It has been confirmed today that Opeth has parted ways with keyboardist Per Wiberg. Vocalist/guitarist Mikael Åkerfeldt released the following statement regarding the split:
“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. [Martin] Mendez [bass], Axe [Martin Axenrot, drums] andFredrik [Åkesson, guitar] 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.”
Though Wiberg toured with band starting in 2003, he didn’t become an official member of the group until 2005, making his debut on Ghost Reveries. He’s also played with Clutch side project The Bakerton Group. Though no names have been revealed yet, Opeth has already started rehearsing with a musician who will take over keyboard duties. Said musician is expected to be revealed soon. We’ll keep you posted when more develops.
