Opeth explained how popular the HBO series is Succession inspired the concept of their upcoming album The Last Will And Testament.
band leader, Mikael Åkerfeldtdiscusses the impact of the series, which focuses on a family in conflict over control of a media empire run by their powerful father, in a video uploaded to Opeth’s Instagram profile.
“I have to say, even if it sounds cliché, the series Succession had an impact,” he says. “I look at her, I adore her, as does practically everyone I talk to. This whole idea is fascinating to me: fear of parents. You want to make your father happy, in this case to take over the throne, in a way. You make your way to the throne. How money and power can reshape people into something I guess they never thought they could become. When you get such an idea, you simply start developing the story.”
Åkerfeldt explains the album’s concept The Last Will And Testament during the interview in the new edition Metal Hammer-and. “It’s set in the 1920s, or thereabouts,” he says. “Father is dying and he was a very conservative, strict old gentleman who had made a fortune. He has three children – two are twins, a man and a woman who are now adults, and the third is a young girl who has a skeletal deformity like polio.”
The singer and guitarist continues: “Everyone is invited to attend the reading of their father’s will, where they learn secrets about their lives and themselves, and in the end, who will receive the inheritance. The basis of everything is the old idealism, when society was not as advanced as it is today, and it was fun to write that kind of text.”
As for the sound, The Last Will And Testament marks Opeth’s return to death metal elements such as growl vocals, which were last present on the album Watershed from 2008. Åkerfeldt said that the album’s dark concept, as well as the contributions of bassist Martín Méndez and drummer Walterri Väyrynen, influenced the musical changes. This change excited Opeth’s audience to the point that Åkerfeldt became a little irritated by the excitement.
Release date The Last Will And Testament was recently moved to November 22. The album will be released via The parent company i Reigning Phoenix Music.
Source: balkanrock.com
