@geekymetalhead5112 that’s also amazing good part that hits so hard, especially since right before that he turned to Steven Wilson and said “What are we some kind of Ghost Reveries?”
@@nedu3905 and you can’t forget the post credits scene where Fredrik Åkesson is walking through the woods and mutters “erm guys? The sorceress is right behind me, isn’t she?”
This. This is the format. The overview, the track-by-track, the production, *the "Is it good?" (!!!) * , the tierlist. I would highly encourage you to retain this exact format and formula and continue reviewing albums both new and old exactly like this.
Thank you! It took a lot of time to design, and it will be applied to other video ideas as well. I expect it will be refined over time. But hearing the feedback is very validating for all the work!
I agree, I actually wish we got more reviews like this, especially in the extreme metal realm here on YT. Mystification zine is probably the best exemption from this example though.
In my opinion, this is their proggiest album ever. Yes, EVER. There are so many changes in each songs, and it's so disjointed at times that it almost borders with the more avant-garde prog. But as somebody who LOVES wacky stuff like Maudlin of the Well, Mr Bungle, Naked City, DEP, Car Bomb etc, I feel right at home listening to this album. Lots of 70's prog rock influences as well (Gentle Giant, Camel, Genesis to name a few), but the ideas never felt derivative (unlike some of their post-Watershed works). This not Opeth doing a retro-prog cosplay, this Opeth going 'prog-Opeth' to the max.
Completely agree with wanting them to be more indulgent with their hooks and what would be memorable moments. They happen once, but once is not enough for me damnit!
I personally think this is some of their best work they have made, even on first listen. Many WOW moments and vocally I think mikael did an amazing job. Filling in for the many characters in the story and using his vocal ability to portray multiple family members is really cool. And y'know, growls are back. My favorite track on this is .4 too. The "detective" sounding flute part with the guitar riff is sick as fuck. Really like this album review mike. You did a great job, i think the way you "rated" the album is really cool and enjoyable.
If I recall correctly. They actually lifted that solo off of the original demo because Mikael thought it best captured the vibe and didn't want to ruin it by trying to recreate it. Pretty cool 😎
I personally love this new record. I think a lot of the “chaos” makes sense thematically; The narrative is basically about a bunch of intense family secrets being revealed, and the music reflects how emotionally turbulent that would be in the moment. I may be reading too much into it, but that’s my interpretation/justification at least ahaha
I completely agree with you. Mikael always wrote music the way he wanted. In some interviews he said that he might be bipolar, which you can hear in his songs. But I actually like it, I think that actually all people are more or less like that, only most ignore it, they are not honest with themselves because they don't know how to deal with it. Mikael creates music and that's how he deals with it. If you were to compare it to a movie, it would be Pulp Fiction, either you love it and understand it, or no. And one's personal taste is not a good criterion for the quality of an album. You need to understand the author.
I really enjoyed this review format. I liked the album, but I definitely need to give it a few more listens. I am just now getting into Opeth thanks to you. I would definitely enjoy this type of review for the next Dream Theater album if that's something you'd like to do.
It's a new thing I'm trying out! Been working on an "objectivity in music" manifesto and this was my first attempt at applying it in real life! I'll probably be tailoring things as I go along. The aim is to speak the truth 🙌 Thanks for the props!
Mike i absolutely love the format! I actually think this is the best review an album can get. Production, song by song analysis etc.. I'd gladly watch more of these videos. Thumbs up!
This album gets better the more you listen to it… It’s like a really really awesome video game that you keep replaying and you keep discovering things that you love about it. I’m on my 6th listen and I just keep loving it more and more.
§5 is definitely my fav from the album. The Christmas/wintery theme at the start combined with the drumming made for a really interesting and groovy fashion. The phrygian acoustic roove at the start and end are also great. I think Mikael also made one of the more "intelligent" attempts at channeling a "middle eastern" sound in the middle section (3:10). The accoustic, bass, and violin unison sounds more intelligent than what other bands might do, which is spam the phrygian dominant scale. I also just love the chorus thing mikael does at (3:36) , feels reminiscent of the chorus-like vocals at the end of The Funeral Portrait. Also mikael does the "Hey!", which is funny and cool
yap, dude the only bad thing with the album and it kills me, is the outro of 5. As its WAY too short. It needs to be longer..its soooooo fkn good. only let negative of album. its a bummer it doesnt go one for a minute, like literally, that sucks. its too good and jus goes away so fast. :(
Reminds me of how Opeth did Closure on the Damnation record, and then did a longer version live at the Shepherds theater (I'm not 100% sure if the correct name). Perhaps we might hear a longer version live that gives us more outro?
I’d rather not, it will hurt my soul lol. He didn’t even talk about The Alien because it was too predictable DT. Looking back, The Alien makes the 2 new singles sound like Matchbox 20
After the first few listens, it was a good album. After the 10th listen, it's an absolutely amazaing album. I just don't know why, but everything makes more sense now
It’s because of how much stuff is packed in it, you do really need multiple listens to wrap your head around it, and once you do everything clicks. Some people may disagree but to me this album is absolutely fantastic, I don’t get tired of listening to it from beginning to end
I think this is similar to the case of Avenged Sevenfold's Life is But a Dream. Very proggy and avantgarde-ish, took me wuite a few listens to appreciate it
Man, I'd really love your take on The Dear Hunter's Act V and Protest the Hero's Palimpsest. I've never heard you talk about these bands over all the years, but I'd think you'd love the fuck out of these records
Really appreciate this level of depth! I would be interested to get this format with some other big releases, I especially like the way you break down your critique into categories and I would be curious to get a video even just exploring these criteria in detail, examples of good/bad for each and what albums you think succeed and fail most within them.
I love nearly everything about this album. I'm a die hard opeth fan for sure though and to be honest don't think opeth has made a single bad album to this day. Album of the year, and best album i've heard since in cauda venenum personally. Can't wait to hear what direction the next album goes in, as i say EVERY time opeth makes a record.
In my experience, the best records are the ones I have to work at a bit. Records that I like right away, or understand quickly, I get bored with. This new Opeth has many layers and avenues to explore and reward the listener. Trying to absorb this record as anything other than a complete work is missing the point...the songs are intended to flow together. That's a big part of its success. This is the first Opeth album I've really been exited about in a long time. Fantastic stuff!
This is wonderful, I've been subscribed for 7 years keeping up with your uploads, this is a very fresh watch and there aren't enough creators discussing albums/music in general in this way I always felt that as much as it's nice to enjoy music on the merit that it sounds good, it's wise to also try and understand why you even like the music that you like, how it connects to you, or even little nitpicks that you might have with it. Last thing, any consideration for touching on Steven Wilson's upcoming album The Overview next year? Thanks again, love you bro
Been waiting a long time for this review! While I do disagree with some of your points on the album, I really appreciate how in-depth you went with the review from the composition to the overall importance of the album. I like how chaotic the album is and I could definitely feel those emotions for sure. It also came out at a perfect time when I was getting ready for a big musical performance for myself and it made me feel very confident. Overall, 10/10 review! 😎
As a Mega-Fan of Opeth myself, I appaud your honesty. It's hard to critique on the negatives of one of your favorite bands, but sometimes you have to face the realities. We all want the "next" album to be a expansion in our favorite era of their music, whatever that may be. This album is meaty and definitely touches on their past, but very progy and chaotic and some parts are hard to digest.
Excellent review, excellent format. Keep using it. This album is ranked at 4 in my Opeth tier list. Possibly a classic. Although it is a bit weird to call it a classic, as I have things in my fridge that are older than this thing.
You should try my arms your hearse again. The writing is really good. yeah the production isn’t great but it’s kinda unique and cold. It’s not as good as still life, black water park or ghost reveries but it’s really solid
I think my biggest gripe with this album is how dense it is - there are a lot of great ideas, but it absolutely feels like its meant to be one long composition. The songs are not as memorable overall as the songs on Ghost Reveries or In Cauda, and I think I was expecting a marriage of these two sounds upon my first listen. I like TLWAT but I definitely need to spend alot more time with it, because theres just SO much going on. The good news is that I keep wanting to listen to it, which is a great sign. Love the in depth analysis, by the way.
That brief layering of the growls and cleans is something I want more of in Opeth, that shit was NICE despite being very short lived. Its got me wanting more
THANK YOU for the comment about §5's fade out. I would much rather that lasted a minute or so longer rather than giving §7 the extended outro. Or even do both! Like why Opeth, why?
To me, this album has grown for each listen. Without getting into the lyrics at all, I think that, to me, the music captures the mood of the story I envision. The music has groove, heaviness, mood and beauty that I really enjoy. Being somewhat older (63), I like music that has something that I didn't hear before, which this definitely has. The new drummer btw is a gold nugget and the rest of the band feel as good as ever. A bit of Ian Anderson's flute is a cherry on top. Love it. I also really like your thorough and honest review and the whole format of this video. Unlike many other reviews, it makes me think and I really feel that I learn something from it. Thank you!
Hey Mike, great to see you back! I hope you could talk more about Opeth songs in the near future, maybe doing "5 days 5 Opeth songs" part 2, I treasure your way of dissecting music, especially Opeth and DT songs!
please consider doing more "the most in-depht review" of other albuns in the future, I loved it, especially the "is it good?" part. overall incredible 👌 and I also really enjoyed the album, probably will need more listens, but as of now I think it's the best way they had to mix the in cauda venenum with their old style, and I hope to see this blend continue in future releases.
That is so incredibly encouraging haha. I've been hard at work refining this method and approach for the last 3 months. So happy to hear you enjoyed it!
Speaking from my own experience of this record I predict you’ll come back to those couple tracks you really like and then after enough listens be drawn into wanting the context of the rest of the tracks until the entire thing has a chokehold on you. Side note: when did people stop liking sudden hard transitions in metal? I like the jarring effect, it’s part of what I’m listening to metal for. It also translates well in a live show.
I’ve been waiting for this video! Loved to hear your thoughts. As a still fairly new Opeth fan, I was pleasantly surprised how much this album captivated me and will keep me coming back for many more listens. I couldn’t agree more on what you said about Paragraph 4. The flute solo was insane! Always appreciate your content. God bless.
Loved the format and the review. For me personally this album has become one of my top ones. I found it to be more memorable even though there is very little repetition and that made me appreciate it even more. I have probably listened to this album more than 10 times now and for a literal week since it came out i just listened to this and nothing else. No opeth record or any album that I have ever heard has done that to me as I consider myself a very picky person. 10/10 for me.
By the end of my first listen through, the most important aspect of this album to me is how it blends the old Opeth with the new. More than just the return of the growls, it's the more somber elements that I've been missing in a lot of newer Opeth. This album felt like an evolution of the old sound, where other recent albums have felt more like a different sound entirely. There are parts of this album I don't care much for and there are parts that I really enjoy. But more than anything, I'm just excited to see where they go from here. And after a few more listens, I'm sure I'll appreciate the album even more.
Honestly, the outro of Paragraph 5 should’ve had a similar feel to the outro of The Drapery Falls. It lasts forever, but we don’t care, because it sounds so goddamn good. ❤❤
I do like this album a lot, but I wish it wasn't a concept album just purely on the fact that scene changes happen so much as well as jarring changes. I was hoping for more of a Still Life kind of vibe. And Paragraph 4 is probably my favorite song on the album. The Jethro Tull like flute section was so awesome, it just fit perfectly.
I got into DT by listening to dance of eternity so you might figure why I like chaotic music. And btw story never told for my is an amazing finale. It bring resolution after mystery is unraveled
I really enjoyed this video. The week following the release of the album I listened to it about 8 times. Every time I listen to it, I just have this incredible wave of joy coming from the fact that Opeth is a band that still wants to develop their identity and create something worthwhile. The few minutes about Dream Theater and Metallica’s new music really resonated with me, as I feel much the same way. This record is why Opeth is my favourite band. It’s the fact that I’m already excited about the next album, despite me not giving two shits about the new Dream Theater or Metallica stuff after one listen (I’m not even sure if I’ve listened to the new Metallica album yet) when I love those two other bands so much. Great album, so many moments I love. I can’t wait to see where Opeth goes next. On the video, Great stuff, Mike. I really enjoyed the format, and it’s always great to hear your knowledge on Production, as it’s something I’m not very well versed in.
Where do I begin with this one…December 30th, 2020, a little more than a year after In Cauda Venenum released. I had been hearing and seeing a number of interviews from bands I enjoy, listing Opeth as pioneers and inspirations to them. So I made the choice to check them out and do a deep dive. Almost 3 years later, Opeth is arguably now one of my favorite bands of all time. I had the distinct privilege of discovering them at a time when both their old death metal style, and newer prog stuff existed. So their “shift” in sound had no effect on me. I was able to fall in love with ALL they had to offer. So, The Last Will and Testament is, for me, their first NEW release as a fan. If I had any expectations, they blew them out of the water. This album, in my humble opinion, perfectly blends the “old and the new.” We all knew this was going to be a concept album; however, this is the first time I feel like I truly GET the concept. Listening to this feels like I’m listening to a metal audiobook. My emotional mood is instantly elevated upon listening, and as with any good novel, I feel like I’m IN the story. This is an album that absolutely must be ingested from start to finish whenever it's time to give it a spin. This isn't just a collection of songs, but a journey to experience :)
I feel basically the same as you do about the album. Great moments but overall there’s no cohesiveness. There are some beautiful riffs and moments that start and then stopped instantly and never brought back. It’s a frustrating album overall.
34:03 I think in some occasions the content of the lyrics seems to match with the music and in others it doesn't. Overall this doesn't bother me that much but I'd love to have the story moment and music moment connection that Still Life has for example.
I love this album. It's my favourite record they made in a very long time. I will never get tired of Mikeal growling the line "the last will and testament OF FATHER!" or the two note riff from 3... or when 6 kicks... man this album got so much to enjoy. Cant get enough.
This album is kind of "We have Cuade Venunum at home" I think thats my favorite Newpeth. Having said that, Id love to have the chance to mix something like this. Mike is very much up his own ass a ton these days. I respect it, but he's gna need to drop another straight death metal album before opeth wrap up. I think so, anyways.
I will say that this is some of my favorite material by them since watershed or ghost reveries. I think it blends a lot of their best material from their “prog rock” era and their “death metal” era, while also implementing new and fun feeling elements. This album scratches an itch I didn’t know I needed scratched… kinda like absolute elsewhere from blood incantation
Hi Mike :-) Firstly, thank you very much for your inspirational work with this review and generally with your TH-cam channel and streams. For context, I´m the Opeth fan since 2009 and my favourite era is especially since Still Life to Watershed (included) but I also really like In Cauda Venenum from newer releases. Blackwater Park is my favourite album of all time for many years. About The Last Will and Testament album - §1 is definitely my favourite song from the album. This is the song closest to the older mid era albums for me, beautiful outro. §2 feels also too disjointed to my taste from the songwriting perspective but I love for example the mellow part after the first growling part. It´s kind of pity that they didn´t come back to it (like many times during the album :-D ). For me, it amazingly blends into §3 which unironically to me has kind of logical songwriting (beginning segment is just long enough for me to appreciate and then to be prepared for change in mood, similar to older albums). To your point - I like last parts of §3 on their own but also because those parts prepares you mood-wise for §4 which is dark, spooky and haunting for most of the time. Actually during the first listen, I had the big problem with §4 structure. It felt to me like 3 songs in one song if it makes sense (beginning, then harp, then flute solo then kind of old-school Opeth ending). Nowadays, it really grows on me and it is also one of my favourite songs from the album (ending segment is absolutely killer). I like §5 from the first listen BUT, as you mentioned, I absolutely hate that they faded out maybe the best part of the whole album for me and they didn´t develop it more. As a long time fan, that ending part took me back maybe even to Still Life kind of atmosphere. §6 is really nice energetic piece with beautiful ending solo. I have maybe the biggest problem with the ending segment of the album - §7 doesn´t work that much for me (so far) and §8 is nice as you mentioned but I definitely prefer The Lovelorn Crime ballad from previous album and also solo (but also in general their older ballads such as Burden, To Rid the Disease, Isolation Years, Harvest etc). My biggest problem is that ending part of the album. It just doesn´t feel like a real pay off in comparison to really strong ending of In Cauda Venenum with Continuum and All Things... songs. Also, some songwriting decisions are just too disjointed and jarring for my taste. However, the new album is still 7,5 out of 10 for me, In Cauda album is 8/10. It will definitely grows on me during more spins. Sorry for the long post but this is really hard to be brief with my favourite band :-)
Since you mentioned the new DT single, I would love to hear your opinions. I have... mixed feelings, I'm very sad that they are still playing it WAY safe since the flop of The Astonishing. I was hoping Portnoy would push them outside their comfort zones in writing. I feel they are scared of having another commercial failure or angering their audience by "rocking the boat" too much. Would love to just have another reaction like paragraph one that wouldn't take as long as any other videos in the pipeline; just a bit starved for music snob pretentiousness in the past few months.
I haven't agreed on anything as much as on the 'Why It's important' part of the video for a while. You completely hit the nail the head with this part🙌.
When I saw how you approach the album, I was thinking that it feels kinda Catholic to me, lol. Thanks for this video, it's very well done, I understand some of the complaints you have (however I, after the mandatory third listen, have fallen completely in love with the album, more or less without reservation ... although at first it DID feel almost like listening to uneXpect's In a Flesh Aquarium or Atheist's Unquestionable Presence - i. e., an extremely dense, fascinating chaos that felt more alien than anything). Anyway, I absolutely love the format and you earned a new subscriber.
LW&T got 3/5 from Kerrang, but 4/5 from the Financial Times? Clearly, this is a challenging and complicated album, which even includes a cameo from Joey Tempest for no apparent reason at all. Perhaps you have to go to the upcoming Opeth tour to understand it. Opeth are touring Europe early next year, and I for one will be at Roundhouse hoping for some live answers.
I love it. To me it's like a darker scenes from a memory with way less notes and way darker Then I'm absolutely in love with the last song and solo. The tone in that solo takes me back to the Jason Becker era. It just sings and stands out so well. Beautiful tone. I'd rank it directly below the classics, I think. I mean, nothing is touching blackwater park or ghost reveries. Thats like metallica making a better album than master of puppets and ride the lightning in 2024.
Perhaps this is the album some have been waiting for and that may have put bias into some early thoughts, but overall this album is fun as hell to listen to and I think that and the production will hold up over time for most.
My only complaint, if you can call it that, is that this album is too short. It flows wonderfully from song to song, and before I can process it all, it's done. Absolutely wonderful experience.
Hey mike! Awesome video. I did enjoy the new dream theater track a bit. However, I do agree with you in the sense that it feels more of the same. They are playing it safe and most likely will feel like that for the rest of the album since mike portnoy has returned and they probably want the album to feel familiar. As for opeth, I have to say that mikael has been incredibly self indulgent here as well. (imo at least) Which is not a bad thing in itself. But if I am going to blame dream theater for it I am also going to blame opeth for it. Sometimes mikaels vocals feel so weird and out of place, especially the transitions that you talk about on the first tracks. I will give the record a few more spins. Glad you are back!
I will agree that Mikael is being quite self-indulgent lol! He was taking a lot of risks with this record. Not sure that all of them paid off or not. I think that's a fair call out 👍 At very least, reading what Mikael had written on the pre-order page, he seems to be self-aware that it's self-indulgent lol
I do about 3 hours of driving for work per day so I've had the chance to play this album quite a few times right through since release day. I love it all - totally agree that it's the merging of OldPeth and NewPeth but in addition to that it's like ADHD Opeth on speed, this album just jerks around all over the place. I really like that, I guess because my band and my solo stuff is all throughcomposed. 4 is a highlight - the harp section followed by the lazy guitar behind the flute solo into the guitar solo is incredible! 5 is great, too, the eastern vibe and then the Dimebag squeal into the guitar solo just rips! But, yeah, the fadeout... an act of audio heresy! Fucking, what the fuck!? Oh well. The concluding track "A Story Never Told" finishes the album perfectly, the guitar solo at the end is sublime. Totally agree with your thoughts on the production - it's perfect - and there's certainly no wasted space on the album.
Sequalitis vibes with the Dream Theater single comparison. "Just wasted my fucking time!" Genuinely love how you can articulately and passionately dissect a Great album from a fantastic band.
I've listened to it twice in full and a couple other songs a few more times. It's not my favourite Opeth album. I definitely think it's a step down from ICV which is easily my favourite "Newpeth" album and among my top 4 Opeth albums. As for Last Will and Testament, unlike other Opeth albums, I barely remember anything that happened after the album ends. The production is definitely good. I'd rather listen to this than the new Dream Theater singles, lol. Even if I don't get much out of a lot of the songwriting compared to other Opeth albums, the performance and production are so damn satisfying. It's a metal album where the drums actually sound like drums and not whatever half the metal records over the past decade are passing off as drums. I like actually hearing a drummer play drums. That's not out of the ordinary for Opeth, though, especially during their "Newpeth" era. All that said, it would not surprise me if this album grew on me over time.
I'm a huge Opeth fan and i love all the Oldpeth albuns but don't really like the Newpeth albuns They always sound "not enough" for me, have some prog stuff but not proggy enough, some heavy stuff but never heavy enough, but Last Will fixed that, he is very proggy and the heavy sections are actually heavy this time, the growls help a lot in that matter I didn't have much problems understanding the music so i got a little surprised when you mention that the album is hard to listen to, for me the record sound very fun to listen to and that was something i was missing on the previous records, they bored me a lot I watched some Mikael interviews and apparently this album gonna be the start of a new Opeth phase, i don't know what to spect but if they continue in this direction i will be glad
A lot of Sorceress and Heritage record influences in this record (from bWK to In Cauda influences. Absent The older stuff. Absent The acustic guitar . I ranked this record so far The same way . Same feelings
My fav part of the new album was when Mikael said “I am the Opeth now” and sorrowed all over the place
My favorite part is when he said "I am blackwater park"
@geekymetalhead5112 that’s also amazing good part that hits so hard, especially since right before that he turned to Steven Wilson and said “What are we some kind of Ghost Reveries?”
I like when at the end they say "after all, this is still life...", then Melinda smiles and the credits roll
@@nedu3905 and you can’t forget the post credits scene where Fredrik Åkesson is walking through the woods and mutters “erm guys? The sorceress is right behind me, isn’t she?”
I love that this is just an ever evolving thread lmao
This. This is the format. The overview, the track-by-track, the production, *the "Is it good?" (!!!) * , the tierlist. I would highly encourage you to retain this exact format and formula and continue reviewing albums both new and old exactly like this.
Thank you! It took a lot of time to design, and it will be applied to other video ideas as well. I expect it will be refined over time. But hearing the feedback is very validating for all the work!
I agree, I actually wish we got more reviews like this, especially in the extreme metal realm here on YT.
Mystification zine is probably the best exemption from this example though.
This!
In my opinion, this is their proggiest album ever. Yes, EVER. There are so many changes in each songs, and it's so disjointed at times that it almost borders with the more avant-garde prog.
But as somebody who LOVES wacky stuff like Maudlin of the Well, Mr Bungle, Naked City, DEP, Car Bomb etc, I feel right at home listening to this album. Lots of 70's prog rock influences as well (Gentle Giant, Camel, Genesis to name a few), but the ideas never felt derivative (unlike some of their post-Watershed works).
This not Opeth doing a retro-prog cosplay, this Opeth going 'prog-Opeth' to the max.
Opeth has always had lots of changed and transitions in their music but I agree this album is very proggy.
It is very proggy, also because the composition is driven by the story and not so much by musical motifs themselves.
@@Vegan_Kebab_In_My_Hand Incredible username bro haha 🥙🌱
Completely agree with wanting them to be more indulgent with their hooks and what would be memorable moments. They happen once, but once is not enough for me damnit!
A video after 3 goddamn months and this seems worth the wait.
Hopefully the new DT single is good so he does one more tomorrow 😂
I personally think this is some of their best work they have made, even on first listen. Many WOW moments and vocally I think mikael did an amazing job. Filling in for the many characters in the story and using his vocal ability to portray multiple family members is really cool. And y'know, growls are back. My favorite track on this is .4 too. The "detective" sounding flute part with the guitar riff is sick as fuck.
Really like this album review mike. You did a great job, i think the way you "rated" the album is really cool and enjoyable.
The solo at the end of A Story Never Told is one of the band's greatest moments imo
If I recall correctly. They actually lifted that solo off of the original demo because Mikael thought it best captured the vibe and didn't want to ruin it by trying to recreate it. Pretty cool 😎
Such a beautiful song that one!
It's a nice solo, don't get me wrong, but Lovelorn Crime's solo blasts it out of the water. I'll die on this hill
@@sollyross998 agreed.
Best solo on the album. That’s for sure.
I personally love this new record. I think a lot of the “chaos” makes sense thematically; The narrative is basically about a bunch of intense family secrets being revealed, and the music reflects how emotionally turbulent that would be in the moment.
I may be reading too much into it, but that’s my interpretation/justification at least ahaha
I completely agree with you. Mikael always wrote music the way he wanted. In some interviews he said that he might be bipolar, which you can hear in his songs. But I actually like it, I think that actually all people are more or less like that, only most ignore it, they are not honest with themselves because they don't know how to deal with it. Mikael creates music and that's how he deals with it. If you were to compare it to a movie, it would be Pulp Fiction, either you love it and understand it, or no. And one's personal taste is not a good criterion for the quality of an album. You need to understand the author.
I really enjoyed this review format. I liked the album, but I definitely need to give it a few more listens. I am just now getting into Opeth thanks to you. I would definitely enjoy this type of review for the next Dream Theater album if that's something you'd like to do.
It's a new thing I'm trying out! Been working on an "objectivity in music" manifesto and this was my first attempt at applying it in real life! I'll probably be tailoring things as I go along. The aim is to speak the truth 🙌
Thanks for the props!
Mike i absolutely love the format! I actually think this is the best review an album can get. Production, song by song analysis etc.. I'd gladly watch more of these videos. Thumbs up!
This album gets better the more you listen to it…
It’s like a really really awesome video game that you keep replaying and you keep discovering things that you love about it.
I’m on my 6th listen and I just keep loving it more and more.
I love all Opeth albums, especially the latter albums, and Last Will is no exception.
ooh i’ve been refreshing your youtube page several times a day in hope of seeing this video appearing, let’s watch!!
§5 is definitely my fav from the album. The Christmas/wintery theme at the start combined with the drumming made for a really interesting and groovy fashion.
The phrygian acoustic roove at the start and end are also great.
I think Mikael also made one of the more "intelligent" attempts at channeling a "middle eastern" sound in the middle section (3:10). The accoustic, bass, and violin unison sounds more intelligent than what other bands might do, which is spam the phrygian dominant scale.
I also just love the chorus thing mikael does at (3:36) , feels reminiscent of the chorus-like vocals at the end of The Funeral Portrait.
Also mikael does the "Hey!", which is funny and cool
yap, dude the only bad thing with the album and it kills me, is the outro of 5. As its WAY too short. It needs to be longer..its soooooo fkn good. only let negative of album. its a bummer it doesnt go one for a minute, like literally, that sucks. its too good and jus goes away so fast. :(
Reminds me of how Opeth did Closure on the Damnation record, and then did a longer version live at the Shepherds theater (I'm not 100% sure if the correct name). Perhaps we might hear a longer version live that gives us more outro?
Well, there’s the Night Terror review ppl have been asking for. Good video!
I’d rather not, it will hurt my soul lol. He didn’t even talk about The Alien because it was too predictable DT. Looking back, The Alien makes the 2 new singles sound like Matchbox 20
After the first few listens, it was a good album. After the 10th listen, it's an absolutely amazaing album. I just don't know why, but everything makes more sense now
It’s because of how much stuff is packed in it, you do really need multiple listens to wrap your head around it, and once you do everything clicks. Some people may disagree but to me this album is absolutely fantastic, I don’t get tired of listening to it from beginning to end
I think this is similar to the case of Avenged Sevenfold's Life is But a Dream. Very proggy and avantgarde-ish, took me wuite a few listens to appreciate it
A really solid concept album. Gets better with additional listens
Man, I'd really love your take on The Dear Hunter's Act V and Protest the Hero's Palimpsest. I've never heard you talk about these bands over all the years, but I'd think you'd love the fuck out of these records
The Dear Hunter mentioned 🤘
Amazing albums by amazing bands!
Damn it's like 1 hour shorter than I thought, I guess Mike is being very concise here
Really appreciate this level of depth! I would be interested to get this format with some other big releases, I especially like the way you break down your critique into categories and I would be curious to get a video even just exploring these criteria in detail, examples of good/bad for each and what albums you think succeed and fail most within them.
I love nearly everything about this album. I'm a die hard opeth fan for sure though and to be honest don't think opeth has made a single bad album to this day. Album of the year, and best album i've heard since in cauda venenum personally. Can't wait to hear what direction the next album goes in, as i say EVERY time opeth makes a record.
0:28 - just started watching and I just wanted to say that I really appreciate that, thank you!
It's the least I could do 😅 Happy It's appreciated!
In my experience, the best records are the ones I have to work at a bit. Records that I like right away, or understand quickly, I get bored with. This new Opeth has many layers and avenues to explore and reward the listener. Trying to absorb this record as anything other than a complete work is missing the point...the songs are intended to flow together. That's a big part of its success. This is the first Opeth album I've really been exited about in a long time. Fantastic stuff!
This is wonderful, I've been subscribed for 7 years keeping up with your uploads, this is a very fresh watch and there aren't enough creators discussing albums/music in general in this way
I always felt that as much as it's nice to enjoy music on the merit that it sounds good, it's wise to also try and understand why you even like the music that you like, how it connects to you, or even little nitpicks that you might have with it.
Last thing, any consideration for touching on Steven Wilson's upcoming album The Overview next year? Thanks again, love you bro
Been waiting a long time for this review! While I do disagree with some of your points on the album, I really appreciate how in-depth you went with the review from the composition to the overall importance of the album. I like how chaotic the album is and I could definitely feel those emotions for sure. It also came out at a perfect time when I was getting ready for a big musical performance for myself and it made me feel very confident. Overall, 10/10 review! 😎
This is the best album review format i've seen.
As a Mega-Fan of Opeth myself, I appaud your honesty. It's hard to critique on the negatives of one of your favorite bands, but sometimes you have to face the realities.
We all want the "next" album to be a expansion in our favorite era of their music, whatever that may be. This album is meaty and definitely touches on their past, but very progy and chaotic and some parts are hard to digest.
Excellent review, excellent format. Keep using it.
This album is ranked at 4 in my Opeth tier list. Possibly a classic. Although it is a bit weird to call it a classic, as I have things in my fridge that are older than this thing.
You should try my arms your hearse again. The writing is really good. yeah the production isn’t great but it’s kinda unique and cold. It’s not as good as still life, black water park or ghost reveries but it’s really solid
This takes analysis to new levels. The throughness is stunning. I enjoyed this very much.
The keyboard solo off S6 sounded like it was ripped straight out of a Symphony X song, like something off of V: The New Mythology Suite
I appreciate the effort that went into the video! Glad you are back mike
I think my biggest gripe with this album is how dense it is - there are a lot of great ideas, but it absolutely feels like its meant to be one long composition. The songs are not as memorable overall as the songs on Ghost Reveries or In Cauda, and I think I was expecting a marriage of these two sounds upon my first listen. I like TLWAT but I definitely need to spend alot more time with it, because theres just SO much going on. The good news is that I keep wanting to listen to it, which is a great sign.
Love the in depth analysis, by the way.
That brief layering of the growls and cleans is something I want more of in Opeth, that shit was NICE despite being very short lived. Its got me wanting more
For me it’s in my top 6 Opeth albums
I guess it is for me too!
This is the best music commentary video I've ever watched on TH-cam. Definitely puts the other slop review channels to shame.
Thank you!!! I'm trying to up my game, and I want to do something I believe is valuable instead of *just* cashing in on clicks.
@BecomeTheKnight The work you put in definitely shows! Excited to watch your future videos.
THANK YOU for the comment about §5's fade out. I would much rather that lasted a minute or so longer rather than giving §7 the extended outro. Or even do both! Like why Opeth, why?
Subverted expectations. If you think a section should be played a dozen times, you best believe that Mikael is only playing it once.
To me, this album has grown for each listen. Without getting into the lyrics at all, I think that, to me, the music captures the mood of the story I envision. The music has groove, heaviness, mood and beauty that I really enjoy. Being somewhat older (63), I like music that has something that I didn't hear before, which this definitely has. The new drummer btw is a gold nugget and the rest of the band feel as good as ever. A bit of Ian Anderson's flute is a cherry on top. Love it. I also really like your thorough and honest review and the whole format of this video. Unlike many other reviews, it makes me think and I really feel that I learn something from it. Thank you!
Been waiting for this one excited to hear your thoughts 🙏
Hey Mike, great to see you back! I hope you could talk more about Opeth songs in the near future, maybe doing "5 days 5 Opeth songs" part 2, I treasure your way of dissecting music, especially Opeth and DT songs!
please consider doing more "the most in-depht review" of other albuns in the future, I loved it, especially the "is it good?" part. overall incredible 👌
and I also really enjoyed the album, probably will need more listens, but as of now I think it's the best way they had to mix the in cauda venenum with their old style, and I hope to see this blend continue in future releases.
That is so incredibly encouraging haha. I've been hard at work refining this method and approach for the last 3 months. So happy to hear you enjoyed it!
Lets gooo, i have been waiting for this one.
That’s a pretty fantastic video man!
Speaking from my own experience of this record I predict you’ll come back to those couple tracks you really like and then after enough listens be drawn into wanting the context of the rest of the tracks until the entire thing has a chokehold on you. Side note: when did people stop liking sudden hard transitions in metal? I like the jarring effect, it’s part of what I’m listening to metal for. It also translates well in a live show.
I’ve been waiting for this video! Loved to hear your thoughts. As a still fairly new Opeth fan, I was pleasantly surprised how much this album captivated me and will keep me coming back for many more listens. I couldn’t agree more on what you said about Paragraph 4. The flute solo was insane! Always appreciate your content. God bless.
To me, it's just not long enough. Mastodon spoiled me with a double album, and now I want that. 7 5-7 minute tracks is not enough.
Awesome album!
Opeth are SO BACK!!!!
Loved the format and the review. For me personally this album has become one of my top ones. I found it to be more memorable even though there is very little repetition and that made me appreciate it even more. I have probably listened to this album more than 10 times now and for a literal week since it came out i just listened to this and nothing else. No opeth record or any album that I have ever heard has done that to me as I consider myself a very picky person. 10/10 for me.
Great video as always Mike. Keep it up
By the end of my first listen through, the most important aspect of this album to me is how it blends the old Opeth with the new. More than just the return of the growls, it's the more somber elements that I've been missing in a lot of newer Opeth. This album felt like an evolution of the old sound, where other recent albums have felt more like a different sound entirely. There are parts of this album I don't care much for and there are parts that I really enjoy. But more than anything, I'm just excited to see where they go from here. And after a few more listens, I'm sure I'll appreciate the album even more.
Fantastic review
Thank you!!!
Holly smokes. :0 stoked to see this analysis! Yes!
Great video, i wish we had gotten a video like this exactly for Periphery 5 😢
Thanks for the thought provoking video. I personally love everything about this album. I haven’t found this challenging to listen to at all.
I like how detailed you get in your review
This is one of the best, most dynamic, most well thought out album reviews I've ever seen. Great job Mike
I love the end credits scene of this album.
It's absolutely brilliant, totally unique, truly artistic and I expect it to be over a lot of people's heads.
I liked the drums
Only 45 min? I want the entire unedited 1:40 version 😂
Lol. That's mostly just me messing up or not saying anything at all lol. I promise this is the more enjoyable version
Honestly, the outro of Paragraph 5 should’ve had a similar feel to the outro of The Drapery Falls. It lasts forever, but we don’t care, because it sounds so goddamn good. ❤❤
It barely lasts any time at all, that’s the problem with the outro lol it’s great but it should’ve gone on way longer.
After seeing your post with the hour 40 length, I appreciate you putting in the work to make the 45 minute long radio edit. Great video, bud👊
Holy shit a video!
I do like this album a lot, but I wish it wasn't a concept album just purely on the fact that scene changes happen so much as well as jarring changes. I was hoping for more of a Still Life kind of vibe. And Paragraph 4 is probably my favorite song on the album. The Jethro Tull like flute section was so awesome, it just fit perfectly.
It's not only Jethro Tull like, it actually had Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull playing the flute.
I need a “meat to waste ratio” for every song you review now
I got into DT by listening to dance of eternity so you might figure why I like chaotic music. And btw story never told for my is an amazing finale. It bring resolution after mystery is unraveled
I really enjoyed this video. The week following the release of the album I listened to it about 8 times. Every time I listen to it, I just have this incredible wave of joy coming from the fact that Opeth is a band that still wants to develop their identity and create something worthwhile.
The few minutes about Dream Theater and Metallica’s new music really resonated with me, as I feel much the same way. This record is why Opeth is my favourite band. It’s the fact that I’m already excited about the next album, despite me not giving two shits about the new Dream Theater or Metallica stuff after one listen (I’m not even sure if I’ve listened to the new Metallica album yet) when I love those two other bands so much.
Great album, so many moments I love. I can’t wait to see where Opeth goes next.
On the video, Great stuff, Mike. I really enjoyed the format, and it’s always great to hear your knowledge on Production, as it’s something I’m not very well versed in.
Where do I begin with this one…December 30th, 2020, a little more than a year after In Cauda Venenum released. I had been hearing and seeing a number of interviews from bands I enjoy, listing Opeth as pioneers and inspirations to them. So I made the choice to check them out and do a deep dive. Almost 3 years later, Opeth is arguably now one of my favorite bands of all time. I had the distinct privilege of discovering them at a time when both their old death metal style, and newer prog stuff existed. So their “shift” in sound had no effect on me. I was able to fall in love with ALL they had to offer. So, The Last Will and Testament is, for me, their first NEW release as a fan. If I had any expectations, they blew them out of the water. This album, in my humble opinion, perfectly blends the “old and the new.” We all knew this was going to be a concept album; however, this is the first time I feel like I truly GET the concept. Listening to this feels like I’m listening to a metal audiobook. My emotional mood is instantly elevated upon listening, and as with any good novel, I feel like I’m IN the story. This is an album that absolutely must be ingested from start to finish whenever it's time to give it a spin. This isn't just a collection of songs, but a journey to experience :)
I feel basically the same as you do about the album. Great moments but overall there’s no cohesiveness. There are some beautiful riffs and moments that start and then stopped instantly and never brought back. It’s a frustrating album overall.
34:03 I think in some occasions the content of the lyrics seems to match with the music and in others it doesn't. Overall this doesn't bother me that much but I'd love to have the story moment and music moment connection that Still Life has for example.
I love this album. It's my favourite record they made in a very long time. I will never get tired of Mikeal growling the line "the last will and testament OF FATHER!" or the two note riff from 3... or when 6 kicks... man this album got so much to enjoy. Cant get enough.
This album is kind of "We have Cuade Venunum at home" I think thats my favorite Newpeth. Having said that, Id love to have the chance to mix something like this. Mike is very much up his own ass a ton these days. I respect it, but he's gna need to drop another straight death metal album before opeth wrap up. I think so, anyways.
I will say that this is some of my favorite material by them since watershed or ghost reveries. I think it blends a lot of their best material from their “prog rock” era and their “death metal” era, while also implementing new and fun feeling elements. This album scratches an itch I didn’t know I needed scratched… kinda like absolute elsewhere from blood incantation
Hi Mike :-) Firstly, thank you very much for your inspirational work with this review and generally with your TH-cam channel and streams. For context, I´m the Opeth fan since 2009 and my favourite era is especially since Still Life to Watershed (included) but I also really like In Cauda Venenum from newer releases. Blackwater Park is my favourite album of all time for many years. About The Last Will and Testament album - §1 is definitely my favourite song from the album. This is the song closest to the older mid era albums for me, beautiful outro. §2 feels also too disjointed to my taste from the songwriting perspective but I love for example the mellow part after the first growling part. It´s kind of pity that they didn´t come back to it (like many times during the album :-D ). For me, it amazingly blends into §3 which unironically to me has kind of logical songwriting (beginning segment is just long enough for me to appreciate and then to be prepared for change in mood, similar to older albums). To your point - I like last parts of §3 on their own but also because those parts prepares you mood-wise for §4 which is dark, spooky and haunting for most of the time. Actually during the first listen, I had the big problem with §4 structure. It felt to me like 3 songs in one song if it makes sense (beginning, then harp, then flute solo then kind of old-school Opeth ending). Nowadays, it really grows on me and it is also one of my favourite songs from the album (ending segment is absolutely killer). I like §5 from the first listen BUT, as you mentioned, I absolutely hate that they faded out maybe the best part of the whole album for me and they didn´t develop it more. As a long time fan, that ending part took me back maybe even to Still Life kind of atmosphere. §6 is really nice energetic piece with beautiful ending solo. I have maybe the biggest problem with the ending segment of the album - §7 doesn´t work that much for me (so far) and §8 is nice as you mentioned but I definitely prefer The Lovelorn Crime ballad from previous album and also solo (but also in general their older ballads such as Burden, To Rid the Disease, Isolation Years, Harvest etc). My biggest problem is that ending part of the album. It just doesn´t feel like a real pay off in comparison to really strong ending of In Cauda Venenum with Continuum and All Things... songs. Also, some songwriting decisions are just too disjointed and jarring for my taste. However, the new album is still 7,5 out of 10 for me, In Cauda album is 8/10. It will definitely grows on me during more spins. Sorry for the long post but this is really hard to be brief with my favourite band :-)
Great review, very honest . I cant believe you rank it above watershed though :) !!
Good to see your face - big love and God bless, Brother.
Thank you! Good to be back.
Great job. I found it really hard to stop comparing this album to what they were doing 20 years ago. When I wasn't doing that, I really enjoyed it.
Since you mentioned the new DT single, I would love to hear your opinions. I have... mixed feelings, I'm very sad that they are still playing it WAY safe since the flop of The Astonishing. I was hoping Portnoy would push them outside their comfort zones in writing. I feel they are scared of having another commercial failure or angering their audience by "rocking the boat" too much. Would love to just have another reaction like paragraph one that wouldn't take as long as any other videos in the pipeline; just a bit starved for music snob pretentiousness in the past few months.
Took me lime 6 or 7 listens to start loving it
I haven't agreed on anything as much as on the 'Why It's important' part of the video for a while. You completely hit the nail the head with this part🙌.
When I saw how you approach the album, I was thinking that it feels kinda Catholic to me, lol.
Thanks for this video, it's very well done, I understand some of the complaints you have (however I, after the mandatory third listen, have fallen completely in love with the album, more or less without reservation ... although at first it DID feel almost like listening to uneXpect's In a Flesh Aquarium or Atheist's Unquestionable Presence - i. e., an extremely dense, fascinating chaos that felt more alien than anything).
Anyway, I absolutely love the format and you earned a new subscriber.
Dude! Thank you for the kind words! And the feedback on the album!
LW&T got 3/5 from Kerrang, but 4/5 from the Financial Times? Clearly, this is a challenging and complicated album, which even includes a cameo from Joey Tempest for no apparent reason at all. Perhaps you have to go to the upcoming Opeth tour to understand it. Opeth are touring Europe early next year, and I for one will be at Roundhouse hoping for some live answers.
I love it. To me it's like a darker scenes from a memory with way less notes and way darker
Then I'm absolutely in love with the last song and solo. The tone in that solo takes me back to the Jason Becker era. It just sings and stands out so well. Beautiful tone.
I'd rank it directly below the classics, I think. I mean, nothing is touching blackwater park or ghost reveries.
Thats like metallica making a better album than master of puppets and ride the lightning in 2024.
Perhaps this is the album some have been waiting for and that may have put bias into some early thoughts, but overall this album is fun as hell to listen to and I think that and the production will hold up over time for most.
My only complaint, if you can call it that, is that this album is too short. It flows wonderfully from song to song, and before I can process it all, it's done. Absolutely wonderful experience.
Now THIS is a review!
Hey mike! Awesome video. I did enjoy the new dream theater track a bit. However, I do agree with you in the sense that it feels more of the same. They are playing it safe and most likely will feel like that for the rest of the album since mike portnoy has returned and they probably want the album to feel familiar.
As for opeth, I have to say that mikael has been incredibly self indulgent here as well. (imo at least) Which is not a bad thing in itself. But if I am going to blame dream theater for it I am also going to blame opeth for it. Sometimes mikaels vocals feel so weird and out of place, especially the transitions that you talk about on the first tracks.
I will give the record a few more spins. Glad you are back!
I will agree that Mikael is being quite self-indulgent lol! He was taking a lot of risks with this record. Not sure that all of them paid off or not. I think that's a fair call out 👍
At very least, reading what Mikael had written on the pre-order page, he seems to be self-aware that it's self-indulgent lol
Heck yeah son!!
This video is the same length as Dream Theater’s longest song lol
Welcome back, DT also made music btw
I do about 3 hours of driving for work per day so I've had the chance to play this album quite a few times right through since release day.
I love it all - totally agree that it's the merging of OldPeth and NewPeth but in addition to that it's like ADHD Opeth on speed, this album just jerks around all over the place. I really like that, I guess because my band and my solo stuff is all throughcomposed.
4 is a highlight - the harp section followed by the lazy guitar behind the flute solo into the guitar solo is incredible!
5 is great, too, the eastern vibe and then the Dimebag squeal into the guitar solo just rips! But, yeah, the fadeout... an act of audio heresy! Fucking, what the fuck!? Oh well.
The concluding track "A Story Never Told" finishes the album perfectly, the guitar solo at the end is sublime.
Totally agree with your thoughts on the production - it's perfect - and there's certainly no wasted space on the album.
I've listened to this album 4 times now. I cant remember shit in it.
Me too hahah
OMG thank you for mentioning the fadeouts literally WHY MIKAELLLL
Sequalitis vibes with the Dream Theater single comparison.
"Just wasted my fucking time!"
Genuinely love how you can articulately and passionately dissect a Great album from a fantastic band.
Now we need one for Blackwater Park
I've listened to it twice in full and a couple other songs a few more times. It's not my favourite Opeth album. I definitely think it's a step down from ICV which is easily my favourite "Newpeth" album and among my top 4 Opeth albums. As for Last Will and Testament, unlike other Opeth albums, I barely remember anything that happened after the album ends. The production is definitely good. I'd rather listen to this than the new Dream Theater singles, lol. Even if I don't get much out of a lot of the songwriting compared to other Opeth albums, the performance and production are so damn satisfying. It's a metal album where the drums actually sound like drums and not whatever half the metal records over the past decade are passing off as drums. I like actually hearing a drummer play drums. That's not out of the ordinary for Opeth, though, especially during their "Newpeth" era. All that said, it would not surprise me if this album grew on me over time.
YES! the quick as fuck fade out in Paragraph 5 is pissing me off too.
I'm a huge Opeth fan and i love all the Oldpeth albuns but don't really like the Newpeth albuns
They always sound "not enough" for me, have some prog stuff but not proggy enough, some heavy stuff but never heavy enough, but Last Will fixed that, he is very proggy and the heavy sections are actually heavy this time, the growls help a lot in that matter
I didn't have much problems understanding the music so i got a little surprised when you mention that the album is hard to listen to, for me the record sound very fun to listen to and that was something i was missing on the previous records, they bored me a lot
I watched some Mikael interviews and apparently this album gonna be the start of a new Opeth phase, i don't know what to spect but if they continue in this direction i will be glad
A lot of Sorceress and Heritage record influences in this record (from bWK to In Cauda influences. Absent The older stuff. Absent The acustic guitar . I ranked this record so far The same way . Same feelings
I would love to see a video like this for something like Melodies of Atonement