Okay. We already screwed up with a prog piece in 2023. And this was Haken’s Fauna. For some reason, the album got lost in translation and was only rediscovered in early 2024. To our chagrin, this album turned out to be a pretty snazzy masterpiece that would have made it onto the Top 10 list. Would. Could. Should. Right?
So, to avoid the failures of the past, the RMR crew finally decided to tackle Opeth‘s latest piece The Last Will and Testament. The fact that the band decided to reinstate growls after a very long wait did not influence this decision. Well, that was a lie. Of course, the RMR crew was dying to find out where Opeth were going with their new-found fangs. Open the will, I say.
Well, it’s always nice to find Wilderun yet again on our roster. Ahem, wrong. I meant Opeth, of course. But – the likeness to the aforementioned band struck the RMR crew immediately after it started playing1 – and in often not-so-subtle ways. In a way, the piece sounds as if Still Life just entered the asylum because Melinda didn’t want to join this here concoction. Only Mirjam2 did so on track §1 for a short interlude. Or something. But whatever this may be, the RMR crew truly appreciated the shorter playtime. This time, the 51-minute-ish playtime on offer had a whiplash effect on crispness and a much better focus on the reading of The Last Will here.
The Last Will and Testament promotes a pig-headed and darnedly complex prog style. Soft crooning and tasty clears mingle with Post Metal acoustics. The often bass-laden and intimately laced prog passages suddenly erupt into intricate crescendos of Progressive Death Metal with the merciless drums propped on top like a God of Wrath. And then again, the ever-changing riffing patterns, the often dreamy or acid-laden leads and bridges, and the seamless transitions from harsh to jazzy interludes distill nicely into a masterful production. One that doesn’t ever gripe, despite a gazillion elements jockeying for attention all at once. That’s next-level songsmithing with Mikael Åkerfeldt at the height of creative and vocal prowess. A record garnished with new-found growls mostly appearing when The Patriarch finds something to moan about.
And surprise, on track §43 you suddenly hear the flute ringing out with a neat little solo. In a style that sounded damn familiar to this here crew, a lot like good ol’ Jethro Tull. A fact that sent the slightly hypnotized geezers over at the Review Desk into red alert overdrive. Some trve prog must be about somewhere, like. And sure enough, it was indeed Ian Anderson playing the flute and acting as a somewhat caustic narrator to read the will out loud.4 But, we enjoyed his masterful contribution on track §7 the most. You gotta be an Englishman to hiss your poison out to the greedy public like that, dripping with scathing and truly stinging contempt.
And The Last Will here delivered proof positive yet again. A solid concept album almost always yields some great results. And the Reading o’ The Will of a wealthy patriarch to a bunch of rapacious relatives surely is a juicy topic. There’s a smörgåsbord of intense emotions, vile undercurrents, and intrigue to be had from such a gathering. With everybody at each others’ throats and the dead guy enjoying himself one final time, there’s enough material to feed from forever. Weave that into a compelling story and slam some snazzy songwriting on top and you got yourself an equally persuasive record. Sounds easy, huh? It isn’t. At all.
Ultimately though, Opeth packed a career-load of experience into The Last Will and Testament. And in the process, they created one of the best prog records of 2024 that this crew was privy to. Meaning, it sometimes pays to return to old tropes, dust them off, and make them shine all over again. In Cauda Venenum still left us somewhat dissatisfied. In contrast, this feisty reading of the will delighted us more than once. A masterful tour-de-force with A Story Never Told as the sole slight negative. By and large, however, this is a veteran prog band still at the height of their game. And they produced a piece full of astonishing geekery and progressive stardust studded with viciously evil shenanigans. The revenge of a grumpy old man shrouded in true Swedish progressive mastery.
And then some.
Ed’s note: And the record made it onto the 2024 Top 10 Records. Congrats!
Record Rating: 8/10 | Label: Reigning Phoenix Records | Web: Official Band Site
Release Date: 22 November 2024