OPETH To Take 'A Long Break' After Completion Of Fall 2026 Latin American Tour

In a new interview with Brazil's 89 A Rádio Rock, OPETH bassist Martin Mendez was asked what fans can expect from the band's ongoing Latin American tour, which kicked off on November 1 in Santiago, Chile. Martin responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): " This time around we will have our own show. It's gonna be longer compared to the last [Latin American tour we did], [when] we were supporting great bands. So, yeah, it's gonna be a full show. And [I'm] pretty excited. This is the last run for this album. So after this one, we will take a pretty long break. So, yeah, [I'm] pretty excited and looking forward [to it]."

Asked if OPETH is taking a long break in order "to relax" or if there are plans for the band to work on a new album, Martin said: "Both. I think we need to relax first, and then recover, get some new energy, and then start thinking about new music. Yeah."

OPETH's Latin American tour will conclude on November 11 in Mexico City.

This past February, OPETH vocalist and guitarist Mikael Åkerfeldt told BLABBERMOUTH.NET that he doesn't "particularly enjoy touring that much. There are aspects that I do like. The shows in themselves are the highlight of the day, I would say," he explained. "But if you're not feeling it, they can also be a bit of a curse. I've been battling insomnia connected to touring, like nervousness. I put a lot of pressure on myself for some reason — more now than before. The insomnia has made me feel quite wobbly and insecure when we play shows. Once I'm up there, it's kind of business as usual. After a couple of songs, I don't feel as wobbly, and after a while, I might be able to enjoy it."

He continued: "Touring, for me, is like working in a factory. It doesn't feel 'musical' to me. We're chasing the recorded versions and trying to play them as perfectly as we can. Of course, we can never do that. We sound good; I think the band sounds better than ever. I sing well. We're tight. We are better than ever, but we're still chasing a ghost, I think, up there. I don't necessarily feel that it's creative work. It's repeating something that you did, in some cases, many years ago. When I'm in the zone and feel confident, I like that type of interaction with the crowd. Of course, I'm fucking amazed that people are coming to see us, more so now than ever. We're doing really well. I feel like an ungrateful bastard for not enjoying it as much, but it's always been like that for me. I love the creative work. I really want us spend more time writing music, as opposed to repeating old music."

Asked if it has always been like that, Mikael said: "Me, like many other people with my background, like musicians or artists, you want to 'make it.' In the early days of touring, that's exactly where I wanted to be. I'm a bum. I didn't have anything going for me in my working life until this band. I wanted to show the naysayers — basically, the whole of Swedish society — that it's a pipe dream to think you're going to play this weird music and that people will like it and travel the world. It felt impossible. Once I started touring a lot, I was exactly where I wanted to be. Then I guess we overdid it to some extent. That allure of touring lost its luster. After that, it was a normal thing for me. You do a record, then go on a world tour. Then it started to get less and less exciting. At the same time, I developed my musicality, so in that sense, I still feel that I have more and more to give. I'm constantly interrupted by the notion of touring and actual touring."

"The Last Will And Testament", OPETH's fourteenth studio album, was released in November 2024 via Reigning Phoenix Music/Moderbolaget. The LP 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. Visual artist Travis Smith returned to the fold, crafting his 11th cover, a haunting "photograph" reminiscent of Stanley Kubrick's infamous "Overlook Hotel" photograph. Miles Showell (ABBA, QUEEN) also revisited mastering and vinyl lacquer cutting at Abbey Road Studios in London.

Åkerfeldt rolled out the red carpet for storied flautist and JETHRO TULL mainman Ian Anderson. Not only do Anderson's signature notes fly on "§4" and "§7", he narrates on "§1", "§2", "§4", and "§7". 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".

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

Photo by Terhi Ylimäinen