Prog4you.com - Progressive Metal Review - Evergrey

: : REVIEW : :

Yet another heavy band from Sweden. There must be something to the obvious climactic oppression and gastronomic dreariness of northern Europe.

In any case, this was my first taste of this bands work, and I have to say that I was really pleasantly surprised. At this point, a disclaimer for the prog purists is in order: Evergrey is really a metal band, but thankfully minus the puffy hair and spandex gayness that really ran the genre to the ground at the start of the 90s. The tunes are presented with definite prog flavor, but overall this is smart, well-written heavy metal, pure and simple. An added bonus is that you can actually hear the toms and the bass, the vocalist actually sings like a guy, and the snare does not sound queer, all of which are features that distinguish this metal offering from much of its musical ancestry recorded in the bad old 80s.

Indeed, these guys seem to take their cues from acts like Iron Maiden and early Priest, with perhaps a dash of Dream Theater. For example, listen to the opening riff in B of the title track, and then whip out Awaken and play the mirror to see what I mean. The good news is that, while all musicians have distinct influences and preferences, Evergrey really have their own modern-tinged sound and personality, an accomplishment which is already more than half the battle won in my opinion. These guys try to be prog by using clever arrangements, keyboard textures and simple yet eloquent syncopation, rather than ever-changing meters, keys and time signatures. Indeed, one could say that the Evergrey modus operandi is that they control the mood with their delivery and imagination, without forcing the issue via a more forceful, mechanical approach. Most, if not all the material here, is in 4/4 or 3/4 time, and the songs rarely modulate, but you know what? Nothings wrong with that approach.

From the first bar the album comes in strong and forceful, and never really lets up. The entire disc is filled with hooks and excellent vocal melodies. The guitar solos are not really groundbreaking, by any means, but they are melodic and for the most part serve as an exclamation mark in most of the tracks. There are many excellent tracks and moments on this album. Even the obligatory power ballad, in this case represented by Im Sorry really has got nothing to be sorry about. It begins with a sad piano arpeggio over a Cm7, and moves through I-VI-VII bass in true maiden fashion, but with poignancy that strips it of the usual cornball cheesiness of the metal power ballad. I also liked some of the Tull-influenced acoustic guitar work, especially on Madness Caught Another Victim, and the Floydian gospel back-up vocals on Your Darkest Hour, both of which offer good counterbalance to the stentorian chunk and ponderous march of crunch guitars that fill the entire album.

Overall, this is a nice piece of work. The production is quite good, somewhat marred only by the clumsy fade ins and fade outs between songs. If they had given the entire album a cohesive feel, this could only have further enhanced the many positives of the music. As it is presented, it sounds like a collection of stand-alone tracks, but that's just my opinion. Besides, their real audience are probably still dancing around in spooge-stained undies headbanging to this one, rightly oblivious and indifferent to my opinions. I say this judging by the vast amount of hits, reviews and comments generated by this release online.

But for those of you prog enthusiasts who want to give metal a second chance, this is as good a place to start as any. Definitely not as powerful or intellectually charged as Pain of Salvation, but good tasty fun nonetheless. The ultra poseur photos of the band members, complete with backdrops of fog, tombstones and ravens are good for a chuckle as well. A possible additional point of interest for some readers is the fact that I have read a few comments online suggesting this is a concept album. I have to admit that I don't see it at all, but that's the buzz. Amazon has audio samples, so check them out!

Rating: 8 keyboards out of 10
Reviewer: Luis Nasser

Visit the artist website: http://www.evergrey.net/

Record Label -

: : DISCOGRAPHY : :
The Dark Discovery - 1998
Solitude, Dominance, Tragedy - 1999
In Search Of Truth - 2001
Recreation Day - 2003