After 24 years Swedish dark-doom-metal band Evergrey must be seen as veterans. When it comes to bands that has been going on for that long, they usually have an audience that has been there from the start and therefore holds their old stuff the dearest leaving the new stuff on the roadside. With Evergrey it seems to be the other way around – they just keep on getting bigger with every new release selling more than the one before. I love that. And I can only agree. The band keeps on releasing high-quality albums again and again with (almost) every new album being a bit better than the one before. From Hymns For The Broken (2014) onward, I think Evergrey has put their strongest material of their career with The Storm Within (2016) as my favorite.
The band’s last album, the terrific Escape Of The Phoenix (2021), being released in the middle of the damn pandemic, the band couldn’t tour or even play live at all so what to do other than release it and keep writing new material? And that’s exactly what they did with the result being anew release only a year after, something that’s very unusual in an age when three-four years is the norm in between records. The fact that the band really didn’t have anything else to do also minimized the risk of this album being a rush-job which in turn made my expectations for this record really, really high.
Opening with a blast, the lead-off single “Save Us” is going at us at full force. It’s heavy and dark with a catchy riff on a stone-hard rhythm of smattering drums where the verses comes off as almost gothic on an aggressive note but never without a strong melody. The chorus is massive made by thousand of voices of fans recorded on their phones and sent to the band – talk about fan-involvement. It’s effective as hell too and the song catches on directly. A real winner. Also a single, the straight forward “Midwinter Calls” brings on an insanely catchy “whoo whoo whoo” crowd-friendly chorus, maybe the most catchy thing they’ve ever done. This is a heavy, dark and gritty yet at the same time uplifting number – also with fan-participation – and the contrasts of a haunting, creepy vibe, gritty guitars and pounding rhythms and big, catchy melodies and hooks from hell makes for an astounding dynamic. What an amazing tune.
“Ominous” starts out slow, held-back and a bit sombre inside a big soundscape but soon takes on a faster pace with a dark and, well, ominous atmosphere. It’s a complex tune, slightly progressive which includes ballad-like passages as well as faster parts and a a chorus that slows things down on a darkening note albeit with an easily embraceable vocal melody. Very good. “Call Out The Dark” is very rhythmic and groove-laden on a heavy note, again both dark and uplifting and slightly gothic in sound. It’s bigger on the keyboards that holds a haunting vibe but the melodies here are full of hooks, very accessible and the big refrain is almost poppy. Good luck in getting that one out of your head. This is brilliant. A future single?
“The Orphean Testament” is hard, edgy, punchy and raw in a fast pace, very in-your-face with some classic Metal riffage going on that brings my mind to Judas Priest. It’s a long, epic seven minute number, very headbang friendly with some striking melodies, very firey and rowdy yet with a strong chorus melody to go with it. Good stuff. “Reawakening” is much in that vein too – hard, direct, straight ahead and robust that blends big keyboard-lines with beefy guitars – the guitar solo is beautifully melodic. It’s an upbeat Metal belter with a strong main-melody, it’s very live embracing with a distinct refrain that hits where it should. Good one.
“The Great Unwashed” is a bouncy metal-groover, heavy and dark in a mid pace with more headbang-friendly rhythms. The song dwells inside a big musical landscape that brings on a powerful, edgy riff, ghostly keyboards and memorable vocal-lines, intricate and prog-laden guitar lines. The chorus is heartfelt and contagiously hooky without holding any single-potential. It’s a brilliant tune, a sort of a catchy deep-cut. “Heartless” alters between fast-tracked parts and slower parts where heaviness is prominent in both. The verses kicks hard and fast with an almost tranquil keyboard arr and some classic Metal riffage whereas the chorus is slower and enormously accessible with a sing-along melody. A softer, low-key mid-break with only vocals and piano brings up the dynamics even more. A terrific number.
Latest outing “Blindfolded” is one heavy stomper. The tune blasts away with some razor-sharp riffing, fist-in-the-gut rhythms and a real in-your-face outlook. It’s a brooding, crushing and driving number that feels a bit weird as a single – until the chorus comes in, that is. Said chorus is very direct and memorable and even catchy which makes for a great contrast. A damn good tune. The album closes with “Wildfires”, a serene ballad based on acoustic guitars, keyboards and vocals and it brings on a deep and dark atmosphere, very laid-back and stripped down. It’s a gorgeous tune, sparse and tender with a held-back vocal-perfomance. Awesome.
It’s hard to not be impressed with Evergrey’s high standard on their later records and the fact that they have released records in quite a fast pace – 2014, 2016, 2019, 2021, 2022 – with lots of touring in between. I totally get why they’re keep getting bigger and bigger by each release. This album is ,together with The Storm Within, my favorite Evergrey record which says a lot. At least for me. The sound and style is Evergerey all the way only this time the material comes across a bit more accessible – and I mean that in a good way. On top of the dark, heavy and gloomy sound lies big, catchy melodies, hooks and even “poppier” (not Pop) elements that makes the easier to embrace – and it suits the band like a charm. Way to go, lads.
9/10
More Evergrey reviews:
Hymns For The Broken
The Storm Within
The Atlantic
Escape Of The Phoenix
Tracklist:
1. Save Us
2. Midwinter Calls
3. Ominous
4. Call Out The Dark
5. The Orphean Testament
6. Reawakening
7. The Great Unwashed
8. Heartless
9. Blindfolded
10. Wildfires
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