Opeth - Part Ways With Keyboardist Per Wiberg
Keyboardist Per Wiberg has been relieved of his duties in Opeth as part of a mutual decision with the band. Keyboard duties on upcoming tours will be handled by a musician who is already rehearsing with the band. Said musician's identity will be released at a later date.
Vocalist/guitarist Mikael Åkerfeldt released the following statement about the matter: "Well, it's been somewhat of a revolving door of members during the last couple of years, and now, Per is no longer a member. Mendez, Axe and Fredrik and I came to the decision that we should find a replacement for Per right after the recordings of the new album, and this came as no surprise to Per. He had, in turn, been thinking about leaving, so you could say it was a mutual decision. There's no bad blood, just a relationship that came to an end, and that's that. We wish Per the best, and he did a splendid job recording keyboards for the last record, which stands as his final recording with Opeth."
Opeth remain hard at work on their next as-yet-untitled album, which follows up 2008's critically acclaimed Watershed. The album is due out this Fall on Roadrunner Records.
[Big thanks goes out to [user_id]105265[/user_id], [user_id]28597[/user_id], [user_id]98727[/user_id], [user_id]12981[/user_id] and [user_id]30497[/user_id] for sending in this clearly super-important news!]
Vocalist/guitarist Mikael Åkerfeldt released the following statement about the matter: "Well, it's been somewhat of a revolving door of members during the last couple of years, and now, Per is no longer a member. Mendez, Axe and Fredrik and I came to the decision that we should find a replacement for Per right after the recordings of the new album, and this came as no surprise to Per. He had, in turn, been thinking about leaving, so you could say it was a mutual decision. There's no bad blood, just a relationship that came to an end, and that's that. We wish Per the best, and he did a splendid job recording keyboards for the last record, which stands as his final recording with Opeth."
Opeth remain hard at work on their next as-yet-untitled album, which follows up 2008's critically acclaimed Watershed. The album is due out this Fall on Roadrunner Records.
[Big thanks goes out to [user_id]105265[/user_id], [user_id]28597[/user_id], [user_id]98727[/user_id], [user_id]12981[/user_id] and [user_id]30497[/user_id] for sending in this clearly super-important news!]
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| BaneConall Fart Enthusiast Posts: 251 |
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| Bad English Tage Westerlund Posts: 62020  |
Good, they dont need ceys , more accustic tracks and clean vox or something like 1th album, keys IMO ruion Opeth
---- I stand whit Ukraine and Israel. They have right to defend own citizens. Stormtroopers of Death - "Speak English or Die"  I better die, because I never will learn speek english, so I choose dieing
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| Fat & Sassy! Elite Posts: 3857  |
And their replacement will be a giraffe on oboe; their next album will be the most progressive, emotive, poetic and inspiring album ever. Have you ever looked up "perfection" in the dictionary? There is a picture of Blackwater Park's album artwork and a giraffe playing an oboe. I swear to god. It's beautiful.
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| Damnated_Soul Posts: 33  |
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| Chris Akerfeldt Posts: 6 |
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| Doc G. Full Grown Hoser Staff Posts: 9718  |
Departures have never really turned out positive for this band. I mean, look at the significant drop they took in quality after Lindgren left. Then again...Their best albums were before Per joined anyways...Either way, I don't see their next album being all that good.
---- "I got a lot of really good ideas, problem is, most of them suck." - George Carlin
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| cluster53 Posts: 23 |
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| shadowdragonfly1 Posts: 72 |
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| INÆRIS Posts: 204  |
Well, that's how it goes I guess. I hope the new person fits the bill. I'm not liking how vague they are about everything though. The album's finished, but we know absolutely nothing about it. Oh, and there's a new guy, but it's not like its a big deal. I'm hopeful for the new record, but damn they could be nicer to their fans. No use being suspenseful and hiding who this guy is unless they have Chopin or Liszt playing keys for them now or something. That would be a big deal. Just think how cool it would be if Dan Swano started playing keys for Opeth and doing backup vox. Wow this is going nowhere. I'm out.
---- Still Life, Still Death
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| LoudBoy26 Posts: 41 |
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| opeth771 Posts: 173 |
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| Marcus Doit Like Bernie Posts: 642  |
Probably won't matter considering Akerfeldt seems to be the driving force behind all songwriting anyways.
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| Dark Blood The Avenger Posts: 1435  |
Written by Marcus on 07.04.2011 at 03:19 You're right. But he's a nice keyboardist and it's a shame to see him leave the band. And so it was for Peter Lindgren... and Martin Lopez... Oh well, doesn't matter. Good luck for Per.
---- It is humanity who must pay homage to the greatness of the Universe... not the Universe to the human narcissism. 
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| Arcticus Posts: 188  |
Written by Bad English on 06.04.2011 at 23:20 They're going to find a replacement, so they'll still have a keyboardist. Mikael will do what he wants regardless, so if he wants keys, there will be keys.
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| wormdrink414 Elite Posts: 1295  |
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| NocturnalStalker Metal Addict Posts: 889  |
That's definitely sad news as Per is a great keyboard player (Mike himself called him the best metal keyboard player) and a nice guy too. I don't think it will have a great impact on the future Opeth music, though, as Mike still holds the reins. And I believe the new album is gonna be impressive as always. Well, good luck to Per with Spiritual Beggars and all his future musical projects.
---- "And we are not who we think we are We are who we're afraid to be" - Lux Occulta "The Opening of Eleventh Sephirah"
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| Tenski Posts: 90  |
Written by Doc G. on 06.04.2011 at 23:52 Doc you serious?? Opeth is all around solid and never lost their magical touch. Disagree, their next is said to be brilliant in regards to Steven Wilsons statements. 
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| Doc G. Full Grown Hoser Staff Posts: 9718 |
Written by Tenski on 07.04.2011 at 07:17 The latest sounded like such a soulless wankfest to me. Gone are the days when they used to have a little ambiance, and actually well thought out songs with a little flow. It's seems they're starting to play as techy as possible for the sake of being techy. With poorly patched-together songs. Before it sounded to me like they wrote 10 minute songs because they had ten minutes of material that had a little context, the fact these songs were ten minutes seemed coincidental. Now the songs sound so forced.
---- "I got a lot of really good ideas, problem is, most of them suck." - George Carlin
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| Symmachus Posts: 2002 |
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| Symmachus Posts: 2002 |
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| Tenski Posts: 90 |
Written by Doc G. on 07.04.2011 at 07:26 Yea they had their finest hours like your hinting, previously in the earlier albums. Progressive metal usually doesn't last forever, as with the keyboardist leaving and the old guitarist, imo their live show almost always rules and has gotten better, and their next album possibly could change your mind about their latest release. All there is to do is hope and wait that it is going to form up to appeal to most fans, old and new.
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| Doc G. Full Grown Hoser Staff Posts: 9718 |
Written by Tenski on 07.04.2011 at 07:37 I'll definitely give it a shot. I want it to be good, I really do. Something just tells me it's just going to be completely dry and soulless.
---- "I got a lot of really good ideas, problem is, most of them suck." - George Carlin
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| Noekkk Posts: 10  |
Mikael is so selfish and sucmbag, What the fuck is wrong with him?
---- Night... Long... Obscured...
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| K✞ulu Seeker of Truth Posts: 2573  |
I loved Per's contribution to the sound of Opeth. A great keyboard player with a sense of music and originality. You will be missed.
---- Savor what you feel and what you see Things that may not seem important now But may be tomorrow R.I.P. Chuck Schuldiner Satan was a Backstreet Boy
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| corrupt With a lowercase c Admin Posts: 3538  |
If he wasn't into it 100% anymore, why complain that he left? There are already too many bands out there denying the fact that they're just releasing albums because they don't know anything else. I'd rather accept a weak album in a whole discography than bad after worse releases of uninspired music. Written by Doc G. on 07.04.2011 at 07:26 Their last album was hit and miss for many of us. The avant-garde fan in me likes it a lot. And in that regard it has much to offer both in music and lyrics. But death- or progressive-wise it lacks. I'm still not as negative about the next one as many of you guys here. I don't want it to be Blackwater Part, but I'm pretty confident they'll make a turn from the last one.
---- 
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| BloodTears ANA-thema Elite Posts: 11835  |
Yet another one for Opeth. It's always a bit sad when someone leaves. But there's not much you can do really. All I wish is that the new album is good.
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