|
| |
|
Band/artist: Everon
Title: Flesh
Label: Mascot Records |
|
1. And
Still It Bleeds
2. Already dead
3. Pictures Of You
4. Flesh
5. Missing From The Chain
6. The River
7. Half As Bad
8. Back In Sight |
: : The Players : :
Oliver
Phillips (vocals, guitars, piano, keyboards) – Christian “Moschus” Moos
(drums, percussion) – Ulli Hoever (guitars) – Schymy (bass) Guests:
Judith Stuber (vocals) – Donja Djember (cello) – Gabi Zlebell (violin) –
Paula Sandu (viola) – Zdenek Bezusek (cello) |
|
As I stated in my
review of the album “Bridge”, Everon hail from Germany and are not new
to the prog scene having been around for a number of years. This is the
companion cd to “Bridge” as it was released in the same year. Whereas
“Bridge” bordered on progressive metal this release is mellower and more
symphonic but it has some very heavy parts. Many of the songs have an
organic feel, provided by the string instruments, and like before
Everon’s sense of melody is at a very high standard.
The album begins with And Still It Bleeds, a somewhat biting diatribe of
a failed relationship. Phillip’s vocals convey the necessary emotion and
conviction to make the lyrics very believable. The song boasts a great
melody and starts with some lovely piano and cello playing off one
another. A heavy guitar riff quickly ensues making this a strong album
opener. A lone cello ends the song on a somber note, very nice. Already
Dead features some nice vocals by Judith Stuber who contrasts well with
Phillips. The punchy keyboard sounds really work well here. Pictures Of
You begins with Phillip’s voice surrounded by subtle synths, a lovely
beginning. The guitar carries the melody very well and the chorus is
irresistible.
The next song is the album’s title cut and longest at over 14 minutes.
This is a great progressive track and is the most complex song on the
album. The song starts with keys and piano slowly building up to a much
faster tempo. Moos’ drumming is excellent here as is the guitar
providing us with some nice tempo changes. There are some incredibly
heavy parts - probably some of the heaviest they have ever put on
record, but they contrast nicely with the slower sections. Some of the
heaviness takes an angular and discordant approach that works well. The
guitar at the end is played with much feel and ends the song nicely.
Everon really show their diversity here. This is probably my favourite
song on the album and I recommend every lover of prog music hear this
song.
Missing From The Chain
takes us from the bombast that was Flesh into simpler territory. It
starts with cello and keeps an organic feel throughout the song. Again,
the theme is relationships and Phillips really sings with emotion on
this one. The River starts with melodic piano and again features the
vocals of Judith Stuber. It is not an overly complex song but the
songwriting and craftsmanship is pure quality. Half As Bad follows in a
similar vein, a mid-tempo song with an irresistible melody, and is
another of my personal favourites. I particularly like the lyrics, they
seem to flow beautifully – fitting Phillips voice to a tee. The album
ends with the somewhat electronic sounding Back In Sight. Again, melody
is the operative word here, not a shred fest by any means.
This band has a sound I really dig. It is not overly complex (like in a
million notes per minute kind of way), but when you really listen to it
you find there is a lot going on in the music. If you like excellent
musicianship to go along with well-crafted songs you should like this
release. The production is also very good. A very solid piece of work
from a band that is becoming one of my favourites. I just hope their new
album, “North”, will be released soon.
Rating: 8.5 (out of ten)
Reviewer: Jon Neudorf
: : Visit the Artist’s
Website :
:
: : Discography : :
Flesh (2002)
Bridge (2002)
Fantasma (2000)
Venus (1997)
Flood (1995)
Paradoxes (1993) |
|
|
 |
|
