For Week Ending:
7 December 2024

Opeth - The Last Will And Testament (2024)

[Death Metal (Progressive)]

The Last Will And Testament is more than just an album, it is a piece of art painted brushstroke by brushstroke, each note carefully placed to convey more than just sound. This is an album that conjures images in the mind, and takes you on a journey. It is a concept album, the story of the reading of a will following the death of a post-World War I wealthy patriarch, but the story is really just a vehicle to allow the music to breath and weave. The album opens with 'S1' (each track is given a 'Section', to denote the reading of the will), and the album starts subtly and with the familiar prog-rock style the band has more recently become known for. It isn't long though before the heavier riffing starts, and the true breadth of the album is revealed. This is an album that can't be discussed without raising the fact that frontman Mikael Akerfeldt has taken the bold step in returning to the death metal growls the band left behind over a decade ago. Make no mistake though, this is a not a return to the Opeth of old, but a true blending of both the old and new styles the band is known for. The music takes on moments of death metal intensity before heading back into forays into progressive patterns. The vocals are filled out with the great Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull narrating, and even one of Akerfeldt's daughters adds a vocal, and it isn't too long before the listener realises each voice belongs to a character in the tale. The song ends quietly, allowing the bombast of 'S2' to smash through the serenity. The guitars are not overly distorted, still lending themselves to a rock feel, but the intensity they are played with and the complexity of the riffs harkens back to the Opeth of old. The drums are also crushing, with double-bass blasts throughout. Europe's Joey Tempest even appears on vocals, adding another voice to the large entourage. By 'S3' the album has found its groove, and the symphonic backing by the London Session Orchestra adds a level of sophistication to the music, whilst also trying to corral the sinister charm that drips throughout. Although 'S5' starts out with a moody bass shuffle and Akerfeldt's croon, it soon lifts the intensity to being one of the heaviest tracks on the album, and features some amazing soloing. The album brilliantly weaves the soft and heavy into each other, and the songs hook with timing changes rather than choruses. By the time 'S7' (the final section of the will) is reached, the listener is left both exhausted and exhilarated, and the song fades into the ether taking the hopes of those in the plotline with it. The album closes with 'A Story Never Told', a 7+ minute thing of beauty done in a style so familiar and yet wholly Opeth that this could be no other band. Ian Anderson even lends his flute to the proceedings, before a stunning guitar solo brings everything to a close. This won't be an album for everyone, and even some fans of the band (old or new) may find the complexity of the songs challenging, but if it does connect - it is highly rewarding. It is an album that can't be completely understood in a single listen, and to be honest, may never truly be understood regardless of the number times you hear it.

Arist Information
Opeth is a Swedish progressive metal band from Stockholm, formed in 1990. The band incorporates folk, blues, classical, and jazz elements into its usually lengthy compositions, as well as strong influences from death metal, especially in their early works. Songs may include acoustic guitar passages, Mellotrons, death growls, and strong dynamic shifts.

Release Information
'The Last Will And Testament' is the fourteenth studio album by Opeth. The album is a concept album set in the post-World War I era, unfolding the story of a wealthy, conservative patriarch (who is infertile) whose last will and testament reveals shocking family secrets. It was originally set to be released on October 11, 2024, but was later pushed back to November 22, 2024 due to manufacturing delays. It is the band's first release with drummer Waltteri Vayrynen, who in 2022 officially replaced Martin Axenrot after his departure the year before. It also marks the return of death metal elements such as death growls since Watershed (2008), as well as being their first fully conceptual album since Still Life (1999).

Pantera - Cowboys From Hell (1990)

[Groove Metal]

With this week marking 20 goddam years since the guitar master Darrell 'Dimebag' Abbot left this word in horrible circumstances, it seems fitting to review some of his work. I'd expect the majority of Pantera fans would agree that this band became the biggest thing since sliced bread in the groove metal space with the release of Cowboys From Hell. They in fact had 4 releases prior to this in the 80's which didn't go very far and to be honest, I couldn't name a single song from those efforts. In any case the collaboration of Dimebag, his brother Vinny (the groove master) on drums, Rex on bass and the irrepressible Phillip H Anselmo carrying the vox duties, broke new ground with this release and became a big influence on the metal scene in the years to come. I can't sing the praises of this record enough. From the self-titled first song on the record, there is no mucking around re what they want the lister to experience for the next hour or there abouts - unrelenting, brutal, tight, wizardry that has its ups and downs. By that I mean they can get the listener going crazy when listening to the likes of 'Primal Concrete Sledge' and then only a few songs later bring soulful, and now bona fide classic such as 'Cemetery Gates', which brings us some of Dimebag's greatest work. Forever a legend of a man and forever a legend of a band.

Arist Information
Pantera is an American heavy metal band from Arlington, Texas, formed in 1981 by the Abbott brothers (guitarist Dimebag Darrell and drummer Vinnie Paul). In addition to their development and popularization of the groove metal subgenre, Pantera is credited (along with others, such as Testament, Sepultura, and Machine Head) for being part of the second wave of thrash metal scene from the late 1980s to early-to-mid 1990s. Regarded as one of the most successful and influential bands in heavy metal history, Pantera has sold around 20 million records worldwide and has received four Grammy nominations.