MIKAEL ÅKERFELDT On IAN ANDERSON's Guest Appearance On New OPETH Album: 'It's Amazing That He's On Our Record'

In a new interview with Full Metal Jackie's nationally syndicated radio show, OPETH guitarist/vocalist Mikael Åkerfeldt discussed the band's upcoming album, "The Last Will And Testament", which will arrive on November 22 via Reigning Phoenix Music/Moderbolaget. On the record, Åkerfeldt rolls out the red carpet for storied flautist and JETHRO TULL mainman Ian Anderson. Not only do Anderson's signature notes fly on the songs "§4" and "§7", he narrates on "§1", "§2", "§4" and "§7".

Asked if it is true that Anderson playing flute on "The Last Will And Testament" was more of an afterthought after he was initially sought out for the narration, Mikael said: "It's no great secret, if you know this band, that [Ian is] one of the biggest influences for me — in more ways than just being a great musician, which he is, and a songwriter, just like a band leader as well. So I'm one of those guys, who, if I go on YouTube, I don't check Fail Army [videos] or whatever it's called, I go to, to look at interviews with people like Ian Anderson, Ritchie Blackmore, Joni Mitchell and stuff like that. But in this case, Ian Anderson's interviews that I found, I just thought that his voice was, like, that's a cool-sounding voice. And once the narrating aspect of this album popped into my head, I was, like, it has to be him. So that's why I reached out to him. He just had a fucking great voice. So I put him in there, or asked him to do this. And I think he was a bit surprised — at least he told me [he was]. He actually said it was surprising that somebody, as opposed to asking for a flute thing, which he's really famous for, of course, was asking for him to speak on a record. And he's, like, 'I can't recall if I ever had that question before.' So he accepted, and I was so happy, and it came out so good. But then he asked on an e-mail, like, 'Do you need some flute as well?' And I was, like, I said, 'Yes, yes, yes, Ian, I do. I do need some flute.' But at the time, I didn't really have a part for it. I just knew that I can't waste this opportunity. So I just shuffled through the songs and found this part on the song called 'Paragraph 4' that had like a slower section that would be perfect for him. So I sent that to him and he sent this awesome flute solo back."

Mikael added: "I've been hunting this guy for 15 years or something like that. He was asked to be on the 'Heritage' record, but didn't respond then. So now it's kind of — I don't know — it's amazing that he's on our record. It's crazy.

"I'm actually going to see them. I'm hoping to give him a bottle of something to say thanks, because he didn't want pay either. I couldn't pay him. So it's just amazing."

"The Last Will And Testament" was written by Åkerfeldt, with lyrics conferred with Klara Rönnqvist Fors (THE HEARD, ex-CRUCIFIED BARBARA). "The Last Will And Testament" was co-produced by Åkerfeldt and Stefan Boman (GHOST, THE HELLACOPTERS),engineered by Boman, Joe Jones (KILLING JOKE, ROBERT PLANT) and OPETH, with Boman, Åkerfeldt and the rest of OPETH mixing at Atlantis and Hammerthorpe Studios in Stockholm. The strings on "The Last Will And Testament" were arranged by Åkerfeldt and returning prog friend Dave Stewart (EGG, KHAN) and conducted by Stewart at Angel Studios in London. Not one to miss a beat, visual artist Travis Smith returns to the fold, crafting his 11th cover, a haunting "photograph" reminiscent of Stanley Kubrick's infamous "Overlook Hotel" photograph. Miles Showell (ABBA, QUEEN) also revisits mastering and vinyl lacquer cutting at Abbey Road Studios in London.

Joining Anderson, EUROPE's Joey Tempest lends a backing vocal hand on "§2", while Åkerfeldt's youngest daughter, Mirjam Åkerfeldt, is the disembodied voice in "§1".

"The Last Will And Testament" is a concept album set in the post-World War I era, unfolding the story of a wealthy, conservative patriarch whose last will and testament reveals shocking family secrets. The narrative weaves through the patriarch's confessions, the reactions of his twin children, and the mysterious presence of a polio-ridden girl who the family have taken care of. The album begins with the reading of the father's will in his mansion. Among those in attendance is a young girl, who, despite being an orphan and polio-ridden, has been raised by the family. Her presence at the will reading raises suspicions and questions among the twins.

"The Last Will And Testament" is also the band's most fearlessly progressive. A concept album recounting the reading of one recently deceased man's will to an audience of his surviving family members, it brims with haunting melodrama, shocking revelations and some of the wildest and most unpredictable music that Åkerfeldt has ever written.

The follow-up to 2019's widely acclaimed "In Cauda Venenum", "The Last Will And Testament" is set in the shadowy, sepia-stained 1920s. It slowly reveals its secrets like some classic thriller from the distant, cobwebbed past, with each successive song shining more light on the stated machinations of our dead (but definitely not harmless) protagonist. The emotional chaos of the story is perfectly matched by OPETH's vivid but claustrophobic soundtrack, which artfully winds its way towards a crestfallen but sumptuous finale. Masters of their own idiosyncratic musical domain, OPETH have never sounded more unique.

"The Last Will And Testament" is destined to be a milestone in OPETH's illustrious recorded history. Only one of the album's eight songs has a title: closing ballad "A Story Never Told". The rest are simply labeled as numbered chapters in this slowly unfolding saga of deceit, recrimination and betrayal. Enigmatic, unsettling and immersive, "The Last Will And Testament" is a turbulent, prog metal tale like no other.

Making his recorded debut alongside OPETH's long-established lineup of Åkerfeldt, guitarist Fredrik Åkesson, bassist Martin Mendez and keyboard maestro Joakim Svalberg on "The Last Will And Testament" is new drummer Waltteri Väyrynen, who joined the band in 2022.

OPETH has just embarked on a North American tour. The trek, which kicked off on October 11 in Milwaukee, includes stops in New York, Los Angeles, Toronto, Washington, D.C., Atlanta, New Orleans, Austin, Denver and more.