Longstanding purveyors of the elaborate and the unexpected in metal, time has merely exaggerated Opeth’s determination to be unique. This album, the Swedish prog-metal lords’ 14th, is probably its most ambitious to date – an eight-track production, the majority of which have no proper title, just § (as in, paragraph break) 1, 2 etc, documents the fall-out caused by a father figure’s last will and testament. Opeth’s attention to detail is never less than extraordinary, and it’s this that’s likely to initially impress before, perhaps, overwhelming the casual listener. § one combines melodic fanfare with death metal-friendly grunted vocals, soon building into genuinely haunting tunefulness. The musical background is a tour de force of showmanship and alternating form...