Keyboardist Per Wiberg was only supposed to play as a
touring member of the death-metal band Opeth for its last tour. "But
things worked out," Wiberg said by phone from Portland, Ore. "And they
asked me to play on the next two albums."
Those albums 2003's "Lamentations" and this year's "Ghost Reveries"
have seen Wiberg come into his own with the band. "With this type of
music, you need to be careful that you don't make is sound cheesy. You
have to have a feel for the music when adding keyboards. They add
dimension."
Wiberg's parents were, as he puts it, "jazz freaks." "I got interested in
that music while growing up in Stockholm," said Wiberg. "Then I got
interested in punk, which is kind of funny because I wanted to play
keyboards."
He joined vocalist/guitarist Mikael kerfeldt, guitarist Peter Lindgren,
drummer Martin Lopez and bassist Martin Mendez in Opeth for the 2000
tour. "I think the main reward for me being in the band is the background
vocals. Throughout the years I sang in different bands, but I've never
done vocals like these."
When it came time to start recording "Ghost Reveries," the band had all
the songs polished for the studio. "Anyone who knows Opeth knows the band
rehearses quite a bit. We took three or four weeks to get the songs done.
The only thing we needed to do was record them and sequence them on the
album."
Opeth whose name is derived from a book titled "Sunbird" by Wilbur
Smith is now focused on the current tour in support of the new album.
"We just did Europe," said Wiberg. "And we've just started the American
leg. We are taking things one tour at a time."
If you go . . .
What: Opeth, Pelican
Where: Lo-Fi Cafe, 127 S. West Temple
When: Monday, 7:30 p.m.
How much: $18
Phone: 467-8499 or 800-888-8499
E-MAIL: scott@desnews.com