Johan Niemann should be well-known to you by now as the bassist for the legendary Evergrey. In the past couple years, though, he’s been pushing out multiple solo records per year, and there has yet to be a poor one. He most recently released The Vast Expanse, and this is one of my favorites by him.
Johan is a bassist, yes, but it’s clear to me that he’s a skilled multi-instrumentalist. He plays everything on this album. I have to admit that I didn’t know he is a terrific guitarist—and I don’t just mean a passable one, but quite literally a fantastic, expressive player.
The music here is a sauntering, careful guitar-centered rock. There are hints of Gilmour and Satriani. It is quite soothing and emotional, though not to the level of weeping. No, this album is all about guitar phrasing, letting the guitar speak and express itself. And in Johan’s hands, it has plenty to say.
But this album has more than just guitar. I appreciate the lumbering drums and the effervescent keys that often play a major role in my favorite parts. And of course, Johan’s bass is impeccable but never overbearing.
The album is remarkably consistent from beginning to end. I see the first five tracks as the first half. Within it, we get songs like the sunlit beauty of “Road to Anywhere”, the fast pace of “The Great Plains” (you can almost imagine the earth flying by), and the synth-laced mist of “The Thin Veil”. The album seems to become more abstract thematically as it progresses. My favorite in the first half is “Between Darkness and Light”, a slow-burning peace with deeply relatable guitar phrasing somehow. I like how it takes its time and how the background is a subtle luminous glow.
The second half starts out strongly with “Rising Waters”; a piece that leans more into the synth and electronica. I love how it spirals and foments, how it has plenty of little touches that make it come to life. Then we get the one-two punch of “22:41”, an atmospheric intro with gorgeous keys that leads into “Waves”, one of the most dramatic tracks on the album, feeling quite Floydian and like it has endless things to say. I love the closer “The Last Goodbye”, which feels epic in reserved fashion. I like how it has multiple segments of pure space where the guitars exist almost by themselves, and how this leads into a fading finish that honestly makes me want more.
Johan is a masterful musician and the fact that he can push out music constantly, both solo and with several bands, is pretty impressive. The Vast Expanse is one of his best solo outings yet, and I’m sure his creativity train will never come back to station fully.
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