THE very mention of the words “concept” and “album” in the same sentence will have many music fans running away screaming in sheer terror, hands cupped over their ears. It is not an art form that is widely appreciated these days.
But the recent buzz around Blood Incantation’s genre-defying Absolute Elsewhere and now, Opeth’s latest long player has seen a resurgence of interest in the more progressive fringes of music. It may not match the 70s heyday when the likes of Jethro Tull, Yes and Pink Floyd sold out mammoth arenas and shifted albums in the tens of millions, but there are stirrings of an awakening.
Some of that renewed interest can be attributed to this album, Opeth’s 14th in its long and distinguished career. The Last Will and Testament tells the tale of a wealthy, conservative patriarch (whose wife 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, post World War I. 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.
Intrigued? Question is whether the band delivers musically to match the cinematic ambition of its storyline. None of the tracks, except A Story Never Told, have titles with Roman numerals depicting each track as a reading of a will.
Long time fans of the band were overjoyed to find out that Opeth had returned to its death metal roots, with the incorporation of death growls. Not heard since Watershed (2008), it does hint at a more muscular approach to the tunes.
However, that is where the good news ends. The Last Will and Testament is lumpen, overblown and lacking in focus. Despite the many positive reviews online, this new long-player does not come close to replicating past glories.
Bits of spoken word passages, some orchestral flourishes and a touch of flute does not automatically make for a great Opeth album. The songs seem over-wrought with plenty of complex time signatures and lead protagonist Mikael Arkfeldt’s over-earnest clean vocals testing the patience of listeners with its cod-dramatics.
The songs seem to go nowhere as one meaningless guitar solo meanders into the next, adding little to proceedings. It just seems the band is being obtuse for the sake of it.
The clean vocal passage grate as Arkfeldt tries to engage listeners in a storyline that is far from compelling. Highlights are few and far between with s6 perhaps being the best bit of an over-ambitious album as it drops any pretensions of high art and just goes for the jugular with its driving rhythm section.
Despite the overwhelming positive reviews online, The Last Will and Testament is not the Opeth classic that many are making it out to be. ‘Boring’ is possibly the most apt description of this new record. Damn shame, really.
