Album Review: Eric Wagner – In The Lonely Light of Mourning (Cruz Del Sur Music)
On August 22, 2021, former Trouble singer Eric Wagner departed this world. His death cast a greater pall on an already difficult and trying year, a year where many of Eric’s devoted fans used his music as a balm for their souls. In an unintended twist of fate, Eric had put the finishing touches on his debut solo album, In the Lonely Light of Mourning mere weeks before his passing. It now serves as the definitive swansong for one of doom metal’s most beloved voices.
Eric Wagner’s posthumous solo album, In the Lonely Light of Mourning, will be released March 18th, 2022 via Cruz Del Sur Music.
This is a tough one to write about. Who cares if we like it or not? This is an album for all those who have loved and enjoyed Eric Wagner’s work. An album for fans to remember him and to appreciate what is now, his one and only solo record.
Being such an important figure in the doom world, it’s no surprise that his solo work is mainly focused on that sound. Bone-crushingly heavy, methodical but with bursts of energetic groove and Wagner’s inimitable vocals. The latter… it’s goose bumps stuff. The power, the smoothness and richness of each word that is sung and the old-school metal shrieks. All while the lyrical content hits harder because of his untimely passing.
Do tracks like Maybe Tomorrow, If You Lost It All and Walk with Me to The Sun have more impact lyrically because of that? Absolutely but this isn’t just an album to feel sad too. It’s a celebration of everything that made Eric Wagner such an important figure. A celebration of heaviness, a celebration of doom and with that, it’s also worth talking about the instruments that make this such a crunchy and crushing listen.
Guitars that mellow you out but are rich with riffs, hooks, groovy lines and have no qualms with throwing out a horn-throwing guitar solo or two. Percussion that meticulously pounds away, not dominating but notable. Touches of dark, sinister orchestration and cold, emotive melodies. It’s doom but varied and interesting enough to even hook in non-doom fans. Hell, the finale of Wish You Well is pure hard rock groove tinged with that memorable, core sound.
Head-bang as hard as possible, it’s what he would have wanted. A fitting finale to Eric Wagner’s music.
Eric Wagner – In the Lonely Light of Mourning Full Track Listing:
1. Rest in Place
2. Maybe Tomorrow
3. Isolation
4. If You Lost It All
5. Strain Theory
6. Walk with Me to The Sun
7. In the Lonely Light of Mourning
8. Wish You Well
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Eric Wagner - In The Lonely Light of Mourning (Cruz Del Sur Music)
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The Final Score - 9/10
9/10
