Opeth Premiere First Single From Upcoming Album “The Last Will And Testament”

Opeth’s upcoming concept album, "The Last Will And Testament," is slated for release on October 11th via Reigning Phoenix Music. The first single from the album, "§1" (also known as 'Paragraph 1'), is now available for streaming as a radio edit. Vocalist/guitarist Mikael Åkerfeldt produced the album, with some assistance from Stefan Boman.

In addition to featuring guest spoken word from Jethro Tull vocalist Ian Anderson, Opeth’s new album also includes contributions from Mikael Åkerfeldt's teenage daughter, Mirjam.

Åkerfeldt also provided some insights into the record, stating:

“I have become quite interested in family, and the idea that blood is not always thicker than water. I became interested in how family members can turn on each other. I saw an interview with this guy whose family had all turned against him, over the inheritance, so I wrote a song about that on the last record. The idea stuck with me, and then along came the TV show ‘Succession‘, and I loved that series. That was in the back of my head too. It felt like an interesting topic that you could twist and turn a little bit.

‘The Last Will And Testament‘ is a concept record of sorts. A restless musical journey in a way mirroring my own relationship with music as a consumer of it. I pick up something here, dismiss something there. I worship and I hate music at the same time. This ambivalence leads me down some type of creative path of my own and then, all of a sudden, a collection of songs has been written. Best-case scenario, these songs are good enough to impress the band. Good enough for the ‘powers that be’ in terms of the industry. Good enough for ‘you’?!”

“I love this record. I have to say it (write it). Maybe I’m proud, even? There are some familiar ingredients in there, I suppose. Most of our music has sprung from the same source, so I guess it’s not much of a shocker if it’s going to sound like ‘us’.

I’m a bit in awe of what we did with ‘The Last Will And Testament‘. It feels like a dream. There is some coherence and songwriting skills I hope, but what do I know? I tend to favor the strange over the obvious, but I feel like I’m in the minority, and that’s fine. So…fair warning! Don’t expect an instant rush (as per usual), but if you do get it (have you got it yet?) right away, that’s okay too!”

“The Last Will And Testament” track list:

01 – “§1”
02 – “§2”
03 – “§3”
04 – “§4”
05 – “§5”
06 – “§6”
07 – “§7”
08 – “A Story Never Told”

2024 live dates w/ Tribulation:

10/11 Milwaukee, WI – The Rave / Eagles Club
10/12 Cleveland, OH – Agora Theater & Ballroom
10/14 Toronto, ON – Queen Elizabeth Theatre
10/15 Montréal, QC – L’Olympia
10/16 Worcester, MA – Palladium
10/18 Brooklyn, NY – Kings Theatre
10/19 Pittsburgh, PA – Stage AE
10/20 Washington, DC -– Warner Theatre
10/22 Atlanta, GA – Tabernacle
10/23 New Orleans, LA – Fillmore New Orleans
10/24 Austin, TX – Emo’s Austin
10/25 Dallas, TX – Majestic Theatre
10/27 Denver, CO – Mission Ballroom
10/29 Phoenix, AZ – The Van Buren
10/30 Los Angeles, CA – YouTube Theater
10/31 San Francisco, CA – The Warfield