THE LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT

Not a big Opeth fan: lots of good musical ideas, but often too drawn out (especially the mellow parts). I'm neutral on the growls, but I don't like when they are extended over multiple measures and overshadow the interesting musicianship. As a punchy contrast, growls can be awesome. I honestly have not heard an Opeth album that really grabbed me, as much as I wanted them to, so I only bought this one because of the strong reviews. Prelude over.

THIS ALBUM IS AMAZING.

Concepts albums are creative feats, but it's often about the verbal explanation. This is an exceptional concept album in that you just have to open the digipak, look at the "will" that unfolds, and then immediately map that to the structure of the album. Truly genius, in my humble opinion. The music fits amazingly to the vortex of emotions that involve end of life issues, legacies, and family feuds. I don't know what I'm being told to think about the concept, but I can feel it, and then can map it out to real situations I have dealt with in life. Having laid that foundation in the concept, if the music is legit, then any of us can get lost in it when the music begins.

And the music takes the concept to another (times 10) level. The creativity, the musicianship, the attention to detail...it's astounding, and I simply can't get enough. I'm not a sound guy from a production standpoint, but I really can't believe how awesome this album sounds. Total clarity, no obvious fade ins/outs, the ability to hear every input, regardless of how many there might be at any given point. Then I consider the composition, and the rapidity of musical ideas, often kickstarted a measure or two before you might even expect a transition, and I'm in awe of the ambition and the execution.

And then there's the musicianship. I have not followed most of the guys on this album, but it's clear that they are some of the best out there. The drummer lays down some grooves that are so funky that I don't even want to think about what my face looks like when I hear it. The guitar is so languid, and perfectly layered in places, that it's hard to believe that quality is even achievable. And then, when you think you've got this death metal band tinkering with prog figured out, a synth/key will come in and just blow my mind--it's never a solo, either, which is a common form of wankery in prog, but instead a sonic assault to shake you out of your doldrums and prepare you for the coming guitar and vocal CRUNCH. I can't imagine counting the number of chord changes on this album, as sometimes things are changing from measure to measure. Truly a bottom-up listening experience!

I imagine the primary criticism of this will be about the clarity of the influences. We all know when Haken is doing Dream Theater, or when Neal Morse is doing Gentle Giant. I don't get those types of direct links in this album. Instead, I'm lost in the creativity, but I'm then periodically pulled out of my immersion thinking: that sounds like Focus, that sounds like Symphony X, that sounds like Leprous, that sounds like Anglagaard (side note: if one had the goal of taking the Anglagaard style and tweaking it to my liking, mission accomplished), and many, many more. I suppose I liken this to being served a new dish, and although you can compare it to other incredible meals you've had before, you know that, although you're limited to your previous languages and experiences, this new adventure is altogether novel and cannot be defined by those boundary conditions.

Perhaps my best experience of buying an album with limited expectations, opening and perusing the packaging, and then simply being hooked by the music within.