Evergrey

[MindRuler]

A Silent Arc
The contrast between heavy verse and softer chorus wasn´t my cup of tea at first but the more I listened to the song, the more natural it feeled.
A melodic solo follows after the second chorus. A softer part then changes into chugging riffs with sampled vocals, nicely sung by Tom. Alot is going on in this song and then there´s still a fantastic guitar solo too! Great opener! 9/10
Weightless
The combination of synths and guitar riffs in the intro is truly great! The verses remind me of those of Passing Through. Catchy chorus too!
The instrumental section is abit messy but the Savatagian guitar solo makes it abit more bearable. Sudden ending. 8/10
All I Have
Weird sounding intro and the verse is abit strange as well. The chorus however is good! Still it feels like they don´t fit together that well.
Majestic Pink Floydian solo flowing into the chorus again. And another guitar solo! Creepy outro! 7/10
A Secret Atlantis
And here we have the first highlight of the album! What a great intro! The verse flows naturally in prechorus and then the chorus.
Djenty instrumental part with amazing drumming and an unexpected keyboardsolo!
Vocal samples and heavy riffs and guitar solo over a maidenish riff. 9/10
The Tidal
Atmospheric instrumental track meant as a prelude to End Of Silence.
End of Silence
Wonderful vocal lines in the verse and beautiful touching melodies. The song gets abit heavier and breaks open in the chorus. Amazing! Cool riffs and bass part, then keyboards join before a twin guitar riff. Absolutely gorgeous part! Heavier part transitions into the chorus again. 9/10
Currents
Typical Evergrey by numbers intro. Awesome bass during the verses and oh boy then that chorus comes in! Just fantastic! Shredding solo followed by a more melodic one, keyboards and the chorus again. I love the outro so much this would´ve been a perfect album closer. My favourite of the album. 10/10
Departure
Gotta love the bass here! Toms doing a great job in the verses. He´s a real storyteller on this album. The prechorus builds towards a climax which we get in the chorus! Beautiful instrumental part before second verse. After the chorus a gorgeous acoustic part, then Tom and piano. Climax time with incredible vocal lines and Marillionesque solo. What a masterpiece of a song! 10/10
The Beacon
Seagulls in the intro and it's not Darkest Hour! Vocal sample and haunting keyboards! Holy mother of God! This is great! Brilliant chorus and bridge and then solo time! Very melodic and addictive! 9/10
This Ocean
Chuggy intro. Supergreat vocal lines in the verses and yes peepz: catchy chorus!
In the middle of the song there's a breakdown with abit too short solo and then chorus again.
Good song. 8/10

Evergrey Songs Top 10:
1. A Touch Of Blessing
2. Solitude Within
3. Recreation Day
4. In Orbit
5. Currents
6. Nosferatu
7. More Than Ever
8. Departure
9. Fail
10. The Aftermath

Evergrey Album Ranking:
1. Solitude Dominance Tragedy
2. In Search Of Truth
3. The Atlantic
4. Recreation Day
5. Hymns For The Broken
6. The Inner Circle
7. Torn
8. The Storm Within
9. The Dark Discovery
10. Monday Morning Apocalypse
11. Glorious Collision

 

[Vaenyr]

The Atlantic
The third part of the trilogy that started with Hymns is based all around the ocean, with all its possible maritime and nautical metaphors. The production is stellar, the artwork one of their better ones, the songwriting on the highest level since changing styles. "Suffering through" the weaker albums makes hearing this one all the more triumphant. Some of their best songs are here and I'm glad that this album managed to resonate with folks.

A Silent Arc
A sonar synth opens the album to set the maritime vibe, before a couple of crushingly heavy riffs take over. I really like how this song goes back and forth between chuggy riffs and opens chords to leave space for Tom's vocal layers and guitar/synth melodies. Due to this back and forth I don't mind the chorus changing to a slower tempo, since there's enough variety throughout the song to satisfy my tastes.
Until the second chorus this feels like a rather standard Evergrey song, but there are still a few surprises left. First we get a brief section of prominent lead guitar, then the vocals return, signifying that we haven't left the chorus yet, before we get a subdued piano/synth interlude. And then starts a really cool part, with a marching snare drum, chugging guitars, low piano drones, some electronic synths and of course some spoken word lines with heavy effects. The latter drop away for Tom's vocals and the drums change to a drum rhythm using the chugging guitars as the main pattern.
Even better yet, this riff changes once again and turns into the backing for the fantastic, melodic, solos. After literal minutes of these riffs we return to the pre-chorus and chorus to close out the song. It feels like this is the type of song they were trying to write since Hymns and this time they finally succeeded. Not the typical type of opening song, but a 9/10 anyway.

Weightless
We get a rather simple and repetitive main riff to start this one out. We even hear a bit of djent here and there. The guitars mostly drop away for the verses, where the synth layers fill the void. The chorus chooses to go down a rather mainstream melodic metal route, rather than the midtempo anthems we heard so much on the previous three records. Not the catchiest one they've written, but it fits well with the song.
I like how everything but the quiet piano drops away right before the second chorus to really put Tom's vocals in the spotlight. He's really grown as a vocalist, found a style he's comfortable with and delivers his lines with confidence. Truly a joy to listen to.
Once again there's an extended instrumental section. It starts out based mostly on the same idea, before changing into a variation that plays around with the meter. The solo is really fun, tapping outside of the typical (pentatonic) minor stuff we usually hear from them. Transitions have often been a weakness in their songwriting, but the return to the final chorus flows in an organic way, really well done. We get the main riff to close out the song, which might actually be the weakest part of the song. Still, it's enough for an 8/10.

All I Have
An ominous phrygian riff with heavy effects opens this one. The change to the verse feels like two very different songs colliding. The second half of the verse calls back to the opening riff, trying to tie everything together, before the chorus which sounds like it is from a third, unrelated, song. Basically a chimera in song form. That approach can work, but I'm afraid it doesn't in this particular case. It simply feels like too many different ideas thrown into a melting pot, without a clear vision.
One of the better parts of the song is the second solo section after the final rounds of choruses, which doubles the tempo, giving the song some much needed energy. But just like on The Parchment, this change comes far too late to make a difference. The synth outro is cute, I suppose. Overall the best I can give is a 4/10. It's all I have, in a sense (yeah, I'm hilarious).

A Secret Atlantis
Some low humming gives way to fierce riffing before turning to some chugging a la Blinded. I like how the opening riff is repurposed for the verse. The chorus once again refuses to go for a forced "anthem" style, which I appreciate. Tom sounds phenomenal and the melodies are pretty catchy.
The instrumental section starts out really exciting and we get a synth solo! It's been a long time since the last one of those. After that a few "mayday" and other samples before the obligatory guitar solo. The added backing vocals for the final chorus are a nice touch. The song comes to an abrupt end after a round of relentless chugging, leaving us with a stark improvement over its predecessor at a 7/10.

The Tidal
Synth interlude and essentially just an intro to the next track. It's a nice track, but there's no reason for it to be a unique track.
The title confuses me though. The tidal what? Tidal is an adjective, right? What is it describing? The tidal what, Tom?!

End Of Silence
My favorite song on the album and one of my all time faves. We start out with some chugging guitars and a rather slow tempo. Everything but the piano, synths and the vocals drop away for the beautiful chorus. The next verse is followed by a pretty cool riff and some heavily effect-laden vocals. After that comes the heavy variation of the chorus.
Just like Archaic Rage and Disconnect this one has a stunning instrumental section that picks up the pace and features some brilliant riffing. I really like how the synth follows the guitars here. The twin lead section of tapped guitars is utterly gorgeous and the highlight of the record. I could listen to that for hours. Special shout out to the bass during that part, with some really fun fills. Another round of choruses, outro riff and we're done. Simple, elegant, 10/10.

Currents
Picking up the pace somewhat, we get a very interesting opening (and later chorus) riff. You might feel one of the snare hits being a tad too early and you'd be right; this part of the song is in 15/16 (technically a different subdivision, but who cares) which is kinda hilarious. The next song features a bunch of odd time segments as well and these might be some of the most organic ways they've managed to write those into otherwise straightforward songs.
Tom sounds great as always. I particularly love the bass sound on this album, heard prominently in the verse here (as well as on the next track). The descending gallop riff leading up to the second chorus is really fun. The first solo is rather stock Evergrey fare, the second refreshingly different. The synths join in for a pretty cool transition to the final chorus.
Then there's the extended atmospheric outro. It's actually really well done, but I end up skipping it most of the time. Gotta be in the correct mood to propery appreciate it, I suppose. Overall a strong track, 8/10.

Departure
Looking at the running length, the previous few records didn't have the best track record for long songs, often with a lot of needless repetition. Thankfully this one is entirely justified in its length, with not a single second unearned, not a single note misplaced. Despite being a calmer and more subdued song I wouldn't classify it as a ballad.
This one is drenched in melancholy, beyond the typical Evergrey sadness. The intro and first verse set the overall mood. The pre-chorus introduces acoustic guitars while the bass and drums take a little break. And for the chorus, not only are we getting odd-time shenanigans, we get some polyrhythms! And they feel entirely natural. The main beat is in 7/8 (drums, vocals and piano) while the clean guitars are playing a repeating 3/4 pattern. It's wonderfully hypnotizing.
I love how the chorus evolves throughout the song, with the second one being a heavy version of the regular 4/4 variation. And right after we drop into a 7/8 bridge in major, flanked by shimmering acoustic guitars, which might be one of the most hopeful-sounding parts in an Evergrey song to date. After that a piano and vocals only rendition of the chorus.
And then, a heavy rendition of the 7/8 chorus, with the rhythm guitars playing variations on the main piano pattern. The vocal lines in this section are super catchy and I really gotta give Tom props for that. A short outro solo and the song is actively over, with some sound effects to hand us off to the next track. Amazing song, another 10/10.

The Beacon
Long synth intro, sounds of seagulls and waves, as well as some spoken word parts before the main synth line for the verses enters. It takes a minute until the vocals kick in, but it doesn't feel that long to me.
The chorus is brilliant. I love how heavily the flat fifth (the second "ah" in the backing vocals) is emphasized, really beautiful sound. The additional vocal harmonies in the later repetitions of the chorus are pretty cool as well. We probably won't ever go back to the songwriting of In Search Of Truth, but I'm glad that at the very least modern Tom sounds amazing and fits well with this streamlined approach we've been hearing for a few albums now.
The piano in the bridge (beneath the pretty cool guitar riffs) is haunting. The solos highlight Tom's and Henrik's strenghts as guitar players once again. Also, special shoutout to Jonas for his drum pattern/fill at 3:44; always loved that part. The outro fading out is kiiinda unnecessary, but the section itself sounds nice. The third 10/10.

This Ocean
This one reminds me a bit of Damnation way back on Solitude, from the way it fits with the rest of the record. It's not a perfect song, though there are plenty of cool moments. Really like the chorus, especially the guitar lead towards the end. The rather dissonant riff (including screams towards the end) is not something we usually get to hear from the boys.
The djenty riff after the quiet interlude is heavy as fuck. Would've liked a bit more between the solo and the final chorus for a closing track, but it is what it is. It almost feels like a bonus track, if that makes sense, but I still like it for the most part. I think I'll settle on a 7/10.

My current ranking of Evergrey songs:
1. Solitude Within
2. The Essence Of Conviction
3. End Of Silence
4. At Loss For Words
5. Departure
6. Where All Good Sleep
7. Mark Of The Triangle
8. My Allied Ocean
9. As I Lie Here Bleeding
10. A Touch Of Blessing

Some changes in the top 10, but we aren't done with them! The Atlantic might be my overall favorite but I'm not absolutely sure yet. It certainly helps that it was the album that dropped before covid and I could listen to it a ton in the first rounds of lockdowns. The next one is the first that was written and recorded during and post covid, so I'm curious to see the opinions on it.

 

[MindRuler]

Escape Of The Phoenix (2021)

Forever Outsider - 8/10
Where August Mourn - 9/10
Stories - 8/10
A Dandelion Cipher - 9/10
The Beholder - 8/10
In The Absence Of Sun - 7/10
Eternal Nocturnal - 10/10
Escape Of The Phoenix - 7/10
You From You - 7/10
Leaden Saints - 6/10
Run - 7/10

Not alot of time for a detailed song review and also having some other stuff on my mind but still wanted to rate the songs anyway.

Evergrey Songs Top 10:
1. A Touch Of Blessing
2. Solitude Within
3. Recreation Day
4. In Orbit
5. Currents
6. Nosferatu
7. Forever Nocturnal
8. More Than Ever
9. Departure
10. Fail

Evergrey Album Ranking:
1. Solitude Dominance Tragedy
2. In Search Of Truth
3. The Atlantic
4. Recreation Day
5. Hymns For The Broken
6. The Inner Circle
7. Escape Of The Phoenix
8. Torn
9. The Storm Within
10. The Dark Discovery
11. Monday Morning Apocalypse
12. Glorious Collision

 

[MindRuler]

The Atlantic
The third part of the trilogy that started with Hymns is based all around the ocean, with all its possible maritime and nautical metaphors. The production is stellar, the artwork one of their better ones, the songwriting on the highest level since changing styles. "Suffering through" the weaker albums makes hearing this one all the more triumphant. Some of their best songs are here and I'm glad that this album managed to resonate with folks.

A Silent Arc
A sonar synth opens the album to set the maritime vibe, before a couple of crushingly heavy riffs take over. I really like how this song goes back and forth between chuggy riffs and opens chords to leave space for Tom's vocal layers and guitar/synth melodies. Due to this back and forth I don't mind the chorus changing to a slower tempo, since there's enough variety throughout the song to satisfy my tastes.
Until the second chorus this feels like a rather standard Evergrey song, but there are still a few surprises left. First we get a brief section of prominent lead guitar, then the vocals return, signifying that we haven't left the chorus yet, before we get a subdued piano/synth interlude. And then starts a really cool part, with a marching snare drum, chugging guitars, low piano drones, some electronic synths and of course some spoken word lines with heavy effects. The latter drop away for Tom's vocals and the drums change to a drum rhythm using the chugging guitars as the main pattern.
Even better yet, this riff changes once again and turns into the backing for the fantastic, melodic, solos. After literal minutes of these riffs we return to the pre-chorus and chorus to close out the song. It feels like this is the type of song they were trying to write since Hymns and this time they finally succeeded. Not the typical type of opening song, but a 9/10 anyway.

Weightless
We get a rather simple and repetitive main riff to start this one out. We even hear a bit of djent here and there. The guitars mostly drop away for the verses, where the synth layers fill the void. The chorus chooses to go down a rather mainstream melodic metal route, rather than the midtempo anthems we heard so much on the previous three records. Not the catchiest one they've written, but it fits well with the song.
I like how everything but the quiet piano drops away right before the second chorus to really put Tom's vocals in the spotlight. He's really grown as a vocalist, found a style he's comfortable with and delivers his lines with confidence. Truly a joy to listen to.
Once again there's an extended instrumental section. It starts out based mostly on the same idea, before changing into a variation that plays around with the meter. The solo is really fun, tapping outside of the typical (pentatonic) minor stuff we usually hear from them. Transitions have often been a weakness in their songwriting, but the return to the final chorus flows in an organic way, really well done. We get the main riff to close out the song, which might actually be the weakest part of the song. Still, it's enough for an 8/10.

All I Have
An ominous phrygian riff with heavy effects opens this one. The change to the verse feels like two very different songs colliding. The second half of the verse calls back to the opening riff, trying to tie everything together, before the chorus which sounds like it is from a third, unrelated, song. Basically a chimera in song form. That approach can work, but I'm afraid it doesn't in this particular case. It simply feels like too many different ideas thrown into a melting pot, without a clear vision.
One of the better parts of the song is the second solo section after the final rounds of choruses, which doubles the tempo, giving the song some much needed energy. But just like on The Parchment, this change comes far too late to make a difference. The synth outro is cute, I suppose. Overall the best I can give is a 4/10. It's all I have, in a sense (yeah, I'm hilarious).

A Secret Atlantis
Some low humming gives way to fierce riffing before turning to some chugging a la Blinded. I like how the opening riff is repurposed for the verse. The chorus once again refuses to go for a forced "anthem" style, which I appreciate. Tom sounds phenomenal and the melodies are pretty catchy.
The instrumental section starts out really exciting and we get a synth solo! It's been a long time since the last one of those. After that a few "mayday" and other samples before the obligatory guitar solo. The added backing vocals for the final chorus are a nice touch. The song comes to an abrupt end after a round of relentless chugging, leaving us with a stark improvement over its predecessor at a 7/10.

The Tidal
Synth interlude and essentially just an intro to the next track. It's a nice track, but there's no reason for it to be a unique track.
The title confuses me though. The tidal what? Tidal is an adjective, right? What is it describing? The tidal what, Tom?!

End Of Silence
My favorite song on the album and one of my all time faves. We start out with some chugging guitars and a rather slow tempo. Everything but the piano, synths and the vocals drop away for the beautiful chorus. The next verse is followed by a pretty cool riff and some heavily effect-laden vocals. After that comes the heavy variation of the chorus.
Just like Archaic Rage and Disconnect this one has a stunning instrumental section that picks up the pace and features some brilliant riffing. I really like how the synth follows the guitars here. The twin lead section of tapped guitars is utterly gorgeous and the highlight of the record. I could listen to that for hours. Special shout out to the bass during that part, with some really fun fills. Another round of choruses, outro riff and we're done. Simple, elegant, 10/10.

Currents
Picking up the pace somewhat, we get a very interesting opening (and later chorus) riff. You might feel one of the snare hits being a tad too early and you'd be right; this part of the song is in 15/16 (technically a different subdivision, but who cares) which is kinda hilarious. The next song features a bunch of odd time segments as well and these might be some of the most organic ways they've managed to write those into otherwise straightforward songs.
Tom sounds great as always. I particularly love the bass sound on this album, heard prominently in the verse here (as well as on the next track). The descending gallop riff leading up to the second chorus is really fun. The first solo is rather stock Evergrey fare, the second refreshingly different. The synths join in for a pretty cool transition to the final chorus.
Then there's the extended atmospheric outro. It's actually really well done, but I end up skipping it most of the time. Gotta be in the correct mood to propery appreciate it, I suppose. Overall a strong track, 8/10.

Departure
Looking at the running length, the previous few records didn't have the best track record for long songs, often with a lot of needless repetition. Thankfully this one is entirely justified in its length, with not a single second unearned, not a single note misplaced. Despite being a calmer and more subdued song I wouldn't classify it as a ballad.
This one is drenched in melancholy, beyond the typical Evergrey sadness. The intro and first verse set the overall mood. The pre-chorus introduces acoustic guitars while the bass and drums take a little break. And for the chorus, not only are we getting odd-time shenanigans, we get some polyrhythms! And they feel entirely natural. The main beat is in 7/8 (drums, vocals and piano) while the clean guitars are playing a repeating 3/4 pattern. It's wonderfully hypnotizing.
I love how the chorus evolves throughout the song, with the second one being a heavy version of the regular 4/4 variation. And right after we drop into a 7/8 bridge in major, flanked by shimmering acoustic guitars, which might be one of the most hopeful-sounding parts in an Evergrey song to date. After that a piano and vocals only rendition of the chorus.
And then, a heavy rendition of the 7/8 chorus, with the rhythm guitars playing variations on the main piano pattern. The vocal lines in this section are super catchy and I really gotta give Tom props for that. A short outro solo and the song is actively over, with some sound effects to hand us off to the next track. Amazing song, another 10/10.

The Beacon
Long synth intro, sounds of seagulls and waves, as well as some spoken word parts before the main synth line for the verses enters. It takes a minute until the vocals kick in, but it doesn't feel that long to me.
The chorus is brilliant. I love how heavily the flat fifth (the second "ah" in the backing vocals) is emphasized, really beautiful sound. The additional vocal harmonies in the later repetitions of the chorus are pretty cool as well. We probably won't ever go back to the songwriting of In Search Of Truth, but I'm glad that at the very least modern Tom sounds amazing and fits well with this streamlined approach we've been hearing for a few albums now.
The piano in the bridge (beneath the pretty cool guitar riffs) is haunting. The solos highlight Tom's and Henrik's strenghts as guitar players once again. Also, special shoutout to Jonas for his drum pattern/fill at 3:44; always loved that part. The outro fading out is kiiinda unnecessary, but the section itself sounds nice. The third 10/10.

This Ocean
This one reminds me a bit of Damnation way back on Solitude, from the way it fits with the rest of the record. It's not a perfect song, though there are plenty of cool moments. Really like the chorus, especially the guitar lead towards the end. The rather dissonant riff (including screams towards the end) is not something we usually get to hear from the boys.
The djenty riff after the quiet interlude is heavy as fuck. Would've liked a bit more between the solo and the final chorus for a closing track, but it is what it is. It almost feels like a bonus track, if that makes sense, but I still like it for the most part. I think I'll settle on a 7/10.

My current ranking of Evergrey songs:
1. Solitude Within
2. The Essence Of Conviction
3. End Of Silence
4. At Loss For Words
5. Departure
6. Where All Good Sleep
7. Mark Of The Triangle
8. My Allied Ocean
9. As I Lie Here Bleeding
10. A Touch Of Blessing

Some changes in the top 10, but we aren't done with them! The Atlantic might be my overall favorite but I'm not absolutely sure yet. It certainly helps that it was the album that dropped before covid and I could listen to it a ton in the first rounds of lockdowns. The next one is the first that was written and recorded during and post covid, so I'm curious to see the opinions on it.

Geeat review man!

 

[MindRuler]

A Heartless Portrait (The Orphean Testament) (2022)

Only a year after Escape Of The Phoenix, Evergrey´s allready back with their 13th studio album, the first one for Napalm Records, A Heartless Portrait (The Orphean Testament)
With a length of 50 minutes, this album just feels like the perfect Evergrey dose. A warm transparant production gives the listener a welcome relaxation after a tough working day.

Save Us
Evergrey has a good ear for strong opening songs. Save Us is no exception to this rule with its chuggy guitar riffs and melancholic chorus where the voices of thousand Evergrey fans can be heard together with Tom. It has an anthemic feel and I´m pretty sure Evergrey will play this live for many years to come. 8/10
Midwinter Calls
We allready have one of my favourites of this album! The intro and verses goes back to their early days. Classic dark Evergrey with emotional vocal lines of Tom and then that gorgeous chorus. A very melodic guitar solo leads into an enchanting adapted verse...this is superb! 10/10
Ominous
Sometimes an album needs time to digest, to fully understand what the musicians meant to express with their songs. At first Ominous was my least favourite song. But several listens later it crawled underneath my skin, and now it´s just "wow!" It starts like a ballad, gets heavier and contains a few back to back guitar solo´s that lift the song to epic level. The electronic sounds at the end, give it a gothic feeling. 3 songs far...What an amazing start! 9/10
Call Out the Dark
This is the most accessible track of the album and is a welcome song after the daring Ominous. Yet another typical Evergrey chorus and juicy guitar solo makes it complete. 8/10
The Orphean Testament
The title track is Evergrey by numbers, it has a vibe that goes back to their Recreation Day album. Minor complaint is the supercatchy chorus is almost the same as Eternal Nocturnal from the previous album but it´s just a minor complaint because it really fits the song. The doomy part in the middle with eerie keyboard solo gives this song a proggy touch. Followed by a cutting guitar solo and chuggy rhythm guitars before everything comes together again in the mighty chorus makes this Epic number 2 of the album. 10/10
Reawakening
Still no time to rest: Reawakening starts ferocious and showcases with an emotional singing Englund, fast bridge and majestic chorus. The keyboards and drums in the background make this a truly masterpiece of a song. 9/10
The Great Unwashed
Starting with a doomy intro, typical chuggy guitar riff and an unexpected chilling soft part with a melancholic singing Tom and a weeping guitar solo later followed by keyboard, drums and another solo. The song ends with spooky keyboards playing the doomy intro riff. 7/10
Heartless
A song driven by chuggy guitars and keyboards in the verses but with a slower but beautiful chorus. This will be a great song if played live! In the middle there´s only keyboard and the incredible voice of Tom! We get another great guitar solo and the chorus. The keyboards that introduced the song also finish it and make a perfect transition to the next song. 8/10
Blindfolded
The heaviest song of  A Heartless Portrait has chuggy guitar riffs and an anthemic chorus which will do it great live. It also contains a fast guitar solo answered by a short but effective keyboard solo. 8/10
Wildfires
Ending the album with a ballad was a smart move. Especially after the previous heavy song. It makes this song even more pure than it allready was. This is one of their most touching songs which fades out beautifully. 8/10

Evergrey Heartless Songs Top 10:
1. A Touch Of Blessing
2. Solitude Within
3. Recreation Day
4. In Orbit
5. Midwinter Calls
6. Currents
7. Nosferatu
8. The Orphean Testament
9. Forever Nocturnal
10. More Than Ever

Evergrey Album Ranking:
1. Solitude Dominance Tragedy
2. In Search Of Truth
3. The Atlantic
4. Recreation Day
5. Hymns For The Broken
6. A Heartless Portrait (The Orphean Testament)
7. The Inner Circle
8. Escape Of The Phoenix
9. Torn
10. The Storm Within
11. The Dark Discovery
12. Monday Morning Apocalypse
13. Glorious Collision

Only 1 album to go!

 

[MrKnickerbocker]

Damn, @MindRuler - you're truckin'!

I'm just gonna breeze through this one, because, BOOOOOOOOO

ESCAPE OF THE PHOENIX
Coming off the strength of The Atlantic, this is just a massive disappointment.

Forever Outsider
This song is just the same riff over and over, followed by a dumb djenty bridge with bleep bloops. Tom doesn’t even sound like himself. It’s got good energy, but literally nothing deeper than that. 7/10

Where August Mourns
I feel like this whole song is just one giant chorus. It’s melodic and nice, but not very interesting. Better than the opening track, but similar in that it is in no way distinctive or daring. 7/10

Stories
Another big, overlong plodding semi-ballad. The awkward vocals are back, as is the lack of interesting instrumentals. I don’t know. I’m mostly just bored here, despite the really delicious second solo section. There’s probably a good song in here if it were 2 minutes shorter. 5/10

A Dandelion Cipher - The most interesting song yet, thanks to the arrangements and production. Good chorus, overall solid tune. Nothing special, but at least better. Also, WTF is a Dandelion Cipher?! 8/10

The Beholder
Boring mid-tempo cry fest. There’s literally nothing interesting happening here. James LaBrie hasn’t improved anything in over 20 years. 4/10

In The Absence of Sun
I like the musicality of this one, the drama, the minor shift with the string/keyboard part…but we’re harkening back to old Evergrey with the awkward, bad lyrics and melodies. “The absence of light is like abstinence” sounds like something a high school emo band would write. 5/10

Eternal Nocturnal
Pretty fast food, vapid pop metal, but it seems that’s about the best Tom has to offer on this album. It’s fun. Bad edit before the final chorus, though. 8/10

Escape of the Phoenix
The riffing feels like classic Evergrey! The vocals, unfortunately, are once again overly wordy and Tom sounds awkward. Meh. At least there’s a lot of double bass? 6/10

You From You
This sucks. It’s like the third song on this album that, if didn’t know it was Evergrey, I’d think it was fucking Daughtry or something. No, actually, Daughtry would be catchier. 3/10

Leaden Saints
What a breath of fresh air! Heavy, proggy riffing with a ton of energy. The vocals are still a little awkward, but at this point I don’t care because at least the song is interesting. The chorus is cool, the bridge riffing is badass, and once again kudos to the drums for being awesome. Nice solos, too! Thank Dio they did at least one proper writing session for this album. 10/10

Run
Filler. Especially after the previous song. 6/10

Ratings and Playlist Additions

Spoiler

Album Ratings
Escape of the Phoenix - 6.2/10
The Atlantic - 8.6/10
The Storm Within - 7.6/10
Hymns for the Broken - 6.3/10
Glorious Collision - 6.2/10
Torn - 5.1/10
Monday Morning Apocalypse - 6.1/10
The Inner Circle - 7.7/10
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
Escape of the Phoenix - 3 songs
The Atlantic - 8 songs
The Storm Within - 5 songs
Hymns for the Broken - 3 songs
Glorious Collision - 4 songs
Torn - 2 songs
Monday Morning Apocalypse - 4 songs
The Inner Circle - 6 songs
Recreation Day - 3 songs
In Search of Truth - 6 songs
Solitude, Dominance, Tragedy - 5 songs
The Dark Discovery - 1 song

 

[MindRuler]

Theories Of Emptiness (2024)

Theories Of Emptiness is the last album with drummer Jonas Ekdahl and has a great production where all individual instruments and vocals shine. It´s especially a feast when you listen this album with headphones!

Falling From The Sun
The album opener is Evergrey by numbers again and has all the ingredients needed to make it a great song. Very catchy chorus and a superb melodic guitar solo and of course Tom Englunds emotional vocals. 9/10
Misfortune
Midtempo intro flows into a softer part with synths and chuggy riffs in the verse. Anthemic chanted chorus with some woah whoa´s. I like the atmosphere created with the keyboards in the background. The guitar solo is classic Evergrey again. 8/10
To Become Someone Else
I love the haunting intro that almost harks back to their early days. Mainly because Toms vocal lines. Beautiful quiet chorus before bursting into a djenty chuggy riff fest. After the second verse the chorus is now accompanied with guitars at a nice midtempo pace. Again a quiet part with synths and sparse guitarlines that remind me of the Atlantic album. Chuggy guitars return to break into the final chorus. Great! 9/10
Say
The next song opens with guitar riffs accompanied with Deep Purplish organ sounds but the moment Tom starts to sing the underlying guitar riff reminds me of the classic Evergrey sound. And yes: fantastic chorus! This is the Evergrey I love. What a great bass during second verse and melodic solo followed by a short instrumental section. First highlight for sure! 10/10
Ghost Of My Hero
A ballad with very touching lyrics. This time it´s perfectly placed in the middle of the album unlike on the previous record where the ballad closed the album. The lyrics became very personal to me since my dad passed away 2 months ago. 7/10
We Are The North
The haunting intro takes us back to classic Evergrey territory again. What a beast!
Even some harsh vocals! A quiet part with maidenish riffs leads back into prechorus and chorus and a guitar solo accompanied by some tasty riffing. Really interesting track! 8/10
The Night Within
Cool keyboards in the intro! During the verses there's also a nice keyboard pattern. The chorus sends shivers down my spine! Just great! Abit heavier second verse and nice build up to the chorus again. Shredding guitar solo with those extra riffs on the background again flowing back into the chorus and outro. Perfect song! 10/10
Cold Dreams
And it can even get better! What an amazing intro we have here! And Salina´s back too. The grunts are done by Jonas Renske. The grunts and fast death metalish parts are a nice contrast with Salina´s vocals. I like how the key changes with Salina´s aaaah´s and Toms bridge before the guitar solo. 9/10
Our Way Through Silence
It seems we definitely don´t get any filler on this album! This track features another catchy chorus and has such a nice drive. 8/10
A Theory Of Emptiness
This is just a short instrumental with a spoken AI(?) voice which sounds abit weird at first but if you have the CD player on repeat it is a nice intro to Falling From The Sun.


Evergrey Songs Top 10:
1. A Touch Of Blessing
2. Solitude Within
3. Recreation Day
4. In Orbit
5. Midwinter Calls
6. Say
7. Currents
8. Nosferatu
9. The Night Within
10. The Orphean Testament

Interesting facts:
- Only 3 albums have 2 songs in the Top 10.
- No songs from my 2d favourite album!


Evergrey Final Album Ranking:
1. Solitude Dominance Tragedy
2. In Search Of Truth
3. The Atlantic
4. Recreation Day
5. Theories Of Emptiness
6. Hymns For The Broken
7. A Heartless Portrait (The Orphean Testament)
8. The Inner Circle
9. Escape Of The Phoenix
10. Torn
11. The Storm Within
12. The Dark Discovery
13. Monday Morning Apocalypse
14. Glorious Collision

Interesting facts:
- The Top 5 contains 60% of the old Evergrey.
- The Bottom 5 contains only 1 recent Evergrey album.
- The Inner Circle took a dive down since my previous album ranking.

 

[MindRuler]

Big thank you to @Vaenyr and @MrKnickerbocker for your time and input in this thread. Loved your reviews and although we didn´t always share the same opinion about songs, it was a fine time reading them. Nice to see a musicians take on these albums.

 

[MrKnickerbocker]

A HEARTLESS PORTRAIT (THE ORPHÉAN TESTAMENT)
First of all - what the hell is up with this stupid album title? I'm happy to report that the songwriting here is vastly improved from the previous album, though I'm honestly glad to be nearing the end of this journey because the Evergrey formula is really starting to wear thin.

Save Us
Simplistic, heavy riffing and a good verse. The chorus is irresistible, despite being rather simple as well. Great solo, cool production choices, and a crowd chant guaranteed to keep this one in the setlist forever. Very good. 9/10

Midwinter Calls
This song fucking slaps. From the syncopated riff to the great production dynamics to some of Tom’s hookiest vocals ever: it’s all gravy. I love how the solo starts by mirroring Tom’s vocal run. Not to mention even more crowd-chanting ready for the setlist forever. This is a distillation of the best of modern Evergrey. 10/10

Ominous
I love the weird, almost a cappella intro and the numerous swelling guitar leads throughout the song. But the computerized, autotuned vocal layers are really offputting. The song just keeps plodding and ultimately goes nowhere. Man, what’s with the recent trend of shitty third tracks? 4/10

Call Out the Dark
Another fast food sad boi anthem, but it’s catchy and I like the children's toy piano Sabaton lick. 8/10

The Orphean Testament
The intro and verse have good get-up-and-go, with some rooted, yet proggy riffing. Cool stuff and good to hear some riffs that aren't chord-based. Unfortunately, they're just winding us up for another "big", mid-tempo chorus that sounds like 20 other choruses they've written since Torn. They hit the mid-tempo melancholy even harder in the bridge, which is thankfully salvaged by a neat keyboard solo. The main riff and the verse of this song are the only parts I find interesting at all. Beyond that it's an unmemorable slog that we've heard before. 5/10

Reawakening
Pleasant, but wholly unmemorable. There’s nothing bad about this, but it just lacks any sort of character. 6/10

The Great Unwashed
Heavy chugging, spooky keyboards, more mid-tempo choruses! At least this one is more interesting and very gothic. Considering some of the darker tonalities at play, I find Tom's melodies to be rather melodic and uplifting. It's a nice dichotomy. The second verse gets deliciously dark with some more complicated riffing. The sinister guitar break after the second chorus is very nice and so are the solos. Despite all this tasty darkness, though, the song never really takes off. Still, one of the more interesting pieces here, I guess. 8/10

Heartless
Great verses with a ton of energy, but even Tom is tired of the fucking mid-tempo choruses. I do like the quiet piano chorus and Tom’s increasing use of falsetto. The solo is a bit manic, but that's nice to hear after so many overwrought (sad) compositions. Another good song that never reaches for greatness. 8/10

Blindfolded
Riffs! I’ll bet there’s a mid-tempo chorus coming…wait! It’s a classic Evergrey chorus with twists and turns! Dark chanting! Great bridge! Solo duels! More of this please, guys! 10/10

Wildfires
It’s a ballad. It’s pleasant. Nothing special. Weird way to end an album, for sure. 6/10

Ratings and Playlist Additions

Spoiler

Album Ratings
A Heartless Portrait (The Orphéan Testament) - 7.4/10
Escape of the Phoenix - 6.2/10
The Atlantic - 8.6/10
The Storm Within - 7.6/10
Hymns for the Broken - 6.3/10
Glorious Collision - 6.2/10
Torn - 5.1/10
Monday Morning Apocalypse - 6.1/10
The Inner Circle - 7.7/10
Recreation Day - 6.4/10
In Search of Truth - 8/10
Solitude, Dominance, Tragedy - 7.3/10
The Dark Discovery - 5.5/10

Playlist Additions
A Heartless Portrait (The Orphéan Testament) - 6 songs
Escape of the Phoenix - 3 songs
The Atlantic - 8 songs
The Storm Within - 5 songs
Hymns for the Broken - 3 songs
Glorious Collision - 4 songs
Torn - 2 songs
Monday Morning Apocalypse - 4 songs
The Inner Circle - 6 songs
Recreation Day - 3 songs
In Search of Truth - 6 songs
Solitude, Dominance, Tragedy - 5 songs
The Dark Discovery - 1 song

 

[MrKnickerbocker]

THEORIES OF EMPTINESS
I feel like Evergrey is trapped in a cycle of releasing an album they were inspired to write and then follow it up quite quickly with a contractually obligated record. This one, sadly, is the latter.

Falling From the Sun
Energy from the jump, this song has great verses and a solid, melodic chorus. For once the mid-tempo shift doesn’t feel forced (and thankfully the chorus is pretty brief). Nice bass playing, too! Solos are good, but it’s the brief Maiden-y harmony afterwards that really ties it together. We get a classic “piano only” chorus, but it’s so brief! Seems like they’ve finally figured out how to tighten everything up. Good opener, pretty much Evergrey’s wheelhouse. 9/10

Misfortune
Vapid, dull, lame. The crowd chant, millennial whoa-oh chorus sucks. Absolutely D.O.A. throwaway. 2/10

To Become Someone Else
The vocals in the intro sound completely disconnected with the music. Like they were written free of any music and forced over this arpeggio pattern. The heavy riff that comes in is cool and the chorus is solid, but man, that atmospheric bridge is just sooooo long. It pays off with the heavy riff, but when Tom starts singing again it’s an absolute mess. This song feels completely half-baked. Another very bad third track (that's four albums in a row with shitty third tracks). 3/10

Say
Bluesier riffing than we’re used to from Evergrey, this is a cool but stock tune. The main riff is groovy as hell and the verse is nice (especially the bass-driven dynamic second verse). Good chorus, but also very stock. Nice solo and, although the time shifting riff after it is cool, it goes on for too long. 7/10

Ghost of My Hero
For once I’m actually onboard with the sad boi minimalism at the start; I like the electronic drum beat verses. It feels like it’s building to the most epic chorus in history but then it all just falls completely flat and repeats for 4 minutes. 5/10

We Are The North
The swinging, Viking riffing is enjoyable here and the actual chorus is catchy. I find the proggy part before the first chorus to be an absolute mess. While I love the energy they create in the second verse, they suck all of the energy completely out of the room with a mellow piano verse before another mid-tempo chorus! They were building to something great! Uggggghhhhh. The solo is awesome, though, and the proggy bit works with the chanting afterwards. I don’t know: there are great moments in here but I think it might also be one of their worst arrangements ever. 6/10

One Heart
Cool intro, riffing and an intro solo! The chugging riff and spooky guitar layer leading to the verse is killer. Tom’s at the top of his game during the amazing verses. The chorus is endlessly lame (especially when it’s chanted later), but I can see it being fun to sing along with at a show. I love the solo and harmony bit. Cringe, but fun. 8/10

The Night Within
A swirling bleep bloop motif repeats throughout almost the entire song and overall it’s just a big filler track. Sounds fine enough, though I think the vocals are a bit awkward again, but ultimately fails at being distinctive or interesting. 5/10

Cold Dreams
Some more bleep bloops before Tom duets with Jonas from Katatonia (a band I’ve heard has even more depressive sad boi cred than Evergrey). Jonas basically sounds like a more dulcet, less bluesy, more falsetto-based version of Tom but apparently he also does gutturals, so that’s cool. The growls in this song add a ton of depth, especially since without them we’d have another near-7 minute plodding cry fest. Salina is growing up with the band, providing some semi-operatic backing vocals that sound nice. We get a big, sorrowful guitar solo and some more nice vocals. I like the way the two vocalists play off of each other, though I’m not sure a duet was necessary here. And the song is also far too long. Still, it’s a solid 8/10

Our Way Through Silence
This feels so jarring coming after Cold Dreams (possibly in the top five saddest sounding Evergrey songs ever). The main chord riff is so happy and poppy, so of course, the verse is depressive. By this point I’ve had enough of the piano/electronic drumbeat verses, but this one works well enough. The chorus is powerful and honestly pretty different for Evergrey, I’m just not sure it fits too well with the verses. Tom’s conviction in the chorus is enough to put this one at an 8/10

A Theory of Emptiness
How weird. Why is this band so bad at ending their albums? This is the only spoken word/vocal sample section on the entire album and it’s laid over a sparse, piano-driven instrumental that adds literally nothing to the previous 10 tracks. This should have been omitted, put at the beginning of the album, or they should have restructured the last three tracks: Our Way Through Silence > A Theory of Emptiness > Cold Dreams. That would have worked well. As it stands, this is a waste of time.

Ratings and Playlist Additions

Spoiler

Album Ratings
Theories of Emptiness - 6.2/10
A Heartless Portrait (The Orphéan Testament) - 7.4/10
Escape of the Phoenix - 6.2/10
The Atlantic - 8.6/10
The Storm Within - 7.6/10
Hymns for the Broken - 6.3/10
Glorious Collision - 6.2/10
Torn - 5.1/10
Monday Morning Apocalypse - 6.1/10
The Inner Circle - 7.7/10
Recreation Day - 6.4/10
In Search of Truth - 8/10
Solitude, Dominance, Tragedy - 7.3/10
The Dark Discovery - 5.5/10

Playlist Additions
Theories of Emptiness - 4 songs
A Heartless Portrait (The Orphéan Testament) - 6 songs
Escape of the Phoenix - 3 songs
The Atlantic - 8 songs
The Storm Within - 5 songs
Hymns for the Broken - 3 songs
Glorious Collision - 4 songs
Torn - 2 songs
Monday Morning Apocalypse - 4 songs
The Inner Circle - 6 songs
Recreation Day - 3 songs
In Search of Truth - 6 songs
Solitude, Dominance, Tragedy - 5 songs
The Dark Discovery - 1 song

 

[MrKnickerbocker]

This was a nice journey! I'm glad I delved in here, even if everything isn't great.

My overall impression of Evergrey is that they're pretty good. Not great. I think that their success (and my interest in them) beyond the first three-four albums is 100% owed to Tom Englund's vocals. Even when the instrumental compositions are weak, Tom's soulful and powerful voice manages to elevate them above average. I truly believe that without Tom's voice, the last twenty years of this band would be a sea of oppressive mediocrity. I don't think their musical shift was completely in error (heck, my favorite album of theirs came out in the last six years and my Top Five has more newer albums than older albums), but I still miss the proggier, more technical aspects of their earlier work. If they could make a new album where the music sounds like In Search of Truth but the vocal melodies and lyrics are as strong as the best songs in the last decade it would be perfection.

I think they are destined to live in my B-tier of artists alongside bands like Fates Warning, Testament, Judas Priest and more. I'll continue to love the classics and get excited to hear new material but I won't be racing for concert tickets and I probably won't listen to them frequently. The common denominator among my B-tier artists is songwriting consistency: they all have issues in keeping things interesting and writing memorable sections (Priest are obviously a cut above the rest in this department, though they make a lot of songwriting choices I simply disagree with).

I'm a bit bummed that there is not one single perfect Evergrey record. Even my top two albums have songs I rank very, very lowly. They’re a bit like Megadeth in the way that, even at their absolute best, they always leave one stinker on the album.

Here’s my final album rankings:
01. The Atlantic - 8.6/10
02. In Search of Truth - 8/10
03. The Inner Circle - 7.7/10
04. The Storm Within - 7.6/10
05. A Heartless Portrait (The Orphéan Testament) - 7.4/10
06. Solitude, Dominance, Tragedy - 7.3/10
07. Recreation Day - 6.4/10
08. Hymns for the Broken - 6.3/10
09. Escape of the Phoenix - 6.2/10
10. Theories of Emptiness - 6.2/10
11. Glorious Collision - 6.2/10
12. Monday Morning Apocalypse - 6.1/10
13. The Dark Discovery - 5.5/10
14. Torn - 5.1/10

That gap between my No. 6 and No. 7 albums is huge, though. Honestly, if I ever skipped my playlist and just put on an Evergrey album again: it would never be any of the albums ranked 7-14 here. Which is pretty upsetting and says something of their sameness and lack of incredible songwriting.

I don’t think I can really rank my Top 10 Evergrey songs yet, but for reference here is every track I ranked a 10/10 in the discography:

A Scattered Me
The Encounter
Mark of the Triangle
Misled
Recreation Day
A Touch of Blessing
In the Wake of the Weary
More Than Ever
Passing Through
In Orbit
End of Silence
Currents
Departure
The Beacon
Leaden Saints
Midwinter Calls
Blindfolded

And finally, a link to my Best Of Evergrey Playlist on Spotify!

This was fun, let's do it again some time for a different band.

 

[Vaenyr]

(I know I have some catching up to do, but I'll have to take some time to finish the reviews. I'll also read the final rounds of your reviews @MindRuler and @MrKnickerbocker. Thank you both for participating in this, it's been really fun!)
Escape Of The Phoenix
This album might have my favorite artwork in their discography. The songs are rather straightforward, for the most part. I'm wondering how much of that is due to the pandemic. The production slightly weaker than the last couple of albums. This one's overall pretty inconsistent, featuring my least favorite song they've ever written.

Forever Outsider
Not wasting time, this album starts out strong, heavy and fast. Quick drum fill and off we go. Barely 15 seconds into the song and the vocals enter already. The chorus is incredibly catchy, the guitar work throughout a joy to listen to. The part after the second chorus sounds like it was written with a live setting in mind; kinda funny considering this was recorded and released during the height of the pandemic. The solo echoes some of the main motifs heard earlier in the song. Not a mindblowing one, but strong nonetheless.
Not much left to say about this one. It's rather straightforward, which I appreciate, and it's enough to earn a 9/10.

Where August Mourns
This one is filled to the brim with melodies and hooks that get stuck in your head. First the main/chorus riff, then the melodies with a great sounding Tom in the verses and pre-chorus, and of course the vocal lines in the chorus itself.
The instrumental section is mostly based around one riff repeated a bunch of times, with slightly changing context. Once the chugging starts the lead synth takes center stage. Afterwards the synths drop away for some sound effects, while the guitars keep chugging away in an almost disorienting rhythm. Short but very sweet solo over the pre-chorus riff, pre-chorus with some nice vocal variations by Tom and then a chorus by Tom alone with synth backing (and a pounding bass drum for the second half). The end is uncharacteristically abrupt (not the only song on the record to do that), which might be because of the pandemic. Another 9/10.

Stories
Time for a half-ballad, slower song, I suppose. Never been a big fan of this one and usually end up skipping it, due to the enjoying the previous and the next track (spoiler!) much more. The chorus is fine, I guess. It just feels too much by the numbers, which is a gripe I have with most metal bands when they write more subdued songs. There are so many cool things you can do beyond subdued verse, distorted chorus with big power chords.
The little production flurishes, like the backing vocals with heavy effects here and there are pretty neat and show how comfortable the band has become with producing their vision, so that's at least something. The solo and the section afterwards is quite nice, but almost feels like background music in some kind of doctor show where the doctors just lost a patient and have to tell the family the news or something lol (yeah, I'm currently watching The Good Doctor, why are you asking?). The lead guitar with open strings that even gets a harmony is neat though.
Overall an okay song, but not something I ever come back to really. Step down from the previous songs, 5/10.

A Dandelion Cipher
This one's more along the style of Forever Outsider again, including starting with a drum fill. Though this time it's in 4/4, rather than 12/8. The opening verse has to have been written with an audience clapping along in mind and it is a song I'd love to experience live. The chorus kicks ass and is just what I needed after Stories.
Love the slightly extended riff right before the solo that plays with your expectations. The solo itself is fun, if brief. Thankfully I really like the chorus, since it is repeated a bunch throughout the track. We end with the opening riff once again and settle on an 8/10. Big jumps in scores on this album.

The Beholder
I have to admit, as much as I enjoy the instrumental prowess of Dream Theater, James LaBrie's voice is the reason I could never really get into them. So when I found out he'd feature on an Evergrey song, I was glad for the boys to be able to work with a hero of theirs but I was more than wary. Funnily enough, I really like his contributions to the song and am glad they mostly used his mid range, which harmonizes well with Tom.
Turns out, I really dislike the song for the music itself, not because of James. It might be my least favorite song they've ever written. The chorus melodies, both vocals and synths, actively annoy me. For some reason it's all just so obnoxious to me.
So yeah, that's another song that I usually end up skipping. Kinda funny how you can notice certain phrases and words that once Tom discovers them ends up overusing them a bit, as is the case with "beholder", which appears in other songs as well. 2/10, solely thanks to the bridge with their harmonies, which are lovely.

In The Absence Of Sun
This one takes a while to build, but it is my favorite on the album. The opening is simple enough, a nice repeating piano pattern gives Tom the space he needs to build up his vocal lines. We get a bit of foreshadowing for what will be the basis for the chorus later, this time with piano and heavily filtered choir being the only ones playing. I love the chord choices and how the melodies here (and later in the proper chorus) keep playing around with the fifth, moving between natural, to flat, to natural, to sharp (or rather flat sixth) and back. In a sense it is similar to what they did on The Beacon on the previous album.
Drums, bass and clean guitars enter for the next round of verses, reminding us that this isn't another piano ballad. Then in the chorus we get the distorted guitars and some amazing performances by Tom, as well as super catchy melodies. The riff for the "and if you never walked among shadows" (later used for the solos) is heavy as fuck and I've always enjoyed how this song keeps building upon its ideas.
Having said that, everything takes a breather and the song turns down its intensity for the part right after the chorus. We get a rather laid back guitar solo before returning to the next verse, echoing the opening of the song. The buildup to the actual solo section of the song has always reminded me of the respective part in Harmless Wishes, which is kinda neat. The solo is alright, but the highlight for me are the rhythm guitars during this part. Instead of chugging on the same chord or simply playing long power chords, we get a heavy and highly melodic riff that really catches my attention. Normally, this should result in a penalty since a solo section where the solo is the least interesting part is kind of a failure, but I'm having too mich fun listening to this to care. The last chorus is more of the same, with the final few measures changing the riff up a bit and the bass drum busting out some 16th notes. A lonely piano reprising the song's opening bookends this monster of a track. 10/10.

Eternal Nocturnal
Changing gears, this one starts with a pummeling guitar riff. I really like the verses on this one, the rest feels a bit like generic pop metal to me though. The chorus has nice melodies, can't deny that. Especially the synth is really cool. But the overall structure of that song feels rather artificial, as if it was specifically written with the goal of becoming a single, rather than turning out to be the most suitable candidate for that. The solos by Tom and Henrik are pretty fun at least. The modulation from the bridge to the final chorus is really well done. Always felt the super abrupt ending to this song was weird. Not a bad song, but also not the most exciting thing, I'll settle on a 7/10.

Escape Of The Phoenix
Title track time! We get a couple of aggressive riffs to really set the stage, before we enter a very dark verse, even for Evergrey standards. The synth adds a ton to the overall feel of this section. The chorus brings back the melody. The key change and Tom's altered melody at the end of the first chorus is really neat. The start of the second chorus is a pretty cool moment as well. The bridge is simple, but effective. Like the pummeling drums during the solo section, not what we usually get to hear from the boys. A step up from the previous track at 8/10.

You From You
This is one I've mostly skipped over the years. Not really a bad song, certainly not a stinker on the level of The Beholder, but it simply never clicked with me. The chorus is nice enough, I suppose. Everything's competently performed and produced. It's not their A material though.
The solo section with the very slow drum groove is reminiscent of a similar part in Your Darkest Hour and it unfortunately doesn't work any better here either. It's funny how there are certain parts on this album that feel like modern Evergrey emulating and paying homage to earlier parts of their discography. More about that on the next track though. It's a 6/10 for this one.

Leaden Saints
It's almost funny how they decided to bust out those heavy riffs towards the end of this album. The dark piano and the low "aaah" vocals sound straight up from their Torn-era. I guess that's what it sounds when modern Evergrey goes down that route. And I do like it more than what we actually got back on Torn. The verse is cool for being so unorthodox, but the chorus is where the song really comes together. Unfortunately the production is a bit more messy than The Atlantic's which makes appreciating some of the finer details a bit more difficult. Nevertheless some great stuff here.
This is the other song that has the "beholder/older" rhyming pair. There are some really cool chord choices during the first solo. After that some more variations on the main riff (hey, extended instrumental sections!), before returning to another verse. The best part is the opening lick of the second solo, where I literally said "holy shit" when I first heard that. It's not the most impressive thing I've heard, but it simply goes really hard! Another 8/10.

Run
The synth in the intro is equal parts awesome and purely weird. It almost sounds out of time at some points. This one could've been on Glorious Collission given the way the pre-chorus and chorus evolve. Some really nice compositional decisions here, as well as nice playing around with some dynamics. The brief solo section after the second chorus is a really nice example of that as well. The final chorus going double time halfway through and adding more vocal likes and layers is such a badass moment. I think I'll settle on another 8/10 for this one.

My current ranking of Evergrey songs:
1. Solitude Within
2. The Essence Of Conviction
3. End Of Silence
4. At Loss For Words
5. Departure
6. Where All Good Sleep
7. Mark Of The Triangle
8. In The Absence Of Sun
9. My Allied Ocean
10. As I Lie Here Bleeding

Minimal changes in the top 10, though there are still a couple of additions left over the next couple of albums. I'll try to get to those reviews as soon as possible.

 

[MindRuler]

This was a nice journey! I'm glad I delved in here, even if everything isn't great.

A nice journey indeed! Of course I allready was familiar with their material.

My overall impression of Evergrey is that they're pretty good. Not great.

That's nice!

I think they are destined to live in my B-tier of artists alongside bands like Fates Warning, Testament, Judas Priest and more.

Those are all great bands! Especially the Ray Alder era Fates Warning around the time of Parallels.

This was fun, let's do it again some time for a different band.

Indeed!

 

[MrKnickerbocker]

Especially the Ray Alder era Fates Warning around the time of Parallels.

For sure! I only like the Ray Alder era. Those early albums do nothing for me and I really can't stand John Arch's voice. I actually think their more modern albums got a little better, with the exception of the stellar A Pleasant Shade of Grey.

The Beholder
I have to admit, as much as I enjoy the instrumental prowess of Dream Theater, James LaBrie's voice is the reason I could never really get into them. So when I found out he'd feature on an Evergrey song, I was glad for the boys to be able to work with a hero of theirs but I was more than wary. Funnily enough, I really like his contributions to the song and am glad they mostly used his mid range, which harmonizes well with Tom.
Turns out, I really dislike the song for the music itself, not because of James. It might be my least favorite song they've ever written. The chorus melodies, both vocals and synths, actively annoy me. For some reason it's all just so obnoxious to me.
So yeah, that's another song that I usually end up skipping. Kinda funny how you can notice certain phrases and words that once Tom discovers them ends up overusing them a bit, as is the case with "beholder", which appears in other songs as well. 2/10, solely thanks to the bridge with their harmonies, which are lovely.

I wouldn't say it's the worst song I heard during this run, but it's certainly bad and LaBrie doesn't do anything to improve it.

 

[MindRuler]

EVERGREY TOUR DATES:

30.05.2025 SWE SÖDERKÖPING Rock In Ruin
01.06.2025 RO BISTRITA Way Too Far Rock Battle at The Gate of Transylvania
09.08.2025 BE KORTRIJK Alcatraz Hard Rock & Metal Fest
15.08.2025 DE DINKELSBUEHL Summer Breeze
11.11.2025 FI TAMPERE Tavara-asema
12.11.2025 FI HELSINKI House Of Culture
14.11.2025 NO OSLO Rockefeller
15.11.2025 SE GOTHENBURG Pustervik
16.11.2025 DE HAMBURG Gruenspan
18.11.2025 PL WARSAW Progresja
19.11.2025 DE BERLIN Huxleys
20.11.2025 DE LEIPZIG Täubchenthal
21.11.2025 CZ PRAGUE Palac Akropolis
22.11.2025 AT VIENNA Simm City
24.11.2025 DE MUNICH Backstage Werk
25.11.2025 DE STUTGART Longhorn
27.11.2025 IT MILANO Alcatraz
28.11.2025 CH ZURICH Komplex 457
29.11.2025 FR LYON La Rayonne
01.12.2025 ES MADRID BUT
02.12.2025 ES BARCELLONA Salamandra
03.12.2025 FR TOULOUSE Metronum
05.12.2025 GB LONDON Electric Ballroom
06.12.2025 GB GLASGOW Garage
07.12.2025 GB MANCHESTER Academy 2
08.12.2025 GB BRISTOL SWX
10.12.2025 FR PARIS Le Trabendo
11.12.2025 LU LUXEMBOURG Rockhal
12.12.2025 DE FRANKFURT Batschkapp
13.12.2025 DE COLOGNE Live Music Hall
14.12.2025 NL AMSTERDAM Melkweg Max
16.12.2025 BE ANTWERP Trix
18.12.2025 DK COPENHAGEN Amager Bio
19.12.2025 SE KARLSTAD Nöjesfabriken
20.12.2025 SE STOCKHOLM Fållan

 

[Vaenyr]

I've not forgotten about my last couple of reviews! It's been a busy few days but I'm almost done.

A Heartless Portrait (The Orphean Testament)
If I remember correctly the title was chosen specifically for the joke of prog bands sometimes having borderline incomprehensible titles, which is kinda hilarious. The artwork is very different to the previous albums, but I really like it. Both the concept itself as well as the colour scheme.
The production is very similar to the predecessor. The songwriting leans even more into modern metal tropes, which I'm honestly not the biggest fan of. There are some songs I love on this album, but there are also plenty that I mostly skip or barely listen to for a variety of reasons. I'll go into detail in the respective review. It's kinda interesting to me how our reviews differ for some of the songs (Midwinter in particular), but that's what makes discussions interesting, right?

Save Us
After a series of albums with atmospheric or longer intros we continue with the immediacy of EOTP. This time there isn't even a drum fill, we go straight to the opening riff. In typical Evergrey fashion, despite the first riff being of the phrygian kind, the verse changes to the typical minor key, it's still a metal album after all lol
IIRC on this and the next album they had fans sending in their recordings for a few songs to create these large crowd sounds. As a hobby musician I'm kind of mad that I only found out about that after it was too late; would be a dream to make it onto an Evergrey album at some point. Having said that, the "Hey! Save us" chants are pretty effective. The chorus on the other hand reminds me too much of modern metalcore bands. It cuts down on the speed, the backing vocals are overprocessed and the entire thing feels a bit too much like chasing trends. The solos are pretty nice, the variation on the main riff right afterwards a decent way to return to the chorus. Overall not my favorite, probably 7/10.

Midwinter Calls
This one wastes no time getting started either and features the fan backing vocals as well. It's quite obvious that this was written with audience participation in mind. Normally that's not a bad thing, but given how simplified the instrumental sections on Evergrey albums have become over the last few years, it is kinda frustrating to me. Once we reach the chorus we are hit with something that wouldn't be out of place on modern pop music. The guitars entering doesn't really change the perception, given the vocal melodies throughout. Again, not necessarily a bad thing, I'm by no means a genre purist, but it signifies the boys moving into a direction I'm not the biggest fan of. To summarize, so that I don't keep rambling: Overall not a bad song, but I'm not the target audience I guess, 6/10.

Ominous
As has been the case for the previous album, the third track cuts the tempo and we have another midtempo stomper at our hands. I only realized a couple of weeks ago that the lyrics in the chorus are "the heat is ominous". I always heard "the hate" which makes much less sense lol
The verse plays around a lot with some electronic elements for the vocals and synths, but it fits well here. It doesn't feel like it "undermines" the metal parts of the song, if that makes any sense. I really like the faster pace and the underlying riff for the second part of the verse. The variation right afterwards is pretty cool as well. We get to hear the chorus in the context of the entire band this time around and I really enjoy the vocal melodies on this one, so while it dabbles in some of my pet peeves (namely going halftime for the chorus) it's not a problem in this one for me.
The first solo is really fun, with some nice modal interchange, introducing some notes we don't hear in the rest of the song. The second solo has some nice legato playing, differentiating from the previous one. For the bridge we get another part that could be straight from a dance/EDM song (and it's not the last one on the album either). I think this one doesn't bother me as much, because the chorus isn't as mainstream pop metal as the one on Midwinter Calls. And we get a repeat of my favorite moment on Leave It Behind Us, where the final chorus goes double time partway through! Really cool moment. Overall much stronger than the opening numbers, 8/10.
Not sure this one deserved a runtime of over 6 minutes though, especially with the extended, but repetitive outro, that doesn't add much to the song.

Call Out The Dark
This one was clearly written as a single and features a super catchy and simple chorus. Perfect to get people to sing along I suppose. Love the rumbling bass in the verses! Tom sounds great as always, though the overprocessed backing vocals are still not my cup of tea. It sounds a bit too artificial, which might've been on purpose. I prefer the way vocals were handled from Hymns to EOTP though. The extended pre-chorus the second time around is neat. The solo section is great, especially the key change for the second solo.
I don't have much else to say about this one. It's unapologetic about what it tries to do and it's successful in the endeavor. Short(-ish) melodic rocker for the crowds to sing along to. Another 8/10.

The Orphean Testament
Title track time! Fun and aggressive riff to start out before swiftly moving on to a chugging verse. I've had issues with half time choruses before, but this one works really well. I like how subdued the vocals are, it feels almost serene and tranquil. The lead guitar right afterwards is a joy to listen to.
The second round of verses features some nice variations in the guitar verse compared to what we heard before.
The little bridge after the second chorus is such a cool moment and perfectly sets up the solos that follow. It's fun that we're getting a brief synth solo once again and the little quotation of the main guitar lead in particular is a nice touch. The final repetition of the chorus could've been cut and the song wouldn't really suffer for it. Nevertheless, overall a pretty good track and yet another 8/10.

Reawakening
Time to embrace the cheesiness, the mainstream pop metal. Remove the guitars and play a different drum groove under the intro riff and this could play in the radio. I really like the verses though. The drums and bass pumping like a heartbeat, the synths pulsating constantly underneath and Tom once again baring his soul. The pre-chorus picks up the steam and right in time for the one minute mark we are already at the chorus (reprise of the intro riff). It's definitely catchy, if nothing else.
I've probably mentioned similar parts a hundred times already, but I really like the rumbling bass in the second round of verses. My favorite parts of the song is the solo section and the bridge right afterwards. The variations in the final chorus are pretty neat as well. Competent song but not necessarily what I'm looking for when I put on some Evergrey, 7/10.

The Great Unwashed
Simple and doomy main melody to start this one off, before moving on to the verse, which uses a variation of the intro as a transition and a backing synth. The chorus might be one of my favorites on the album, some really memorable melodies in there. The second round of verses features some fun and gnarly organ synths.
The bridge following the second chorus is faaaaaar tooooooo loooooooong. Like, I get the idea, but repeating the same part for multiple minutes on end with very few changes and a bit of guitar noodling is not the most exciting way to fill the runtime. In fact, it completely grinds any momentum the song had to a halt, which is an utter shame. As if that wasn't enough, the same synth loop is used for the outro of the song, thus taking up a significant amount of the running length. If that part didn't exist or was shortened drastically this song would've been a 9/10, especially with the variations in the final chorus. As it stands I have to go with a 7/10 though. Still many cool ideas, but needlessly stretching the song. (I suppose that's how people feel about Virtual XI, huh? lol )

Heartless
An intro reminiscent of the soundscapes heard on Glorious Collision (particularly Leave It Behind Us) gives way to a synth driven main riff, before moving on to an up-tempo verse. I'd like modern Evergrey to uses this tempo far more often, it's refreshingly energetic. The pre-chorus pummels away in phrygian and the chorus goes for another half time anthem. Thankfully the melodies for that one are stellar, and it perfectly flows into the main riff from the beginning. Great stuff.
The section after the second chorus is interesting even if it's not my favorite part. It also takes away the momentum (two songs in a row!) but at least time we get to listen to Tom sing some. The solos right afterwards are great, especially the second one playing around a bit with different modes. Reprise of the chorus and the main riff before abruptly ending leaves us with an 8/10.

Blindfolded
If I remember correctly the guitars on this one use a ridiculously low tuning of Drop G or something like that. I really like Tom's long note at the end of the first verse. The chorus uses the main riff, but instead of going for some kind of melodic anthem, we get some low group vocals that almost resemble chanting at points. Really cool stuff and very different to the rest of the album, or even most Evergrey songs for that matter. The solos (synth solo!) are brilliant and fit perfectly. I adore how the final chorus goes for a very simplified, straightforward variation with sustained power chords, instead of the busy riffing heard in the other choruses, such a cool moment. The "Hey! Blindfolded" shouts are fun as well and probably a highlight live. Very abrupt ending once again though. This is an easy 10/10 for me.

Wildfires
An outro ballad, haven't had one of those in a while. The guitars have this shimmering, almost dreamy sound and quality to them. Tom sounds as amazing as usual. It's very pretty overall, but it also feels more like an interlude or epilogue, rather than a fully fledged song. I guess it misses something to truly make it stand out. Don't have many negatives to say, but there aren't any mindblowing parts either. Guess the fretless bass in the final minute is a nice touch. Ending this album with a rather unorthodox song and a score of 6/10.

My current ranking of Evergrey songs:
1. Solitude Within
2. The Essence Of Conviction
3. End Of Silence
4. At Loss For Words
5. Departure
6. Where All Good Sleep
7. Mark Of The Triangle
8. In The Absence Of Sun
9. Blindfolded
10. My Allied Ocean

Only one addition to the top 10 but still one more album left to go! I'll hopefully be able to post the final review in the coming days.

 

[MrKnickerbocker]

Save Us
After a series of albums with atmospheric or longer intros we continue with the immediacy of EOTP. This time there isn't even a drum fill, we go straight to the opening riff. In typical Evergrey fashion, despite the first riff being of the phrygian kind, the verse changes to the typical minor key, it's still a metal album after all lol
IIRC on this and the next album they had fans sending in their recordings for a few songs to create these large crowd sounds. As a hobby musician I'm kind of mad that I only found out about that after it was too late; would be a dream to make it onto an Evergrey album at some point. Having said that, the "Hey! Save us" chants are pretty effective. The chorus on the other hand reminds me too much of modern metalcore bands. It cuts down on the speed, the backing vocals are overprocessed and the entire thing feels a bit too much like chasing trends. The solos are pretty nice, the variation on the main riff right afterwards a decent way to return to the chorus. Overall not my favorite, probably 7/10.

Midwinter Calls
This one wastes no time getting started either and features the fan backing vocals as well. It's quite obvious that this was written with audience participation in mind. Normally that's not a bad thing, but given how simplified the instrumental sections on Evergrey albums have become over the last few years, it is kinda frustrating to me. Once we reach the chorus we are hit with something that wouldn't be out of place on modern pop music. The guitars entering doesn't really change the perception, given the vocal melodies throughout. Again, not necessarily a bad thing, I'm by no means a genre purist, but it signifies the boys moving into a direction I'm not the biggest fan of. To summarize, so that I don't keep rambling: Overall not a bad song, but I'm not the target audience I guess, 6/10.

It's so wild how differing the opinions are on this band! Although I completely agree with your points about the simplification and poppiness of these types of songs, it's kind of all I'm looking for from Evergrey anymore (since I know they'll never return to the proggy metallic sound of In Search of Truth).

In the wake of this discography run I have found myself turning on these two songs in particular at least every few days because they just get stuck in my head.

 

[Vaenyr]

It's so wild how differing the opinions are on this band! Although I completely agree with your points about the simplification and poppiness of these types of songs, it's kind of all I'm looking for from Evergrey anymore (since I know they'll never return to the proggy metallic sound of In Search of Truth).

In the wake of this discography run I have found myself turning on these two songs in particular at least every few days because they just get stuck in my head.

That's what makes discussions interesting! I suppose it's similar to when Maiden change their sound in the 90s, many who were fans in the 80s were disappointed with the new direction and had to "suffer through" albums they didn't like without knowing how things will change come the reunion, while folks who became fans in the 2000s could experience those albums with adjusted expectations and at their own time.

Note, I'm not saying the current run of albums is their worst or anything like that, far from it. There are still phenomenal songs on each of them. It's just that there are some modern metal tropes that have snuck into the songwriting and some of those overlap with pet peeves of mine. With the older albums I tend to listen to the entire thing, with some of the newer ones I stick with specific tracks here and there.

 

[MrKnickerbocker]

Note, I'm not saying the current run of albums is their worst or anything like that, far from it. There are still phenomenal songs on each of them. It's just that there are some modern metal tropes that have snuck into the songwriting and some of those overlap with pet peeves of mine. With the older albums I tend to listen to the entire thing, with some of the newer ones I stick with specific tracks here and there.

Yeah, I definitely hear you and I completely agree to a certain extent. I think, on the whole, Tom has gotten much much better as a composer of songs (especially vocally) but that it comes at the cost of being far far worse at riffs and variation. I really wish he could find a way to bring back the guitar creativity from the older albums while retaining the sense of melody and catchiness he has refined.

 

[Vaenyr]

Yeah, I definitely hear you and I completely agree to a certain extent. I think, on the whole, Tom has gotten much much better as a composer of songs (especially vocally) but that it comes at the cost of being far far worse at riffs and variation. I really wish he could find a way to bring back the guitar creativity from the older albums while retaining the sense of melody and catchiness he has refined.

Exactly, you pretty much nailed it. At the risk of sounding pretentious, the recent albums sound like a collection of songs; in the sense that they were written with the idea of "hey we need a midtempo stomper and a fast single and one for the audience to sing along to", if that makes any sense. Obviously that's just my perception, but it sometimes feels more like checking certain boxes, rather than producing art for the sake of art. Maybe taking an additional year to hone the songsriti and a bit more, they could end up with more ambitious song structures again.

Having said that, they have been pretty successful in the last decade and I'm really happy for Tom and the boys. I'll try to see them live on the upcoming tour and funnily enough they'll play a venue with 5 times the capacity of what Cradle Of Filth will play in my area (funny, because the latter where always the poster boy of extreme metal bands that sell out for the mainstream). Funny how these things change.