The Last Will and Testament stands poised to be the most ambitious record from Opeth yet. Set against the haunting backdrop of a post-World War I narrative, the band’s 14th studio album blends dark themes of familial betrayal and buried secrets. But behind the grandiose concept lies intricate musical craftsmanship, led in part by guitarist Fredrik Åkesson, whose contributions help shape the album’s complex nature.
Fredrik’s role in Opeth has always been significant, but for this record, his approach took on a new layer of introspection. When speaking about his work on The Last Will and Testament, Fredrik reveals that both the album’s themes and its musical framework pushed him to create guitar parts that not only complemented the overarching story but also challenged him as a musician. It’s a record that sees the band moving forward while honoring their progressive roots, a delicate balance that Åkesson was keen to maintain throughout the process.
“I wanted every solo to serve a purpose.” – Fredrik Åkesson
While some of Opeth’s previous records had featured Åkesson improvising many of his guitar solos, this time around, he took a more deliberate approach, a change inspired by both the album’s concept and his own personal growth as a guitarist. “I really wanted to push myself,” he noted. “I wanted every solo to serve a purpose.”
Behind the Guitar Work on The Last Will and Testament by Opeth
When asked about how he tackled the guitar work in light of the album’s complex themes, Fredrik reveals that collaboration with frontman Mikael Åkerfeldt was key.
“Michael and I would split the heavy rhythm riffs, and I play a lot of the melodies on the album,” Fredrik says. “Mikael plays acoustics. He plays some of the more mellow solos, more clean solos. When we did In Cauda Venenum, I did all the solos, I was improvising at Mikael’s studio. But this time around, he’d send it to me. So I came up with solos in my studio, and spent way more time trying to do something I hadn’t done before. I wanted every solo to be different from one another.”
While the band’s last album saw Fredrik improvising many of the lead parts in the moment, The Last Will and Testament pushed him toward a more considered approach. In this new creative space, Åkesson found himself meticulously crafting each solo to fit not only the song but also the larger narrative of the record.
“I don’t like to have the mindset that I need to show off. I like to stick in some technical stuff in there, absolutely, but it has to serve a purpose. On this album, I spent a lot of time and afterthought with the leads on this album.”
Fredrik’s guiding philosophy throughout the album was inspired by the great Gary Moore, whose approach to guitar work emphasized emotion over complexity.
“Like Gary Moore said, ‘every tone you play should be like the last tone you play in your life.’ That kind of mentality. You can’t take life for granted. You’ll always want to do your best. I think that’s a good model, and hopefully even better than that. So I look at the solos I have done, like little tiny compositions within the song—it sounds a bit ambitious, but to a certain point, that’s what I was aiming for, at least.”
As he reflects on the process of creating these solos, Åkesson conveys a sense of fulfillment, even if the final verdict rests with the listeners.
“We’ll see what people think, but I think they’re pretty good,” he laughs, his humility underscoring the passion he poured into this latest work.
New-Found Energy of Opeth: Waltteri Väyrynen
As The Last Will and Testament marks a new chapter in Opeth‘s career, the album also introduces a fresh dynamic in the band’s lineup—Waltteri Väyrynen, the band’s new drummer, makes his studio debut. Known for his work in the extreme metal scene, Waltteri brings a balance of precision and power that fits seamlessly with Opeth‘s blend of heavy and progressive elements. His contribution to this record is not just about technical proficiency, but about energy and chemistry, something that Fredrik Åkesson is quick to highlight.
On The Last Will and Testament, Waltteri not only rises to the occasion but helps elevate the band’s sound to new heights. Fredrik reflects on the process of integrating a new drummer and how that shaped the album’s overall feel.
“A lot!” he exclaims when asked about Waltteri’s impact. “He is super ambitious, and easy to work with. He and I, I think we rehearsed more than 20 times, just guitar and drums. And then we played with the entire band before we went into the studio. We could play the songs without vocals, we rehearsed them so we could play them live from beginning to end, basically.”
This dedication to rehearsal underscores the commitment both Fredrik and Waltteri had in making sure the music was deeply ingrained in their playing before even stepping into the studio. It wasn’t just about learning the parts—it was about internalizing them, ensuring that every drum beat and guitar riff became second nature.
“I thought that was very important. We did the same for In Cauda Venenum, but before that we haven’t really done that. So you feel all the riffs, all the drum beats, all the drum parts in your DNA before you go into the studio.”
This level of preparation, according to Fredrik, allowed the band to focus more on experimenting with sounds during the recording process rather than figuring out the basics of the songs. With Waltteri, this was especially vital given the complexity of the material.
“You know, Mikael makes these really well-done demos. They are almost like albums. He can just sit and work on a drum fill behind his computer for hours. A lot of the beats were written by Mikael. I think that Waltteri spent a lot of time rehearsing these eight songs, six months before he and I started jamming on them. He dissected everything that Mikael did and then brought his own thing on top of that.”
The result was a seamless integration of Waltteri’s own style with Opeth’s established sound. Åkesson explains how Waltteri’s dedication to the material led to his own growth as a drummer.
“He said that if he would only had a month to learn these songs, he wouldn’t have made it. According to him, he leveled up as a drummer learning all these songs, because they’re quite tricky to play on drums. It’s definitely the most extreme drum parts on an Opeth album ever, easily.”
Waltteri’s ability to handle the most technically demanding parts of the record with ease became evident from the first day of recording.
“When we came into the studio, the first day we started working on ‘Paragraph III,’ which is a tricky song to play, and he nailed it on the first take like ‘bam!’ We said, ‘that’s it! Go to the next song!’” Fredrik laughingly recalls. “But of course, he is a drummer, he hears details that we don’t.”
“It’s definitely the most extreme drum parts on an Opeth album ever.”
For Åkesson, the collaboration with Waltteri went beyond just technical execution—it was about building a vibe and atmosphere in the studio that allowed for creativity. Even though Waltteri could have finished the album’s drum tracks in just a couple of days, the band took their time to ensure everything, down to the tuning of the drums, was perfect.
“I think he could have nailed the album in two days, but we took some more time, production-wise, being careful how to tune the drums, and so on.”
Fredrik also credited the band’s extensive touring with Waltteri before recording the album for helping the drummer settle into Opeth’s unique musical world.
“It was good to do three tours with Waltteri before the album as well, so he got the whole Opeth vibe. And also he used to fill in for Axe in Bloodbath before as well. He’s an extreme metal drummer, but he also has a good ear and a good entire spectrum that’s needed for a drummer to play in Opeth. The more proggy stuff, and the more delicate mellow parts, which demand a lot of fingertip feel.”
Balance of Melody and Heaviness
The signature Opeth sound—where the heavier, aggressive passages collide with ethereal, melancholic moments—remains at the heart of the album. This complex balance between extremes is something the band has mastered over the years, a defining trait that has allowed them to explore a wide sonic palette without losing their identity. On their 14th studio album, the interplay between these contrasting elements feels both familiar and newly invigorated.
“No, not really,” Fredrik says when asked if the band’s approach to blending heavy and melodic parts has changed. “The way I look at it, it’s a bit like yin and yang with Opeth songs. You have a very aggressive part which meets a more melancholic part, and one feeds off the other. It’s just the way we record, to execute, and it’s all about how you play them, and the sounds you will use to create these kind of extreme turns in the music.”
This push and pull between dynamics, from crushing riffs to dreamlike soundscapes, is what gives Opeth‘s music its unique emotional depth. It’s not just about contrasts for contrast’s sake, but rather how these different moods inform one another.
“From heavy to forest-y, dreamlike soundscapes. I think that’s something that’s been a part of Opeth since Orchid. But it always develops, and it’s been done in different ways.”
Åkesson explains that, while the balance of these elements remains a constant, each album brings a fresh perspective in how these juxtapositions are executed.
“I didn’t really think about it,” he adds. “For me personally, I thought about each part and I learned each part, and I wanted to get it into my DNA and then execute it with as much feel as possible.”
This meticulous preparation, paired with Fredrik’s innate understanding of the music’s emotional flow, ensures that The Last Will and Testament continues the band’s legacy of creating layered compositions where heaviness and beauty coexist in perfect harmony.
A Plot Twist in the Story
In a conceptual twist, the final track on the album, “A Story Never Told,” stands apart from the rest. Unlike the other songs, which are labeled as “paragraphs” in reference to the sections of the patriarch’s will, this track serves as an epilogue to the central narrative.
“It’s not one of the paragraphs that’s in the will and testament, but rather a letter that takes place long after the testament, many years later. It’s a letter from the mother to the girl, who the father had with one of the maids,” Fredrik reveals. “So the father, he was cheating on his wife basically. They had this daughter. And this letter revealed something that even the patriarch father doesn’t know.”
This revelation adds an unexpected layer to the story, giving the album a deeply personal and emotional conclusion. Musically, “A Story Never Told” serves as a contrasting counterpoint to the album’s heavier tracks, offering a moment of respite.
“It’s a ballad, and it’s a nice song to end the album musically, because the album is really heavy. This one is more like a beautiful track, with a long guitar solo that I did to close off the album,” Fredrik says.
The intrigue surrounding this letter opens up the possibility for future exploration, something that Åkesson acknowledges but leaves open-ended.
“I shouldn’t reveal more about the actual story, but I can reveal that the story takes an unexpected twist with this letter in the concept.”
When pressed about whether this twist could be revisited in future work, Fredrik chuckles.
“Maybe! That’s a good point. You are the second journalist that says that,” he laughingly admits. “We’ve done maybe 100 interviews, and there was a Danish journalist that said that, and now you. It’s not something that we talked about. We have to wait and see, but yeah, it’s an interesting thing.”
Overcoming Challenges
As The Last Will and Testament took shape, it became clear that the album would present new challenges, even for seasoned musicians like Åkesson. The recording process pushed the band in unexpected directions, with technical complexity and fresh creative elements adding to the weight of the project. Yet, the band’s determination to keep pushing boundaries remained unwavering, fueled by a deep passion for innovation and artistic evolution.
When asked about the biggest challenges faced during the making of the album, Fredrik reveals that the intricacy of the music itself became both an obstacle and a source of growth.
“It took me a while to get the riffs in because the drum parts are so complex, even though the beat is a steady four-by-four beat. There’s so much polyrhythmic stuff going on,” he explains. “So nailing some of the riffs, it took me a while to get them into my system, which was fun. I like challenge, it’s good for development.”
Fredrik admits that Åkerfeldt, Opeth’s primary songwriter, intentionally designs the music to push the band to their limits.
“I think Mikael always wanted to challenge us as well. It’s a bit sadistic in a good way,” Åkesson chuckles.
These challenges, however, are part of what keeps the band motivated. The complexity of the music not only pushes each member individually but also enhances the group’s collective dynamic.
Mixture of Old and New
On whether The Last Will and Testament represents a return to form or a continuation of Opeth’s evolution, Fredrik is clear.
“It’s a continuation. It is a step forward. Assembling the early Opeth and the prog era Opeth into something,” he says. “It’s a more restless album, more compact.”
He emphasizes that, while the album maintains the signature Opeth sound, it introduces new elements that set it apart.
“It’s also different in many ways than other albums, but it still has the Opeth sound. It’s a bit of a new sound. There are growl vocals, but Mikael developed another, more theatrical type of clean voice that you can hear in ‘Paragraph I.’ He hasn’t done that before.”
Åkesson highlights the presence of guest artists like Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull and Joey Tempest of Europe, as well as new instrumental textures, such as a harp solo.
“We haven’t done that before,” he notes. “It also has to do a lot with the song structures. They are more restless, complex, and more action-packed, basically.”
The restless nature of the album reflects Opeth‘s constant drive to push themselves musically. Even after 14 albums, they continue to seek ways to innovate, to surprise both themselves and their listeners.
The drive to keep innovating and evolving as a band, Fredrik explains, comes from a desire to avoid complacency.
“You don’t want to get bored. You have to step up, to raise the bars, to raise the limits all the time. It’s difficult, of course.”
For Opeth, each new album represents an opportunity to prove something—not to the audience, but to themselves.
“This time around, I think we need to prove something again, and that is still a motto for every Opeth album,” Fredrik says. “If we would be just doing an album to maintain a business, I don’t think we would do it.”
He stresses that the band’s personal satisfaction with the music is the most important factor.
“If it’s not good enough, we wouldn’t put it out. I mean, that’s up to you guys to decide also, of course. But it needs to pass through our filter. If we’re happy with it, then there’s not much we can do. We have to hope for the best if people like it or not.”
When asked about what he hopes listeners will take away from the album, Fredrik’s answer is straightforward: he wants the audience to experience the full journey of the record.
“I hope it brings them on a journey, and I hope they will at least in the beginning listen to it from the top to the end and read the lyrics, as it’s a concept album.”
For Åkesson, the experience of listening to the album in its entirety, from start to finish, is key to understanding its depth.
“The music is the big thing. I think every song is unique on the album and they’re all different, but there are no fillers. Every song is a good song on the album. I hope the listeners will feel the same.”
As The Last Will and Testament edges closer to its release, Opeth is already gearing up for an extensive tour across North America, with Europe and the UK following early next year. The challenge of crafting the perfect setlist looms large, given the band’s vast discography and their desire to balance fan favorites with new material from the upcoming album.
“Now in America, we try to look at what we played in each state the previous time,” Fredrik says. “When we did some touring now in August, we’ve rehearsed almost four hours of music. We even played tracks like ‘Black Rose Immortal’ from the first album, which takes up a lot of space, 21 minutes.”
However, with a new album in the mix, the band has had to make some tough decisions.
“Of course, we want to promote the new album,” he adds. “We used to do a trick where we wanted to cover as many albums as possible, but now we’re kinda different. ‘Ghost Reveries’ is a popular album, so now we are playing two songs from that one. We can’t play one song from each album like we did on the anniversary tour, but it’s going to be almost a three-hour show.”
He admits that some fan favorites may not make it into the setlist this time around, as the band balances between their classic material and the new songs.
“So we have to kill some of your darlings,” he says with a smile. “We’re gonna alter the setlists from America to the European tour of course, because then the album will be out, so we will play more songs. In America, we are gonna play two songs—the ones that are out. That’s a good chunk of the new stuff.”
“We used to do a trick where we wanted to cover as many albums as possible, but now we’re kinda different.“
As for how the new songs are shaping up live, Fredrik is excited about how they sound in rehearsals.
“They sound really good. We rehearsed today and it sounds cool,” he says. “There’s a lot of backing vocals from me and Joakim to help Mikael out with some vocals. That’s a big challenge—nailing all the vocals. That’s why my throat is a bit harsh today,” he laughs.
Given that The Last Will and Testament is a concept album, there has been speculation among fans about whether Opeth might play the entire album from start to finish in a live setting. Fredrik acknowledges that this is a frequent question, but such a performance would require a great deal of additional resources.
“We got that question a lot, but no, not at this point,” Åkesson says. “That would require a symphony orchestra, and maybe Ian Anderson. Maybe some time as a special event.”
For now, the focus remains on delivering a strong portion of the new album mixed with the band’s older material. However, Fredrik reveals that at least five tracks from the new Opeth album are being rehearsed, and the band will decide which ones sound best for the tour.
“We are still entertainers when we go on stage, and people want to hear old stuff as well,” he explains. “We want to deliver a good portion of the new album. It’s really fun to play the new songs. And we will.”
On my remark that “Paragraph V” stands out as a personal favorite already, Fredrik admits that it might be difficult to replicate its full power live due to the string sections featured on the album.
“There’s a lot of string sections. You can do it on keyboards of course, but I’m not sure about that one,” he says. “That maybe requires the full power of it, because on the album we have a string orchestra playing all these parts. That is one of the tracks that actually requires that.”
While Åkesson remains uncertain about whether “Paragraph V” will make the setlist, he does seem intrigued by the idea.
“I’ll bring it up to the table,” he laughs.
The Last Will and Testament is out on November 22nd via Reigning Phoenix Music/Moderbolaget Records. Pre-order it here. For the upcoming tour dates visit Opeth’s website here.
