There has been so much hype surrounding the release of this record, and it all centres around one thing: the return of the growl. Now, depending on which clickbait metal site you read, you may be forgiven for thinking that this was a return to Blackwater Park era Opeth. Well, it is not! But, it is a damn fine album.

I love the whole imagery around this new album, from the sepia toned black & white cover art, the subject matter of the gathering of a family for the reading out a will, and best of all is the music. I can see why Mikael brought back the screams for this one as it fits the narrative perfectly. Yes, it’s heavy at times and it’s equally as progressive, especially with the inclusion of Ian Anderson as a type of narrator.

This is the album that keeps on giving. I’ve played it through about 15 times as of right now and I keep picking up on new things with each listen that just blow me away. It’s tough to pick a favourite track because I love it as a whole piece, and the flow of the album is superb.

My copy has disappeared into the void due to the postal strike, so I had to bite the bullet and Amazon came to the rescue .I couldn’t wait any longer. Has Mikael out progged his buddy SW? I would say yes, especially on the back of the last two SW solo albums.

Great album and very worthy of…

10/10 from The Grooveman.