MrKnickerbocker
clap hands
w00f. It's gonna take me awhile to catch up here, folks. Hopefully this week.
Evergrey
- Thread starter MindRuler
- Start date
MindRuler
Ancient Mariner
Don´t worry! You´ll catch up eventually, crazy to think around Easter we´ll be allready halfway the discography.
MindRuler
Ancient Mariner
A Touch Of Blessing
Clean guitar riff fading in and Tom sings the first part of the verse. Then distorted guitars and more aggressive vocal lines. Cool keyboard lines in the background and great riff before chorus.
Second verse and a softer bridge, the addictive riff (can´t get enough of it!) and chorus and guitar solo´s! The second one reminded me of the melody of Recreation Day chorus. My favourite Evergrey song of all time which I nominated for the GMSC (unfortunately it failed terribly) and an easy 10/10 !
Ambassador
After a vocal intro we get heavy riffing and synths. Awesome intro. Male choir in the verses, slow doomy bridge with captivating keyboards and a sparse but effective chorus.
After the second verse we get a short instrumental bridge before repeating the chorus. Great melodic guitar solo, cool fastpaced instrumental section with haunting keyboards and another guitar solo before ending with the chorus. Another easy 10/10 !
In The Wake Of The Weary
Fast intro with less catchy vocal lines but the chorus is catchy as hell. Quiet part with some aaah´s and then fast and heavy again. Carina in the bridge and guitar solo! After the chorus we get aaah´s and a great instrumental section with some nice twin guitar riffing, gothic sounding part played by a string quartet from the Gothenburg Symphonic Orchestra. Nice song! 8/10
Harmless Wishes
Intro sounds abit like this comes of the In Search Of Truth album. Acoustic guitars in the verse and quite emotional Tom. Cool riff followed by the chorus where the string quartet shows up again. Great riffing before the second verse. Fantastic vocal lines of Tom here! Chorus with Tom and Carina and the a quiet part with only piano and Tom. This part is abit cheesy but the following guitar solo makes it great again!
Tempted to give this an 8 but I keep it on a 7/10.
Waking Up Blind
The cheesiness returns with the first ballad of the album. (yes there are two!) Not so keen on the intro but the guitar solo makes it better! The second verse is abit better but there's still a little cheese smell. Two weaker songs bring the album down a bit. 6/10
More Than Ever
And now we´re talking again! Awesome typical Evergrey chuggy riff in the intro and spooky keyboards in the verse where an aggressive Tom rules! Some high notes there! Super catchy chorus followed by a cool Maiden riff! Top notch song allready! After the chugging and the second verse we get a little proggy section that's abit Symphony X. Two great guitar solo´s and chorus time again. Proggy outro with short neoclassical solo. Perfect song so 10/10.
The Essence Of Conviction
Very Dream Theaterish intro, emotional Tom in the verse where piano and riff go hand in hand.
The chorus has some Recreation Day vibes. In the second verse there are some cool guitar riffs.
Section with spoken words accompanied by Maidenish riff and then the emotional chorus.
In the outro the song slows down with a fantastic guitar solo flowing into the Maidenish riff. We hear a baby crying and the song ends in a fade out. 10/10
Where All Good Sleep
According to Tom this is where pain and sorrow meet. Quite simple verses but great chorus. After the second chorus the song changes its tempo and we get a nice Instrumental section and a bridge turning into haunting singing Carina which floats into the chorus. 7/10
Faith Restored
The second ballad of the album has a high Fates Warning vibe. I could almost hear Ray Alder singing this! (Funny detail: Tom sings also in the band Redemption where he replaced... Ray Alder) Only acoustic guitar and Tom.
Spoken part followed by the chorus again where the string quartet makes the song even more emotional. Great how they use the same notes as Toms vocal lines. 8/10
When The Walls Go Down
Piano...spoken part...string quartet.
The final song of this album is quite special!
Very emotional spoken sample and then the drums enter the song. Still quite slow but you allready feel they're building towards a climax, a catharsis. What's next you need to experience by yourself. Great piano, drums and bam: Distorted riffs! And ending with the piano notes. Good album closer! 8/10
Evergrey Top 10 after 5 albums:
1. A Touch Of Blessing
2. Solitude Within
3. Recreation Day
4. Nosferatu
5. More Than Ever
6. End Of Your Days
7. She Speaks To The Dead
8. The Masterplan
9. Ambassador
10. Your Darkest Hour
Clean guitar riff fading in and Tom sings the first part of the verse. Then distorted guitars and more aggressive vocal lines. Cool keyboard lines in the background and great riff before chorus.
Second verse and a softer bridge, the addictive riff (can´t get enough of it!) and chorus and guitar solo´s! The second one reminded me of the melody of Recreation Day chorus. My favourite Evergrey song of all time which I nominated for the GMSC (unfortunately it failed terribly) and an easy 10/10 !
Ambassador
After a vocal intro we get heavy riffing and synths. Awesome intro. Male choir in the verses, slow doomy bridge with captivating keyboards and a sparse but effective chorus.
After the second verse we get a short instrumental bridge before repeating the chorus. Great melodic guitar solo, cool fastpaced instrumental section with haunting keyboards and another guitar solo before ending with the chorus. Another easy 10/10 !
In The Wake Of The Weary
Fast intro with less catchy vocal lines but the chorus is catchy as hell. Quiet part with some aaah´s and then fast and heavy again. Carina in the bridge and guitar solo! After the chorus we get aaah´s and a great instrumental section with some nice twin guitar riffing, gothic sounding part played by a string quartet from the Gothenburg Symphonic Orchestra. Nice song! 8/10
Harmless Wishes
Intro sounds abit like this comes of the In Search Of Truth album. Acoustic guitars in the verse and quite emotional Tom. Cool riff followed by the chorus where the string quartet shows up again. Great riffing before the second verse. Fantastic vocal lines of Tom here! Chorus with Tom and Carina and the a quiet part with only piano and Tom. This part is abit cheesy but the following guitar solo makes it great again!
Tempted to give this an 8 but I keep it on a 7/10.
Waking Up Blind
The cheesiness returns with the first ballad of the album. (yes there are two!) Not so keen on the intro but the guitar solo makes it better! The second verse is abit better but there's still a little cheese smell. Two weaker songs bring the album down a bit. 6/10
More Than Ever
And now we´re talking again! Awesome typical Evergrey chuggy riff in the intro and spooky keyboards in the verse where an aggressive Tom rules! Some high notes there! Super catchy chorus followed by a cool Maiden riff! Top notch song allready! After the chugging and the second verse we get a little proggy section that's abit Symphony X. Two great guitar solo´s and chorus time again. Proggy outro with short neoclassical solo. Perfect song so 10/10.
The Essence Of Conviction
Very Dream Theaterish intro, emotional Tom in the verse where piano and riff go hand in hand.
The chorus has some Recreation Day vibes. In the second verse there are some cool guitar riffs.
Section with spoken words accompanied by Maidenish riff and then the emotional chorus.
In the outro the song slows down with a fantastic guitar solo flowing into the Maidenish riff. We hear a baby crying and the song ends in a fade out. 10/10
Where All Good Sleep
According to Tom this is where pain and sorrow meet. Quite simple verses but great chorus. After the second chorus the song changes its tempo and we get a nice Instrumental section and a bridge turning into haunting singing Carina which floats into the chorus. 7/10
Faith Restored
The second ballad of the album has a high Fates Warning vibe. I could almost hear Ray Alder singing this! (Funny detail: Tom sings also in the band Redemption where he replaced... Ray Alder) Only acoustic guitar and Tom.
Spoken part followed by the chorus again where the string quartet makes the song even more emotional. Great how they use the same notes as Toms vocal lines. 8/10
When The Walls Go Down
Piano...spoken part...string quartet.
The final song of this album is quite special!
Very emotional spoken sample and then the drums enter the song. Still quite slow but you allready feel they're building towards a climax, a catharsis. What's next you need to experience by yourself. Great piano, drums and bam: Distorted riffs! And ending with the piano notes. Good album closer! 8/10
Evergrey Top 10 after 5 albums:
1. A Touch Of Blessing
2. Solitude Within
3. Recreation Day
4. Nosferatu
5. More Than Ever
6. End Of Your Days
7. She Speaks To The Dead
8. The Masterplan
9. Ambassador
10. Your Darkest Hour
Last edited:
MrKnickerbocker
clap hands
Recreation Day
First impressions: what happened to the good production? Why has the lyric and melody writing actually gotten worse? Hmmmmmmmmmm. Let's delve deeper.
The Great Deceiver
Absolutely killer opening riffage and solos here, it's very neoclassical and pummeling. The first two lines of each grouping in the verses are killer and then Tom gets overly wordy again. There's no real transition into the chorus, which is odd, but it's an alright chorus. The staccato riffing with the piano, strings and vocal chants around 1:35 is cool...I just wish it were recorded or mixed well and that they had chosen a less dulcet keyboard patch. Sounds like it's supposed to be a Gregorian-style chant or something, but it's not mixed properly. Luckily the song ends like it began and that's easily the best part. It's not a bad song, it's just nothing special. 7/10
End of Your Days
I am...perplexed by the opening riff timing. It's maybe a polyrhythm? But something sounds off. The second riff is stellar, though! Like Opeth writing in Symphony X tonality. Much better melodies here and an always-welcome appearance of Carina. I love the way this song kind of builds and dips, it's an interesting composition. Unfortunately, I find the chorus incredibly unsatisfying (and the quiet, mumbling chorus in the middle even worse). Very cool solo, though. Beautiful stuff. I wish it never went back to the chorus. I also wish the final chorus didn't last a full minute. I don't know. This isn't doing it for me. 7/10
As I Lie Here Bleeding
Another song that absolutely rips from the start, this time with the addition of a lovely and spooky organ patch! Tight riffing that opens up into a very nice verse. The chorus is also nice and feels more cohesive than the previous two songs. Tom sounds great on this song, I just wish someone could buy this guy a fucking lyric editor! He's so needlessly verbose that he ruins what could be some great melodies. A nice touch: the bass fills in the middle of the chorus. I really enjoy the shifting drumbeats on this tune, too, it adds some special character. The solos are fantastic. The ending is a bit rushed, but best song yet, easily. 9/10
Recreation Day
Very nice, downtuned main riff again! This album really knows how to start songs, even if they don't always succeed. I love the way it drops down for the verse to just bass, drums, subtle keys and Tom's soulful voice. He's still a little too wordy here, but it doesn't offend me much. The chorus is anthemic, but...I can't help feeling like we're getting seriously lost in translation here. So, if I'm right, and I'm 99% sure that I am...Tom is saying that no matter what happens to bring him down, he creates a new version of himself every morning. He re-creates himself. Now, that's a nice sentiment. But...the world recreation is just not commonly used for that meaning. So it feels like Tom is singing this emotional, heart-wrenching metal tune about like...going bowling, reading a good book, or enjoying the beach. Anyway, great solo, great piano section and buildup back into the final chorus. And it's a powerful ending chorus too, with many many Tom's singing their hearts out about a nice trip to a bistro on a sunny afternoon. It's a great song, but that lyrical quirk is always going to make me laugh. 10/10
You're exactly on point here. It's a massive lyrical shortcoming based on language differences and the fact that they went so far as to name the album after it is just mind-boggling.
Visions
We start incredibly heavy, again, and it's still good, though a bit mushy this time around. The spiraling riffing doesn't totally fit with the keys behind it and I think the section goes for a bit too long. The verses are fine, I guess? I like the chunky riffing around 1:30. The chorus, however, goes absolutely nowhere. The verses have a ton of get-up-and-go, which I enjoy, and Tom sounds fired up just in time for...a somber guitar solo tempo shift? It's a cool solo, but so, so, so so weird. Shifting the drum patterns under the outro riff is super cool, but the riff is just not good enough to go on for over a minute. Also, fade outs suck. This is filler. 5/10
I'm Sorry
This is a giant brick of cheese. It's both fresh and rotten. It's dripping everywhere. It's just incredibly cheesy. I really, really want to see Tom crush this kind of song because he does have the voice for it, but the lyrics are so overwrought again and his phrasing is just odd at certain points. Not even a good melodic guitar lead will save this stinky cheese. 3/10
Blinded
And now for something completely different! Love the quick neoclassical shred and subsequent riffing in the intro here. Damn, I just wish this whole album were as good as the first 30 seconds of every song. Tom's verses are messy and the pre-chorus is truly quite bad. The chorus is fine, but as with a couple more choruses on this album: too simplistic. Tom at least sounds very good on the chorus vocals (and that vocal bridge is cool too). The chugging part before the final chorus is a nice dynamic but once again goes literally nowhere. More filler, but weaker. 5/10
Fragments
A cool chordal opening riff changes the pace slightly from the majority of songs so far, and then explodes into a very, very cool swinging prog riff with some bonus shredding at the end. This is easily my favorite instrumental passage so far on the record! We get another slightly subdued verse to make room for Tom's voice and it's solid (but still too wordy). Vocally, this one carries over nicely into the pre-chorus. The low chanting chorus is so very bizarre. It's kind of cool, but it's definitely odd as hell. Nice to hear Tom letting loose over the backing vocals, though. We get a short solo, a bit of a different verse with Tom literally screaming before a very proggy section with some electric organ punches. I wish they had developed this bridge more before returning to the chorus, but oh well. Unfortunately the extended chorus just absolutely murders the song. What's the deal with the ludicrous ending chorus repetitions on this album? Blarg. A wasted opportunity. 6/10
Madness Caught Another Victim
Ah, acoustics! Interesting. This one starts promising, with Tom really giving space for his vocals but, as usual, it quickly becomes too wordy. Lyrics ruin what could have been a pretty powerful interlude-ish track. I really, truly want Tom to knock one of these songs out of the park. Come on, Tom! He really needs a producer to work with him on melody phrasing. 5/10
Your Darkest Hour
The phaser on the intro sounds like a demo, but things get better once the full band kicks in. I find the transition into the verse to be incredibly jarring. Guys, I don't know. This album just isn't for me, I think. The chorus is once again very awkward. The melody is fine, but the lyrics are so boring and odd. I do really enjoy the swirling keyboard throughout, though. Choosing to stop the momentum multiple times within the same song for piano interludes is strange. It's a cool dynamic, but I'm not sure if it's warranted. The second piano bridge becomes a spotlight for Carina to warble indistinctly in the background and I am once again wishing she sang a lot more...and I am once again wishing they did not return to the chorus...and I am once again wishing they didn't fade out on the same riff over and over again. Another meh. 6/10 (mostly for Carina)
Unforgivable
The sludgy riff that propels this tune is another nice change of pace. It's got a very cool tone to it and it's nice to hear both guitars complimenting each other. Another quiet verse, another verbose one, but it works alright here. I like that Tom gets very passionate on the line "we're only bringers of sorrow" but the instrumental waits another beat before getting heavy during the chorus. It's a simple chorus, but it works. The second verse is basically a cappella, and that's kinda cool. This is their best attempt at the "quiet verse, loud chorus" template so far on this album, and yes, that's very much in part due to Carina's appearance in the "holy water" section before the second chorus. Easily the coolest vocal on the album. We get another piano interlude before...no, wait, that's the end of the song? There's no solo? No bridge? What the fuck? They should have cut 2 minutes from the previous song and added them here. Still, this is the third best song on the album. 8/10
Album Ratings
Recreation Day - 6.4/10
In Search of Truth - 8/10
Solitude, Dominance, Tragedy - 7.3/10
The Dark Discovery - 5.5/10
I'm making a playlist of all my favorite tracks from these albums (essentially anything I rate an 8-10/10).
Playlist Additions
Recreation Day - 3 songs
In Search of Truth - 6 songs
Solitude, Dominance, Tragedy - 5 songs
The Dark Discovery - 1 song
First impressions: what happened to the good production? Why has the lyric and melody writing actually gotten worse? Hmmmmmmmmmm. Let's delve deeper.
The Great Deceiver
Absolutely killer opening riffage and solos here, it's very neoclassical and pummeling. The first two lines of each grouping in the verses are killer and then Tom gets overly wordy again. There's no real transition into the chorus, which is odd, but it's an alright chorus. The staccato riffing with the piano, strings and vocal chants around 1:35 is cool...I just wish it were recorded or mixed well and that they had chosen a less dulcet keyboard patch. Sounds like it's supposed to be a Gregorian-style chant or something, but it's not mixed properly. Luckily the song ends like it began and that's easily the best part. It's not a bad song, it's just nothing special. 7/10
End of Your Days
I am...perplexed by the opening riff timing. It's maybe a polyrhythm? But something sounds off. The second riff is stellar, though! Like Opeth writing in Symphony X tonality. Much better melodies here and an always-welcome appearance of Carina. I love the way this song kind of builds and dips, it's an interesting composition. Unfortunately, I find the chorus incredibly unsatisfying (and the quiet, mumbling chorus in the middle even worse). Very cool solo, though. Beautiful stuff. I wish it never went back to the chorus. I also wish the final chorus didn't last a full minute. I don't know. This isn't doing it for me. 7/10
As I Lie Here Bleeding
Another song that absolutely rips from the start, this time with the addition of a lovely and spooky organ patch! Tight riffing that opens up into a very nice verse. The chorus is also nice and feels more cohesive than the previous two songs. Tom sounds great on this song, I just wish someone could buy this guy a fucking lyric editor! He's so needlessly verbose that he ruins what could be some great melodies. A nice touch: the bass fills in the middle of the chorus. I really enjoy the shifting drumbeats on this tune, too, it adds some special character. The solos are fantastic. The ending is a bit rushed, but best song yet, easily. 9/10
Recreation Day
Very nice, downtuned main riff again! This album really knows how to start songs, even if they don't always succeed. I love the way it drops down for the verse to just bass, drums, subtle keys and Tom's soulful voice. He's still a little too wordy here, but it doesn't offend me much. The chorus is anthemic, but...I can't help feeling like we're getting seriously lost in translation here. So, if I'm right, and I'm 99% sure that I am...Tom is saying that no matter what happens to bring him down, he creates a new version of himself every morning. He re-creates himself. Now, that's a nice sentiment. But...the world recreation is just not commonly used for that meaning. So it feels like Tom is singing this emotional, heart-wrenching metal tune about like...going bowling, reading a good book, or enjoying the beach. Anyway, great solo, great piano section and buildup back into the final chorus. And it's a powerful ending chorus too, with many many Tom's singing their hearts out about a nice trip to a bistro on a sunny afternoon. It's a great song, but that lyrical quirk is always going to make me laugh. 10/10
You're exactly on point here. It's a massive lyrical shortcoming based on language differences and the fact that they went so far as to name the album after it is just mind-boggling.
Visions
We start incredibly heavy, again, and it's still good, though a bit mushy this time around. The spiraling riffing doesn't totally fit with the keys behind it and I think the section goes for a bit too long. The verses are fine, I guess? I like the chunky riffing around 1:30. The chorus, however, goes absolutely nowhere. The verses have a ton of get-up-and-go, which I enjoy, and Tom sounds fired up just in time for...a somber guitar solo tempo shift? It's a cool solo, but so, so, so so weird. Shifting the drum patterns under the outro riff is super cool, but the riff is just not good enough to go on for over a minute. Also, fade outs suck. This is filler. 5/10
I'm Sorry
This is a giant brick of cheese. It's both fresh and rotten. It's dripping everywhere. It's just incredibly cheesy. I really, really want to see Tom crush this kind of song because he does have the voice for it, but the lyrics are so overwrought again and his phrasing is just odd at certain points. Not even a good melodic guitar lead will save this stinky cheese. 3/10
Blinded
And now for something completely different! Love the quick neoclassical shred and subsequent riffing in the intro here. Damn, I just wish this whole album were as good as the first 30 seconds of every song. Tom's verses are messy and the pre-chorus is truly quite bad. The chorus is fine, but as with a couple more choruses on this album: too simplistic. Tom at least sounds very good on the chorus vocals (and that vocal bridge is cool too). The chugging part before the final chorus is a nice dynamic but once again goes literally nowhere. More filler, but weaker. 5/10
Fragments
A cool chordal opening riff changes the pace slightly from the majority of songs so far, and then explodes into a very, very cool swinging prog riff with some bonus shredding at the end. This is easily my favorite instrumental passage so far on the record! We get another slightly subdued verse to make room for Tom's voice and it's solid (but still too wordy). Vocally, this one carries over nicely into the pre-chorus. The low chanting chorus is so very bizarre. It's kind of cool, but it's definitely odd as hell. Nice to hear Tom letting loose over the backing vocals, though. We get a short solo, a bit of a different verse with Tom literally screaming before a very proggy section with some electric organ punches. I wish they had developed this bridge more before returning to the chorus, but oh well. Unfortunately the extended chorus just absolutely murders the song. What's the deal with the ludicrous ending chorus repetitions on this album? Blarg. A wasted opportunity. 6/10
Madness Caught Another Victim
Ah, acoustics! Interesting. This one starts promising, with Tom really giving space for his vocals but, as usual, it quickly becomes too wordy. Lyrics ruin what could have been a pretty powerful interlude-ish track. I really, truly want Tom to knock one of these songs out of the park. Come on, Tom! He really needs a producer to work with him on melody phrasing. 5/10
Your Darkest Hour
The phaser on the intro sounds like a demo, but things get better once the full band kicks in. I find the transition into the verse to be incredibly jarring. Guys, I don't know. This album just isn't for me, I think. The chorus is once again very awkward. The melody is fine, but the lyrics are so boring and odd. I do really enjoy the swirling keyboard throughout, though. Choosing to stop the momentum multiple times within the same song for piano interludes is strange. It's a cool dynamic, but I'm not sure if it's warranted. The second piano bridge becomes a spotlight for Carina to warble indistinctly in the background and I am once again wishing she sang a lot more...and I am once again wishing they did not return to the chorus...and I am once again wishing they didn't fade out on the same riff over and over again. Another meh. 6/10 (mostly for Carina)
Unforgivable
The sludgy riff that propels this tune is another nice change of pace. It's got a very cool tone to it and it's nice to hear both guitars complimenting each other. Another quiet verse, another verbose one, but it works alright here. I like that Tom gets very passionate on the line "we're only bringers of sorrow" but the instrumental waits another beat before getting heavy during the chorus. It's a simple chorus, but it works. The second verse is basically a cappella, and that's kinda cool. This is their best attempt at the "quiet verse, loud chorus" template so far on this album, and yes, that's very much in part due to Carina's appearance in the "holy water" section before the second chorus. Easily the coolest vocal on the album. We get another piano interlude before...no, wait, that's the end of the song? There's no solo? No bridge? What the fuck? They should have cut 2 minutes from the previous song and added them here. Still, this is the third best song on the album. 8/10
Album Ratings
Recreation Day - 6.4/10
In Search of Truth - 8/10
Solitude, Dominance, Tragedy - 7.3/10
The Dark Discovery - 5.5/10
I'm making a playlist of all my favorite tracks from these albums (essentially anything I rate an 8-10/10).
Playlist Additions
Recreation Day - 3 songs
In Search of Truth - 6 songs
Solitude, Dominance, Tragedy - 5 songs
The Dark Discovery - 1 song