Opeth: The Last Will And Testament (2LP)

"'The Last Will and Testament' is a kind of concept album. A restless musical journey that in a way reflects my own relationship to music as a consumer," says band leader Mikael Åkerfeldt. "I pick up something here, discard something there. I adore music and hate it at the same time. This ambivalence leads me on a kind of creative path of my own, and then suddenly a collection of songs has emerged. At best, these songs are good enough to impress the band. Good enough for the powers that be in the industry. Good enough for you?! I love this record. I have to say (write) it that way. Maybe I'm even proud? I suppose there are some familiar ingredients in there. Most of our music comes from the same source, so it's no surprise if it's going to sound like 'us'. I'm a little impressed with what we've done with 'The Last Will and Testament'. It feels like a dream. I hope there's some 'coherence' and 'songwriting ability', but what do I know? I tend to favor the 'weird' over the 'obvious', but I feel like I'm in the minority, and that's a good thing. So... fair warning! Don't expect an instant rush (as usual), but if you 'get it' right away (have you gotten it yet?), that's fine too!"