News – Opeth Unveils New Single §3

Swedish prog legends Opeth will be releasing their 14th studio album, ‘The Last Will & Testament’, on 11th October 2024 via Reigning Phoenix Music / Moderbolaget! Following the critical acclaim of the album’s first single, the band is now revealing the second offering from record, §3.

900k Spotify listeners, 500M cross-platform streams, 1M+ albums sold, multiple #1 albums, Swedish Grammy wins and numerous multiple world tours – OPETH are one of the most important bands in metal music. Their unique sound and compelling storytelling made them a genre leader and highly respected artists among musicians and audiences alike. Opeth’s frontman Mikael Åkerfeldt comments, “So put yourself in my position for a minute: Your band has this new album. You like it. In fact, you love it! It’s got this elaborate concept running through all 8 songs on there. You’ve written it over the timespan of say 6 months, effective time. You’ve invested a lot of passion into putting it together. You’ve recorded it together with your friends/colleagues. You’ve had a good time in the process. Now, said album is on the verge of being released and you’re expected to talk about it. Prepare your audience for its coming. Talk it up! You do want people to hear it, right? You love the album so it should be easy, right? At this point, all you have to do is put together a few words for the new ‘single.’ But you’re confused with the use of the term ‘single,’ as you connect it to the olden days where ‘singles’ often had the word ‘hit’ next to it. And you know that won’t happen! Still you want people to hear it. Your loving ‘fans’ might think it’s awesome. But you don’t want to come across as a salesman. On top of that you’re not a complete self-absorbed asshole who thinks you’ve got the Midas touch (well….). Also you have a bad case of that inborn Swedish modesty, sprinkled with some impostor syndrome. What do you say? ‘§3′ is out now!’”

Opeth’s fourteenth album was written by Åkerfeldt, with lyrics conferred with Klara Rönnqvist Fors (The Heard, ex-Crucified Barbara). ‘The Last Will & 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 & 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. Åkerfeldt rolls out the red carpet for storied flautist and Jethro Tull main man 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”. ‘The Last Will & Testament ‘is gripping from start to finish, jaw-dropping inside and out, representing some of Opeth’s finest material to date. Just as Opeth welcomed many into its distressed arms over the years, the Swedes again deliver on the promise that great music always tells a compelling story—this time with growls.

Lineup: 

Mikael Åkerfeldt – Vocals, guitars 

Fredrik Åkesson – Guitars, backing vocals 

Martin Mendez – Bass guitar 

Waltteri Väyrynen – Drums and percussion 

Joakim Svalberg – Keyboards, backing vocals 

Special Guests: 

Ian Anderson (Jethro Tull) – spoken word (tracks 1, 2, 4, 7) // flute (tracks 4, 7) 

Joey Tempest (Europe) – backing vocals (track 2) 

Mirjam Åkerfeldt – spoken word (track 1) 

All Music and Lyrics written by Mikael Åkerfeldt 

Lyrical concept by Mikael Åkerfeldt, dramatic consultation by Klara Rönnqvist Fors 

Produced by Mikael Åkerfeldt 

Co-produced by Opeth and Stefan Boman 

Engineered by Stefan Boman, Joe Jones and Opeth 

Mixing by Stefan Boman and Mikael Åkerfeldt and Opeth at Atlantis and Hammerthorpe, Stockholm, Sweden 

Mastering and vinyl lacquer cut by Miles Showell at Abbey Road studios, London, UK Strings conducted by Dave Stewart at Angel Studios, London, UK Strings arrangement by Mikael Åkerfeldt and Dave Stewart 

Drum technicalities by Kit Cunningham Artwork by Travis Smith with directions from Mikael Åkerfeldt

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