The Last Will and Testament

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.^[15][16] Except for the closing track "A Story Never Told", all song titles on this album consist solely of a section symbol (§) and a number from 1 to 7, rendered as Roman numerals (I to VII) on the physical variants. 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.^[16]

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.^[4][7]

The album's cover art, designed by Travis Smith, bears resemblance to The Shining's Overlook Hotel photo, which appears at the end of the film.^[17]