Three a long time and 13 albums into their discography, there isn’t any doubt that Opeth have at all times had an actual imaginative and prescient for his or her sound, and by no means held again in the case of attaining it. From their blistering introduction in 1995’s Orchid by way of to the theatrical 2019 album In Cauda Venenum, followers have come to discover a sense of stability in Swedish metallic icons’ unpredictability. Now, with their 14th report The Final Will And Testomony, the band wish to reinvent themselves as soon as extra.

“I felt like I used to be achieved with what we captured within the final 4 information and knew that I wished to do one thing else, however I used to be questioning what that must be,” says frontman Mikael Åkerfeldt, sitting in a Soho resort alongside lead guitarist Fredrik Åkesson on a current journey to London. “We’ve by no means achieved surveys questioning, ‘What would the followers like?’ and I by no means return and take heed to what we’ve achieved up to now. It’s at all times been about what feels good to us on the time.”

The consequence? A haunting post-WWI idea album that explores themes of betrayal, heritage and identification, and a sound that sees them each return to their metallic roots, whereas concurrently reaching new territory.

Upon the discharge of lead single §1 – the primary paragraph of the story – the return of the vocalist’s signature growls that instantly gained followers’ approval, marking the primary time they’ve been featured since 2008’s Watershed. But, as the 2 speak to us, it turns into clear that there’s a love/hate relationship that comes with reintroducing the heavier features.

“I’ve not been utterly unaffected by followers who as soon as beloved the band saying we suck, I can’t sing anymore and that I’m too outdated to scream. A part of me was like ‘Fuck you, I can nonetheless do it!’ Nevertheless it did have to come back naturally,” Åkerfeldt explains. “Up till now it simply didn’t match with the music that we have been writing, and I did fall out of affection with the extra excessive types of heavy music.

“On the finish of the day, we’ve been a band for a very long time and we’re not going to let folks’s opinions dictate what we do. That’s by no means going to occur,” he asserts, earlier than laughing to himself. “However I used to be very glad to see they appreciated it!”

Bloody Roots

Sure, there could also be nods to the band’s roots on The Final Will And Testomony, however that is removed from an album that depends on nostalgia. By the sharp proper turns in its narrative – impressed partially by HBO collection Succession – its unconventional tune buildings, and contributions from Jethro Tull’s Ian Anderson and Europe’s Joey Tempest, that is Opeth’s most progressive album to this point, simply not within the sense you’d count on.

“To me, progressive doesn’t imply intricate, it means pushing the boundaries. Sure there may be prog metallic the place expert musicians can play all wiggly-wiggly, and that’s cool, however I simply wished to combine genres right here. That was the primary factor for me,” the frontman says, gesturing over to Åkesson. “It simply so occurs that the entire guys on it occur to be fucking superior gamers too.”

The unconventional method was prolonged into the recording course of too. For Åkesson – who joined the band across the Watershed period – this album marked a brand new manner of working. As an alternative of being current every step of the way in which, he was solely proven a part of the tracks and given the duty of conveying the sensation that Åkerfeldt had envisioned.

“I solely obtained despatched the snippet the place I needed to play the solo, I didn’t get to listen to the remainder of the tune at first – barring the closing monitor [A Story Never Told]. For that one, it was extra emotional so I wished to do one thing that balanced between Ritchie Blackmore and David Gilmour,” he explains. “It was difficult to provide you with solos on prime of Mikael’s components, particularly on §5, since you needed to be switching between modes. However I’m at all times seeking to get higher and it did really feel like I used to be reaching a brand new period in my taking part in by doing it that manner.”

“It’s humorous too,” he provides, “as a result of I beforehand helped our bassist Martin Méndez on his first solo album White Stones and he did the identical factor — simply despatched me snippets… Actually. Wankers!”

Single Focus

If Åkesson’s ability as a lead guitarist wasn’t already put to the check there, the 2 joke that the stakes have been heightened as soon as extra when the frontman determined that he wished it to be “a single-coil report”.

“It principally began from the primary writing session. I began the entire thing in my studio’s basement and I can barely even rise up in there, so it was a case of ‘Whichever guitar is closest is the one which I’m utilizing’. On this case, it was a Fender Telecaster, Bruce Springsteen-type ugly factor,” Åkerfeldt says with a lighthearted disgust in his voice.

“At first I used to be like ‘Ugh, I’m going to make use of this guitar?’ However I began taking part in and it was fucking superior! I did all of the demos on this Telecaster and finally, after I went to the studio, that was the one guitar I introduced.”

“Fredrik was asking me: ‘Which guitars are you going to carry? What number of PRS? Strats? Gibsons?’, however for me it was simply this fucking middle-of-the-road Telecaster!” he laughs. “We began to slim it down with Pale Communion [2014] as a result of after we have been engaged on Heritage [2011] we introduced a foolish quantity of guitars. Plus after utilizing this Tele, I knew I wished it to be single-coil.

“It was partly as a result of I had gotten so fed up with typical metallic sounds, and partly as a result of I wished it to be extra human. Anyway, it labored as a result of I feel the guitar on this report is fucking superior, nevertheless it’s not excessive in any manner.”

For Åkesson, an avid collector, nonetheless, it turns into clear that this single coil rule was one which he didn’t thoughts bending, as he begins to rattle off the in depth record of fashions he utilised for the report. “I had a Les Paul Junior from 1955 which I purchased in Eire manner again. That has these very attention-grabbing, tremendous aggressive P-90 pickups from 1955,” he says as Åkerfeldt jokingly shakes his head.

“Then I had an SG from 1972, however that was solely on the important heavy rhythms. There was additionally a PRS Customized 24 with a Floyd that I used for some leads and a few dive bombs, and a PRS Tremonti single minimize with the Seymour Duncan Frankenstein pickups like Eddie Van Halen’s. I actually like these,” he provides, because the frontman jokingly mumbles “Humbuckers…”

“There have been Strats in a few of the leads too although,” Åkesson insists. “I introduced a 70s Strat with the DiMarzio FS-1s, and that was the inspiration of the heavy rhythm guitars, so Mikael had his Telecaster and I had that one. Then I had one other Strat from 1973. Then aside from some acoustics, there wasn’t rather more than that.”

Telling Tales

After sharing some extra of the gear they used all through the recording – together with a Friedman BE-100 amp for heavy leads, a 1972 Marshall Plexi for solos, a 1980 Boss OD-1 and a Brown Field attenuator with the ability choked down – Åkerfeldt begins to recall the way it was a way of intuition that basically made the LP come collectively.

“Often I wrestle to search out one thing to say within the albums. I’m not going to speak in regards to the tax fee or the US election, you understand? So with this report, the lyrics and the story rubbed off on how the music was written and so they got here collectively nearly concurrently. That was attention-grabbing to me and to me and made it really feel extra full than a few of the work we’ve achieved up to now,” he shares.

“I’ll at all times deal with the music with extra respect than the lyrics, however on this case the phrases have been a bit of extra vital than they have been earlier than. Principally, I simply belief my intuition. I make selections shortly and I transfer on shortly. There are equal quantities between what I throw away and what I preserve as a result of I do know straight away if I like one thing – even when it’s simply two notes.”

For some, The Final Will And Testomony could also be a divisive report. In a single side, it sees the band pay homage to their grittier roots after an intensive hiatus, but in one other, it’s one which pushes the envelope past what is predicted – even by Opeth’s requirements.

“In the long run, I do know it is a fucked up report, and to lots of people it won’t make sense. Some folks could even hate it,” Åkerfeldt shrugs, recalling how he hopes followers will recognise the honesty within the report in the beginning. “In an excellent world everybody would get it, instantly keep in mind all of the components and determine in the event that they thought it was an excellent report or not.”

“I hope they prefer it, after all, however finally these songs are all created from my very own restlessness and from me eager to shock myself to an extent,” he concludes. “To me, that’s what makes it attention-grabbing, and that might be what makes it stand out in our discography.”

The Final Will And Testomony is out on November 22 through Moderbolaget / Reigning Phoenix Music.