Album Review: The Last Will and Testament by Opeth

Opeth's inheritance is mixed. In order to identify the last time death metal growls were truly relevant in an Opeth record we'd have to wind the clock back sixteen years. Yep, Watershed was the last time death metal fans really rejoiced at the prospect of Opeth making heavy music, the band's legacy wrapped up in the progressive steps between Mikael Åkerfeldt's melodious croons and bellowing growls. Hell, even the music matched! There were riffs and heavy drum parts and a bass guitar that even noodled harder than a packet of dry hokkien.

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A drawback of being the mastermind behind one of metal’s most acclaimed bands is that no matter how much he might want to expand their sound into realms beyond heavy/extreme music, there will always be strong opposition from metal purists to anything new Mikael Åkerfeldt attempts. Metal's bizarre dichotomy - perpetually seeking new ways to define itself yet still firmly rooted in tradition - is reminiscent of the divide among jazz aficionados in the mid-20th century, when some refused to recognize the artistry of such experimental forms as bebop and free jazz. Or, to put it less diplomatically, metal is still dominated by middle-aged men who like to complain, bitterly and nonstop, about how Opeth singer/maestro Mikael Åkerfeldt abandoned his guttural, growled vocals in favor of clean, melodic singing in 2011.

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