Eric Wagner, best known for his work with the band Trouble, had had an illustrious musical career. He had been part of multiple bands across the breadth of his musical journey, predominantly in the genre of Doom Metal. I happened to review his last album Blackfinger – “When Colours Fade Away” which got me hooked on to his ingenious style and experimentation with vocal delivery. Some of the other bands that he was part of were The Skull and Lid, and now the posthumously released solo album, “In the Lonely light of Mourning”.
Covid has been tough on the whole world, and the Metal fraternity wasn’t spared either. We lost Eric (at the age of 62) in 2021, to complications arising due to Covid. What’s amazing though is that during his final time, he recorded his solo album giving us something more to remember him by. Eric’s legendary voice has found its place in Doom Metal and will forever remain etched in our minds.
“Rest in Place” opens up the album with a rumbling bassline, and as the rugged guitar riffs follow we hear Eric’s melancholic voice (& lyrics) reverberating, building on to heavy Doom formulaic that ends abruptly, mid-way, totally unexpected. Don’t know if I should find some meaning through this. “Maybe Tomorrow” pulls out a crunchy guitar riff loaded with plenty of overdrive, with staccato guitar solo keeping the groove going and all was layered beautifully with Eric’s vocals. The lyrics terrified me a bit given that this came to be a posthumous album, and it felt like Eric knew this could be his last record.
“Isolation” gets groovy with a crafty guitar riff, and the guitar tones bring about something crisp in the song’s delivery, but as the song takes a bit of a breakdown and lyrics hit us hard, and did I hear, “Victims of the Insane”? Cello barrages in “If you lost it all” and sets a melancholic backdrop with the lyrics and vocals adding the elements of despair, and giving a truly morose overtone to this song. To come up with such a song, one must have indeed gone through loneliness and sadness.
“Strain Theory” got some heavy guitar riffs looming in and setting in a doom overtone, and Eric’s vocal delivery adds a flair and gets the song grooving. The songs’ choppy style boasts an eclectic guitar riff which cuts through the song like fine knife and still holds the mix together. “Walk with me to the Sun” delves on the formulaic and delivers an overall crunchy sound, the vocals are clad with doom elements and the groove doesn’t leave the song.
“In the lonely light of mourning”, starts off on a downbeat, marred with melancholic lyrics and as it builds its way to the main verse, it drops back its beat. The chorus brings all the elements doom and as we tread through the song, the despair just builds and builds. We end this Epitaph with “Wish you well” which is nowhere closer to any of its predecessors, and is a complete opposite of what I’ve heard so far; upbeat, filled with joy, positive lyrics and maybe a candidate for the middle of the album rather than placing it for the end. The outro completely took me to Led Zepplin’s “Kashmir” and maybe Opeth’s “Karma” for an instant.
Production – The album is produced well with balanced tones. All the instruments have had their fair share.
Conclusion – This album reminds us that life is short, and one should have no regrets whatsoever one decides to do with one’s life. Be it building a legacy, or living life at one’s own terms, there’s just not enough room for regrets.
Rating: 7/10
Written by: Ankit Sood
Band Members:
Eric Wagner – Everything
Chuck Robinson – Guitars
Ron Holzner – Bass
Dave Synder – Drums
Track Listing:
- Rest in Place
- Maybe Tomorrow
- Isolation
- If you lost it all
- Strain Theory
- Walk with me to the Sun
- In the Lonely light of the Mourning
- Wish you well
Video for ‘In the Lonely Light of Mourning’
Video for ‘Maybe Tomorrow’
