In the prog metal world, few events cause a buzz like a new Opeth album. So when the teaser trailer dropped that their upcoming album, ‘The Last Will and Testament,’ was going to be released shortly I was of course very excited (although initially a tad nervous that it was a not-so-subtle announcement of disbandment, I was much relieved to learn it was a concept album instead). Then of course everyone heard the audio clip and learned that the band was returning to their progressive death metal roots, and the internet lost its collective mind. Not that I blame anyone for doing so, I never expected to hear new music of that style again and was shocked. The question remains, after the initial hype of Growls being back, how is the album? It is, in my view, the best thing they’ve done since 2008’s ‘Ghost Reveries’ and I couldn’t be happier about it.

In light of recent band comments about fans getting overly excited about the heavier return, I should clarify that when it comes to music, I am first and foremost a proghead. Prog, and 70’s prog especially, is what I grew up on and is my first love. I came to metal music via prog rock, not the other way around, starting with bands like Savatage, Dream Theater, and later Pain of Salvation. It wasn’t until 2001 that I decided to buy the then-new ‘Blackwater Park’ without hearing a note from the band. I’d never heard anything like it, the mix of prog beauty and brutal heaviness that my virgin ears weren’t accustomed to, and growls? Ya, not my thing. But I paid good money for it, so kept listening, and before long I’d not only found what is still my favorite band but that there was a whole genre of progressive extreme music out there to fall in love with. It changed the course of my musical life, so you can understand my love for that era. But I’m also a proghead and have thoroughly enjoyed the direction the band has taken. And everything from ‘Watershed’ onward, while I’ve enjoyed it, has seemed to my ears to be missing something, some element that earlier albums had that I missed. It certainly wasn’t the lack of metal, or growls, because as I said it was lacking in ‘Watershed’ but was on full display in the fan-favorite ‘Damnation’, so it had to be something else.

With this new album, I think I’ve put my finger on it. It’s a sense of cohesion and epic storytelling that fills the room when you hit play. The more recent jazz prog is very interesting and stimulating but doesn’t have the smooth flow and seamless feel that the prog and heaviness had previously. Even the shorter songs felt epic and took the listener on a journey. And that feeling of a journey with the melding styles of crazy prog and brutal heaviness is what is back with ‘The Last Will and Testament.’ I think it’s because it’s a concept album (and I have to admit I’m a sucker for concept albums) and the very nature of them calls for the writing to tell, musically and lyrically, a unified, focused story or message. And it’s that element that has made me love this new album so much. It was like after years of keeping in touch with an old friend over only social media and the occasional text, you finally got to see and visit them in person again.

With that out of the way, onto the review of the album in question. It is, of course, a concept album developed by main writer/vocalist/guitarist and band mastermind Mikael Åkerfeldt and tells the story of twin siblings coming together in the family mansion in the post-World War I era, to hear the final will of their religious uptight and conservative father. They are joined unexpectedly by the wheelchair-bound, polio-crippled girl that the family had years before taken. Each song is a different paragraph (or representation of) of the will. As the family gets deeper into its contents dark family secrets are revealed, and their lives will never be quite the same. The narration of the father is done by the legendary vocalist and flutist Ian Anderson of 70s titans Jethro Tull; he also provides flute on several songs.

The album begins with “§1” which was the first single to be released and is a lyric video. It sets the stage for the drama to come. The father speaks from beyond the grave alerting his children that he has many confessions to make. Few things have torn families apart like the reading of a will over the centuries; siblings fighting over land and possessions, letting their greed and darker nature show. And as we learn through the songs, this family is no different. I won’t reveal too much of the story, as without a lyric sheet is it difficult to get all the details right, it’s also not fair to give everything away before others get a chance to experience it all.

The album version of the song has a beautiful string section that closes it and bleeds into “§2”, which dives directly from beauty into deep growls and heavy riffs. This section begins with a seeming indictment of his daughter before going into a description of how the young cripple came into the family’s care. I won’t be giving much away to say that the young girl is seemingly secretly his child and so entitled to some of the family wealth, lessening the share of his other children who he is less than impressed. This takes us directly into “§3” which was the second single released. It bridges the story, and leading into the second half of the story, and the true secrets of the father.

“§4” and “§5” are the two longest songs on the album (though not by Opeth standards) and contain some of my favorite music on it. Both contain lengthy instrumental sections that highlight the amazing intricate drumming of newcomer Waltteri Väyrynen and the rock-solid bass of Martín Méndez who naturally sounds as good as ever. The music is dynamic blending the soft with explosions of heaviness and throwing some unexpected instruments into the mix as well. Besides flute, there’s a section of only harp music, and later a drop of everything but patterned clapping. Of course, we can’t ignore the soloing abilities of guitarists Fredrik Åkesson, and Mikael. Their interplay has long been critical to the sound of modern Opeth, their blending with the older style is simply gorgeous.

But we can’t forget the work of keyboardist Joakim Svalberg whose contributions can’t be overstated. His quick, jazzy lines are all over the album, helping to highlight the excitement, but also adding a rich atmosphere of lingering dread and giving the feeling that some impending doom is about to fall onto the heads of our protagonists. That being said, my favorite thing he does comes on “§6“ when he channels his inner Rick Wakeman in a classic 70s prog solo. It doesn’t last long and leads directly into an equally satisfying guitar solo, but it happens in the midst of some of the heaviest and most intense music and the contrast marries beautifully with the chaos surrounding it.

The album closes with “A Story Never Told”, the only song with a traditional song title. It is perhaps unexpected, but perfectly fitting that this heavy, progressive album should end with one of the softest and loveliest songs in years. With gentle guitar and piano, it calls to mind “Isolation Years” the achingly poignant closing of ‘Ghost Reveries’. The song feels like the listener is going for a long walk in a dark, quiet countryside after an especially difficult day. Mikael has rarely sounded better, or more confident with his rich baritone leads than he does here. Ian returns for the final time with a light flute touch giving it a vintage sound. It truly is a peaceful and perfect way to end an incredible album, providing the story with a twist to boot.

In a year of many great albums, none has stood out to me the way ‘The Last Will and Testament’ has. While maintaining their recent proggy jazz style, Opeth has reached into its bag of tricks and returned to the progressive death metal style that made them famous, and in doing so has created a later-career masterpiece. Combining the best elements of what has always made them such a unique band they have crafted something that sounds vintage, yet modern. For older listeners, this should be a real treat, especially given time and investment. For anyone new to this side of the band, you’re in for something special.