OPETH will step away from the road for a while once their current Latin American tour is over. Speaking to Brazil's 89 A Rádio Rock, bassist Martin Mendez said the run — which opened on November 1 in Santiago, Chile, and closes on November 11 in Mexico City — is the band's final stretch of touring for The Last Will And Testament.
"This is the last run for this album," Mendez said. "So after this one, we will take a pretty long break."
Asked whether the break is about rest or about a new record, he answered: "Both." The plan, he explained, is to relax and recover first, "get some new energy, and then start thinking about new music."
This time OPETH are playing full headline sets in the region, a change from their previous Latin American visit as a support act, so Mendez promised a longer show than fans got last time.
The comments line up with what Mikael Åkerfeldt said earlier this year about his uneasy relationship with touring. The frontman described life on the road as "like working in a factory," spoke of tour-related insomnia, and said he would rather spend more time writing new music than "repeating old music."
The Last Will And Testament, OPETH's 14th album, came out in 2024 on Reigning Phoenix Music and brought growled vocals back to the band's sound for the first time since 2008's Watershed. Earlier this year it was named Prog Album of the Year.