Draped in death
The howl of lore
Draped (draped)
In death (in death)
The howl (the howl)
Of lore (of lore)
Alas, my time is at an end
I have wallowed in self-pity
When I confessed to you
As part of final plight
Draped in death
The howl of lore
This is the last will and testament of father
The last will and testament of father
A syndicates mass in the waiting room
Like spiders weave
And rumors spread fast above regal tombs
Enacted grief
I will here unearth the secrets I've been hiding, hiding, hiding
Guide my children through my trials
Put your trust (put your trust)
In my command (in my command)
I thin the blood (I thin the blood)
I lift my hand (I lift my hand)
Draped in death
The howl of lore
(Draped in death)
(The howl of lore)
The last will and testament of father
Hear the last will and testament of father
Opeth - The Last Will And Testament Album Lyrics
Opeth - The Last Will And Testament Lyrics
Writer: Mikael Akerfeldt
Copyright: Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Copyright: Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
§2
A child in the night
Cursed to survive
Love like quicksand
And deflowered maid in tow
My woes
Yet I wandered through the gilded halls
Dreadful daughter of wretched martyr
Sick to marrow and to bone
Your fevered mother would care and bother
Loved her like one of her own
Her words
The word of Christ tells us to forgive transgressions (forgive)
It is through him we can distinguish right from wrong (scold me)
A penurious handmaid gave birth to a girl in our care (cleanse me)
We are compelled to persevere in place of the estranged father
Until his return
Bestowed upon my weary head
Was a secret (veiled and untold)
But your mother was dying faster
And by my penance, in disarray
Her ruin looking on
A delinquent's confession
Death, her bane and protector
Placidly waited 'neath the scorching moon
For yield
(A descendant daughter)
Snow made white the street of her dreams
And on that night I authored said theme (hear them)
Through these words I extend my hand to salvation (save me)
And this writ may overturn the rich and reward the poor (forever)
You have learned that my blood has flown to clandestine bournes (my sins)
And I reject pre-destined wealth in the hand of inequity
Tragic, the idle hands of progeny
(Reclaim your soul)
There is a rising tide of sorrow, sister
There is a rising tide of sorrow, brother
There is a rising tide of sorrow, sister
The rise of the waxing sun tomorrow
Cursed to survive
Love like quicksand
And deflowered maid in tow
My woes
Yet I wandered through the gilded halls
Dreadful daughter of wretched martyr
Sick to marrow and to bone
Your fevered mother would care and bother
Loved her like one of her own
Her words
The word of Christ tells us to forgive transgressions (forgive)
It is through him we can distinguish right from wrong (scold me)
A penurious handmaid gave birth to a girl in our care (cleanse me)
We are compelled to persevere in place of the estranged father
Until his return
Bestowed upon my weary head
Was a secret (veiled and untold)
But your mother was dying faster
And by my penance, in disarray
Her ruin looking on
A delinquent's confession
Death, her bane and protector
Placidly waited 'neath the scorching moon
For yield
(A descendant daughter)
Snow made white the street of her dreams
And on that night I authored said theme (hear them)
Through these words I extend my hand to salvation (save me)
And this writ may overturn the rich and reward the poor (forever)
You have learned that my blood has flown to clandestine bournes (my sins)
And I reject pre-destined wealth in the hand of inequity
Tragic, the idle hands of progeny
(Reclaim your soul)
There is a rising tide of sorrow, sister
There is a rising tide of sorrow, brother
There is a rising tide of sorrow, sister
The rise of the waxing sun tomorrow
Writer: Mikael Akerfeldt
Copyright: Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Copyright: Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
§3
All was still
When I broke the seal
In dwindling Winter morning shades
I knew a ransom must be paid out
Apostasy, a curse on me?
The weaker vessel secure under grace of God
Matrimonial locks, skeleton key
She pursue my gaze on her
A dance within a masquerade
The servants ransom culled and laid out
Hereditary cornucopia (hereditary cornucopia)
This dire desire for wealth
The lure of a prosperous well
Disfigured child won't die young
The hearts of us all she has won
(But you must leave here)
Silent curtsy, tearful bliss
(God bless you)
Carnal shame, a secret treaty
The lovers bond
When I broke the seal
In dwindling Winter morning shades
I knew a ransom must be paid out
Apostasy, a curse on me?
The weaker vessel secure under grace of God
Matrimonial locks, skeleton key
She pursue my gaze on her
A dance within a masquerade
The servants ransom culled and laid out
Hereditary cornucopia (hereditary cornucopia)
This dire desire for wealth
The lure of a prosperous well
Disfigured child won't die young
The hearts of us all she has won
(But you must leave here)
Silent curtsy, tearful bliss
(God bless you)
Carnal shame, a secret treaty
The lovers bond
Writer: Mikael Akerfeldt
Copyright: Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Copyright: Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
§4
And now in tranquil fortitude
The shifting sands of time
I was sick with fever (he's sick with fever)
Hand on the hymns (collapsing, expiring)
Ashen eyes, delirium (no)
Soliloquy, suspirium
No, no, no
A lock on the sanctum
One of the cursed (one of the cursed)
Forever in debt
Daughter, my unfortunate son
I bequeath you verity
Twins, usurping strands of flesh
You are not mine
Poisoned loins of mother
Cursed my vigorous seed
Longing for a child and my love for her
Birthed a controversial plan
Her eye on him
One so ordinary, soon in nameless grave
The bane of my existence
Sordid flesh communion
Gold in mouth, he impregnates
(Why)
Swallowed my shame
Like a man of affairs
With lineage and name
Still fast my prayers
The shifting sands of time
I was sick with fever (he's sick with fever)
Hand on the hymns (collapsing, expiring)
Ashen eyes, delirium (no)
Soliloquy, suspirium
No, no, no
A lock on the sanctum
One of the cursed (one of the cursed)
Forever in debt
Daughter, my unfortunate son
I bequeath you verity
Twins, usurping strands of flesh
You are not mine
Poisoned loins of mother
Cursed my vigorous seed
Longing for a child and my love for her
Birthed a controversial plan
Her eye on him
One so ordinary, soon in nameless grave
The bane of my existence
Sordid flesh communion
Gold in mouth, he impregnates
(Why)
Swallowed my shame
Like a man of affairs
With lineage and name
Still fast my prayers
Writer: Mikael Akerfeldt
Copyright: Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Copyright: Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
§5
Starless (starless)
And darkness waning slowly
A cold enigma
Would move me forward
Oh, hapless life
Now I pledge to you
All secrets revealed now
In paragraphs
(Trust me)
Over time you will heal
(Spit on or tend to my grave)
A man saved from a damnation's winter
And the corpse of your father was entombed
He's my haunting phantasma and my plague
Conjured up persecution of my virtue
My internal collapse and spiritual leprosy
A lord Juggernaut
Like the bearer of death, waiting
Decrepit strategies set, contaminating
Eating bits of wretched throne forevermore
Found no traction in this haze
Defiled, I'd long for sleep
A tainted family
In a tainted century
Could I justify my reasoning?
A gray mistake
A sunken cold back light
He was of inferior class, a servant to me
Ha, the irony in this perverted odyssey
If our father's word is true
We're bastards too
It's a riddle? No
Or a caper? No
A mockery? No
A deception? No
My sickly daughter looking on bewildered
A jewel in our hierarchy
My exalted successor, rise
In my life
I've asked of you
Take care of your kin, child
And their blood runs in mine
Over time you will kneel
Over time you will kneel
Rid yourselves of this abomination
In reverence, uprooted you are
And in the summary coming
The proverbial sanctum of mine is up for debate
The execution of will
The crowning of an heiress
You are tethered to command
Requiem devised and signed by hand
You are tethered to command
Requiem devised and-
And darkness waning slowly
A cold enigma
Would move me forward
Oh, hapless life
Now I pledge to you
All secrets revealed now
In paragraphs
(Trust me)
Over time you will heal
(Spit on or tend to my grave)
A man saved from a damnation's winter
And the corpse of your father was entombed
He's my haunting phantasma and my plague
Conjured up persecution of my virtue
My internal collapse and spiritual leprosy
A lord Juggernaut
Like the bearer of death, waiting
Decrepit strategies set, contaminating
Eating bits of wretched throne forevermore
Found no traction in this haze
Defiled, I'd long for sleep
A tainted family
In a tainted century
Could I justify my reasoning?
A gray mistake
A sunken cold back light
He was of inferior class, a servant to me
Ha, the irony in this perverted odyssey
If our father's word is true
We're bastards too
It's a riddle? No
Or a caper? No
A mockery? No
A deception? No
My sickly daughter looking on bewildered
A jewel in our hierarchy
My exalted successor, rise
In my life
I've asked of you
Take care of your kin, child
And their blood runs in mine
Over time you will kneel
Over time you will kneel
Rid yourselves of this abomination
In reverence, uprooted you are
And in the summary coming
The proverbial sanctum of mine is up for debate
The execution of will
The crowning of an heiress
You are tethered to command
Requiem devised and signed by hand
You are tethered to command
Requiem devised and-
Writer: Mikael Akerfeldt
Copyright: Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Copyright: Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
§6
Corpus of mist
Revived in gist
Sullen woes deep in the mire
In essence only mine to bear
Who would reside 'neath the spire?
A house to grant an heir
This dreadful tomb
Primeval memories
Tragedies of future past
Now chained to your neck
From father to child
Veiled in dust for the ages
A memento close to heart (our hearts)
Vanquish mythology
Drain the well
Burn the orchard
Break the spell
Purge your darkness
As I bid farewell
Forge your trail
In the event of fortuity
Remember grief is a fickle sickness
So-so-so wear it always
Wear it with love
Fervent and endless
The golden Argus
With daughter above
Proprietor of the lion's share
Be the vindication of me
God is watching over you
He will guide your way
He is river of grace
Through the barren state of our time
Revived in gist
Sullen woes deep in the mire
In essence only mine to bear
Who would reside 'neath the spire?
A house to grant an heir
This dreadful tomb
Primeval memories
Tragedies of future past
Now chained to your neck
From father to child
Veiled in dust for the ages
A memento close to heart (our hearts)
Vanquish mythology
Drain the well
Burn the orchard
Break the spell
Purge your darkness
As I bid farewell
Forge your trail
In the event of fortuity
Remember grief is a fickle sickness
So-so-so wear it always
Wear it with love
Fervent and endless
The golden Argus
With daughter above
Proprietor of the lion's share
Be the vindication of me
God is watching over you
He will guide your way
He is river of grace
Through the barren state of our time
Writer: Mikael Akerfeldt
Copyright: Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Copyright: Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
§7
And now time to say goodbye
I vow to lovelorn Gemini
As part of paragraph seven, I bestow upon you both
A number of artifacts of immense personal value to me
Wearing the family crest
I hope they can serve as a reminder of the fragility of heritage
A, a king's (a king's)
Child (child)
A king's (a king's)
Scion blood from me
Effectively, these heirlooms are in essence worthless
Still, I consider them a token of my innermost sympathy
Pass them on to generations to come
The liberation of the wealthy once perpetually shackled by greed
The wretched instead, elated and basking in solace
In a flock of kings, I am iconoclast
Broken bloodline seeping to emptiness
A melancholic victory, a triumph for heresy
Saved a daughter in line of disaster
Cursed
Shed no tears on your maker's tomb
A, a king's (a king's)
Child (child)
Scion (scion)
Deus, Patriam, Rex, Sanguis
I vow to lovelorn Gemini
As part of paragraph seven, I bestow upon you both
A number of artifacts of immense personal value to me
Wearing the family crest
I hope they can serve as a reminder of the fragility of heritage
A, a king's (a king's)
Child (child)
A king's (a king's)
Scion blood from me
Effectively, these heirlooms are in essence worthless
Still, I consider them a token of my innermost sympathy
Pass them on to generations to come
The liberation of the wealthy once perpetually shackled by greed
The wretched instead, elated and basking in solace
In a flock of kings, I am iconoclast
Broken bloodline seeping to emptiness
A melancholic victory, a triumph for heresy
Saved a daughter in line of disaster
Cursed
Shed no tears on your maker's tomb
A, a king's (a king's)
Child (child)
Scion (scion)
Deus, Patriam, Rex, Sanguis
Writer: Mikael Akerfeldt
Copyright: Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Copyright: Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
A Story Never Told
A story never told
A child in for surprise
A mother's heart is on hold
A father well disguised
There is a road that leads to home
In stories never told
A story never told
A man that saved a child
His withered heart on hold
Beating for a lie
There is a road that leads to home
In stories never told
Now just a name in soon forgotten tales
Guileful circles of the past
A story never told
And waiting in the skies
A man's withered heart on hold
His heiress wears a stranger's eyes
A child in for surprise
A mother's heart is on hold
A father well disguised
There is a road that leads to home
In stories never told
A story never told
A man that saved a child
His withered heart on hold
Beating for a lie
There is a road that leads to home
In stories never told
Now just a name in soon forgotten tales
Guileful circles of the past
A story never told
And waiting in the skies
A man's withered heart on hold
His heiress wears a stranger's eyes
Writer: Mikael Akerfeldt
Copyright: Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Copyright: Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
The Last Will and Testament is the fourteenth studio album by Swedish progressive metal band Opeth. The album was originally set to be released on 11 October 2024 through Reigning Phoenix Music, but was pushed back to 22 November 2024 due to manufacturing delays.
This is the band's first studio album since In Cauda Venenum (2019), and the first release with drummer Waltteri Väyrynen, who in 2022 officially replaced Martin Axenrot after his departure the year before.It also marks the return of death metal elements such as death growls not used since Watershed (2008).
The album is a concept album set in the post-World War I era, unfolding the story of a wealthy, conservative patriarch (whose wife is infertile) whose last will and testament reveals shocking family secrets. The album begins with the reading of the father's will in his mansion. Among those in attendance are three siblings, twin boys and 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 twins are the result of a donor procreation. During the reading of the will, the twins find out that they are not related to the patriarch, and consequently they are left out of the will. The girl is the patriarch's only child by blood and so she is his true heiress, although she is the daughter of the patriarch's maid.
Nearly all songs on this album start with a section symbol and a Roman numeral from Ⅰ to Ⅶ next to it in their title, except for the closing track "A Story Never Told"; this was explained by frontman Mikael Åkerfeldt:
"The lyrics are like the reading of the testament. That's why the songs don't have titles, just paragraph one... two... down to seven."
The album received acclaim from critics and fans alike. It was praised as a return to form, akin to earlier efforts like Ghost Reveries and Watershed, while simultaneously expanding upon the prog-infused sound established in the band's recent catalogue, especially since Pale Communion. Ian Anderson's contributions were also singled out for praise.
-Wikipedia
Performed By:
OpethThis is the band's first studio album since In Cauda Venenum (2019), and the first release with drummer Waltteri Väyrynen, who in 2022 officially replaced Martin Axenrot after his departure the year before.It also marks the return of death metal elements such as death growls not used since Watershed (2008).
The album is a concept album set in the post-World War I era, unfolding the story of a wealthy, conservative patriarch (whose wife is infertile) whose last will and testament reveals shocking family secrets. The album begins with the reading of the father's will in his mansion. Among those in attendance are three siblings, twin boys and 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 twins are the result of a donor procreation. During the reading of the will, the twins find out that they are not related to the patriarch, and consequently they are left out of the will. The girl is the patriarch's only child by blood and so she is his true heiress, although she is the daughter of the patriarch's maid.
Nearly all songs on this album start with a section symbol and a Roman numeral from Ⅰ to Ⅶ next to it in their title, except for the closing track "A Story Never Told"; this was explained by frontman Mikael Åkerfeldt:
"The lyrics are like the reading of the testament. That's why the songs don't have titles, just paragraph one... two... down to seven."
The album received acclaim from critics and fans alike. It was praised as a return to form, akin to earlier efforts like Ghost Reveries and Watershed, while simultaneously expanding upon the prog-infused sound established in the band's recent catalogue, especially since Pale Communion. Ian Anderson's contributions were also singled out for praise.
-Wikipedia
Genre(s): Progressive death metal
Producer(s): Mikael Åkerfeldt, Opeth, Stefan Boman, Dave Stewart
Length: 50:52
Released: November 22nd, 2024
Year: 2024