Fredrik Åkesson recently discussed Opeth’s latest album ‘The Last Will And Testament’ with Australia’s Silver Tiger Media, reflecting on the growling vocals they revisited in the new songs.
“We knew about [the growling vocals coming back already] because that element has been with us all the time because we play a lot of those tracks live,” he said.
“And I noticed that Mikael [Åkerfeldt] seemed to think it’s fun again to do it, that he was commenting on his own ability in that element of his singing. Like, ‘Wow, that was really guttural this night,’ and stuff like that. I could tell just the vibe of him that he was enjoying it again. And that’s very important. If we bring the element back, it shouldn’t be there as a gimmick. It has to be a reason for it.”
“We knew, of course, there was gonna be a lot of talk about it,” the guitarist added, “but also it suits these songs and it’s also suits the concept. So, it’s not just about, yeah, a gimmick thing. And it also makes sense after doing four albums without it. And it’s always been a big part element of the band also. But I think it’s in a different way.”
Åkerfeldt wrote ‘The Last Will And Testament,’ which marked the return of death growls for the first time since 2008’s ‘Watershed,’ and co-produced with Stefan Boman. The new record saw release on November 22 to generally good reviews, charting in several countries including Germany, Sweden, and the UK.
‘The Last Will And Testament’ is a concept album that unfolds in the period after World War I. It tells the story of a rich, conservative man whose last wishes uncover deep family secrets. The narrative also includes the reactions of his twin children and their interactions with a girl with polio who is under the family’s care.
