company would not return to their former sound. And while :: :: Mikael never fully stated that he was "done" with doing death :: :: growls, it was no longer a topic of discussion. Opeth moved on, :: :: and many of the faithful moved on with them. And so, when The :: :: Last Will and Testament was announced, everyone (myself :: :: included) presumed that it would be one more excellent prog :: :: release from Opeth... until " 1" was released. :: :: :: :: Not only did we get a song reminiscent of the Watershed era, :: :: but the growls were back, baby! The moment many of us wanted :: :: was here. kerfeldt's vocals returned and this was just a taste :: :: of what was to come. This was just the beginning of The Last :: :: Will and Testament. I don't think it is hyperbole to state that :: :: this was the most anticipated album of the year. And it does :: :: not disappoint... at least, not entirely. :: :: :: :: From start to finish, this is still the Opeth that fully :: :: embraced the 70's prog-rock sound, but now in a darker, :: :: claustrophobic shade. The reincorporation of the extreme vocals :: :: and approach was made while tinkering very little with the new :: :: essence of the band. While there are exquisite moments of :: :: brutality and fiendish riffs, it never strays too far from what :: :: Opeth is now. The overall sound of the album serves as a :: :: reminder of this, yet barely needs any discussion. They sound :: :: as good as ever, with constant shifts in tempo, mood and :: :: rhythms. It is as groovy as it can be demolishing, as :: :: suffocating as it can be soothing. It is a joy to listen to. :: :: The guitars and synths complement each other, and drift between :: :: discordant darkness and hopeful serenity, with many solos to be :: :: found (check the synth solo in 6). The bass oscillates around :: :: the guitars while never losing any sense of cohesion. The :: :: drums, which are played by the relatively newest addition to :: :: the band, Waltteri V yrynen, are executed flawlessly and pack :: :: quite a punch at moments. :: :: :: :: While every member executes their role perfectly, with no :: :: noticeable flaws, I think it is time to discuss the biggest :: :: element to return to Opeth: the growls. :: :: :: :: Back in 2008, kerfeldt's vocals were showing some signs of :: :: decline that only accentuated in the following years (the worst :: :: offender being Bloodbath Over Bloodstock), which would :: :: eventually lead him to stop doing harsh vocals entirely, at :: :: least in the studio. Anyone that attended any Opeth live show :: :: since Heritage's release can attest that his harsh vocals had :: :: lost significant power and depth, so the choice was :: :: understandable. It wasn't until very recently that his harsh :: :: vocals recovered some of their former glory. Since Heritage, :: :: kerfeldt's clean vocals have shown an outstanding progress, :: :: even more so in the last few years, and he unleashes every :: :: flavor possible in this new album. Falsetto, Vibrato, :: :: harmonies, everything is here. His growls have recovered some :: :: more depth and resemble his work back in 2008 with Watershed & :: :: Fathomless Mastery, perhaps even a bit more energetic. And :: :: unlike the aforementioned Opeth album, the vocals are more :: :: evenly distributed here. However, I do have some issues with :: :: the record as a whole... :: :: :: :: First of all, as I stated before, Opeth is now a prog-rock band :: :: and have been so for the last decade. While the old formula is :: :: back, the old sound as a whole is not. It lacks bite and :: :: weight. Make no mistake, The Last Will and Testament is heavy, :: :: just not as heavy as many expected it to be. Second, the :: :: closing track "A Story Never Told" feels an underwhelming :: :: closure to the album and the story it presents. It is beautiful :: :: and a bit mournful, but it barely holds a candle to other album :: :: closers like "White Cluster" or "Hex Omega". Then again, Opeth :: :: is not that way anymore. Third, and the worst offender by far, :: :: the hideous visualizers for 1 and 4. The cheap AI images may :: :: be disguised in flashy effects and transitions, but they are :: :: still noticeable. While this is something more and more common :: :: nowadays and slowly making its way into a semblance of :: :: acceptance, it is a shame that a band of this caliber would :: :: take the cheap route for a couple of videos, maybe even their :: :: Single's artwork. :: :: :: :: The Last Will and Testament marks Opeth's return to the dark :: :: familiar soundscapes of their early repute, while showing quite :: :: the restraint to embrace it. I have constantly compared this :: :: album to Watershed, their last album with extreme elements from :: :: 2008. And I have done so as it is the most thematically :: :: similar, but also because this was (at the time) the weakest :: :: album they had released of that era. And if the weakest of :: :: their early repute can kick the shit out of what is essentially :: :: the comeback everyone wanted, then it means Opeth is still some :: :: steps away from achieving a full return to form. But they are :: :: now, with some odd choices, on the right path. :: :: :: :: Opeth's new album serves a double purpose: to retread their :: :: previous path in a different manner (very successfully) and to :: :: introduce their newer fans to their former repute and renown :: :: brutality and duality in a more accessible way. The Last Will :: :: and Testament is the sound of a new era for this band, one that :: :: hopefully continues to improve in the future and deliver more :: :: masterpieces like 1, 2 and 6. If you are a longtime fan, :: :: chances are you already enjoyed this work, but if by any chance :: :: you still haven't, give yourself the time to listen to The Last :: :: Will and Testament. It is a trip worth taking. :: :: :: :: . _ _ . :: \: :. \\ ___________ . ___________ // .: :/ __\____ :: ____ ___\ _ / BERC : 2024 \ _ /___ ____ :: ____/__ \\\f3! :: \\\ __ _/_________i_________\ /___/ /// :: cRO/// \ :: :\-\___________\_ ___ / _ _/___________/-/: :: / :: | . . _ _ _/ __/ . \_ _ _ . . | :: : :::::::: | | \\\\\/ _______\____|\ \///// | | :::::::: : :: | | -\-\/____/-------------\____\/-/- | | :: :: | | \ :|: / | | :: : : | . ` ::: ' . | : : . . | : ::: : | . . | :::....:::....::: | : ::::::::::::::::: : . :::''``:::''``::: . : ::: : . ::: . .:. :