PER WIBERG: All Is Well In The Land Of The Living But For The Rest Of Us . . . Lights Out (STONER): review / opinion to read on Music Waves

The former Opeth keyboardist released two years ago his first solo album, "Head Without Eyes", in a rock style sometimes garage, sometimes stoner, often dark. Per Wiberg is back in 2021 with his new EP, (hold your breath): "All Is Well In The Land Of The Living But For The Rest Of Us... Lights Out". In fact, the record is named after the 4 tracks that compose it when placed end to end.

'All Is Well' starts this EP, through a relatively minimalist format: a guitar, some sound effects and the voice of Per Wiberg. The track could remind of Yodelice's universe, with a kind of tension building up little by little, but then comes the first disappointment of the album since the track doesn't explode when we could expect it. 'In The Land Of The Living' follows with its stoner rock that could remind us of The Dandy Warhols in the atmosphere. The multi-instrumentalist seems to fall back into the ways of his first album from the second track. With more than 7 minutes on the clock and a track almost entirely in A minor throughout, the minutes seem to struggle to pass. While a real progression or a saving jump would have allowed to revitalize the whole, it is rather a feeling of monotony which settles.

'But For The Rest Of Us', the only instrumental track, reminds us of the frightening and almost unhealthy atmosphere of the Swede's first album. The very mysterious atmosphere of the dark piano reminds of a scene from a scary movie. The cover itself, in the choice of the font of the name of the album, in its darkness and its strangeness, can make think of the poster of a horror movie of the time and characterizes well the palpable tension which develops in the first minutes of the title. This beginning would have looked good on an Opeth track, when the keyboardist was still in the band. Only, as on the previous track, the piece takes time to take off. The EP closes on a positive note, 'Light Outs', really being a step above the other tracks. The chord progressions are mysterious, the chorus with vocal harmonies is unsettling and reminiscent of Alice In Chains, the stoner vibe fits the track perfectly and the guitar solo fits the track perfectly.

With only one really good track out of the four, this EP lacks conviction in spite of very pleasant and successful dark ambiences. As on the first album, half of the tracks seem to stretch too long to captivate the listening until the end and lack revival and dynamism to arouse the attention and the interest. Compositional defects which, once rectified, could have given the tracks a really interesting dimension. - Official website

PER WIBERG

ALL IS WELL IN THE LAND OF THE LIVING BUT FOR THE REST OF US . . . LIGHTS OUT

DESPOTZ RECORDS

STONER