Opeth explain how hit TV series Succession inspired new album The Last Will And Testament

Opeth in 2024, next to Brian Cox of Succession in 2024 — (Image credit: Terhi Ylimäinen | Pablo Cuadra/Getty Images)

Opeth have explained how hit HBO show Succession inspired the concept of upcoming album The Last Will And Testament.

Band leader Mikael Åkerfeldt talks about the impact of the programme, which centres on a family feuding for control of a media empire owned by their imposing patriarch, on the new record in a video uploaded to Opeth’s Instagram account.

“I have to say, even if it sounds cheesy, the series Succession [was an influence],” he states. “I watch that, love that, like pretty much everyone I talk to. That whole idea is fascinating to me: like, the fear of a parent. You want to please your father, in that case, and usurp the throne, kind of. Elbowing your way to the throne. How money and power can transform people into something that I guess they didn’t think they could become. Once you get that type of nugget of an idea, you just kind of freebase your way throughout the rest of the story.”

Åkerfeldt explains the concept of The Last Will And Testament during an interview in the new issue of Metal Hammer. “It takes place in the 1920s, or around that time,” he says. “A father dies and he’s a very conservative, stern old bastard who’s built a fortune. He has three children – two of which are twins, a man and woman who’ve now grown up, and another who’s a young girl who has this skeletal-type disfigurement like polio.”

The singer/guitarist continues: “They are all summoned to attend the reading of their father’s will, where they learn secrets about their lives and themselves, and ultimately who’s going to get the inheritance. It’s based on old ideals, where society hadn’t progressed as much as it has today, and it was fun to write those kinds of lyrics.”

Sonically, The Last Will And Testament marks Opeth’s return to death metal elements like growled vocals, last heard on the band’s 2008 album Watershed. Åkerfeldt has said that the dark concept of the album, as well as the input of bassist Martín Méndez and drummer Walterri Väyrynen, influenced the musical change. The move excited Opeth’s fanbase, to the point Åkerfeldt got a bit annoyed about it.

The Last Will And Testament’s release date was recently moved back to November 22. The album will come out via Moderbolaget and Reigning Phoenix Music.

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Louder’s resident Gojira obsessive was still at uni when he joined the team in 2017. Since then, Matt’s become a regular in Metal Hammer and Prog, at his happiest when interviewing the most forward-thinking artists heavy music can muster. He’s got bylines in The Guardian, The Telegraph, The Independent, NME and many others, too. When he’s not writing, you’ll probably find him skydiving, scuba diving or coasteering.