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ERIC WAGNER
In The Lonely Light of Mourning
Cruz Del Sur 2022

In The Lonely Light of Mourning is singer ERIC WAGNER’s posthumous solo record. It will be released on March 18 via Cruz Del Sur. KNAC.COM readers know Wagner as the former frontman of Chicago’s TROUBLE. Wagner and TROUBLE issued music on indie labels before getting the attention of Def American label CEO RICK RUBIN. The band went on to release a pair of critically acclaimed albums for Rubin’s imprint before they disbanded and disappeared into obscurity. ERIC WAGNER returned with THE SKULL, which he had underground success with, but it didn’t match TROUBLE.

Unfortunately, Wagner would succumb to illness in August of 2021. He was touring in 2021 and was gearing up to release his solo album. The eight tunes featured on In The Lonely Light of Mourning are short, concise, at times predictable in its TROUBLE-esque sounding songs and it’s full of irony in its lyrical content. If you’ve followed Wagner’s work with TROUBLE you will realize that the song “Isolation” a reimagined rendition of “Victim of The Insane” by TROUBLE. I don’t know if it’s ‘better’, but it is certainly refreshing and ‘different’. “Rest In Place”, “Maybe Tomorrow” and “Walk With Me To The Sun" also have a TROUBLE vibe to them and could have been included on any of their classic back catalog.

There’s plenty of melodies, grooves, and a ‘double dose’ of doom on In The Lonely Light of Mourning, just what you’d expect from Wagner. TROUBLE fans will surely hear that on this album and the same can be said for fans of THE SKULL. Which is expected when an artist releases solo work. It’s always compared to their previous work with their ‘primary’ band. ERIC WAGNER was one of the best and he waved the flag for the genre to the very end. This album is a melancholy, reflective, emotionally driven collection of tunes. Unfortunately, this collection of music marks the end of his career, albeit on a high note. Rest In Peace, ERIC WAGNER. An underrated genius.

4.0 Out Of 5.0