EVERGREY „Monday Morning Apocalpyse”

Music: Melodic Metal
Country: Sweden
Website: http://www.evergrey.net
Duration: 44.50


Cool Songs: Lost, Monday Morning, Unspeakable, At Loss for Words, Still in the Water.

It is interesting to witness the progress of these Swedish gods. Ever since making their 1998 debut with the masterful ‘classic metal’ approach of ‘Dark Discovery’, Tom Englund’s Evergrey have been a major part of my metal landscape. Each and every subsequent release up until 2003’s ‘Recreation Day’ had the band making giant inroads towards metal domination. They were Progressive, yet metallic enough to appease the hardliners and also experimental and intricate enough to appeal to the wider market. Then they released 2004’s ‘The Inner Circle’ – not so much a major disappointment, but an album that was perhaps one concept idea too many. Perhaps its flaws were the very reason we have a somewhat re-invented Evergrey in 2006.

I swear you have never heard Evergrey as ‘direct’ as this. Clearly this is still very much the brainchild of Tom Englund, his authentic and emotively driven prose remains the staple aspect of all that encompasses this band. However, rather than pursue (and perhaps lock down) the overkill that was ‘The Inner Circle’) Tom has (along with a major contribution from songwriting partner Henrik Danhage) stripped bare the lavish, progressive elements that so enthralled on their earlier material. Sure there are moments where Tom can’t help but take the dark, depressive path that obviously runs through his veins, yet for the most part Evergrey are now a slick, melodic metal act (with just a hint of Iced Earth creeping into the riff patterns) – rather that drawn out emotive epics, we get shorter, more direct, to the point metallic structures. And the hooks!! Seriously, this band has never been so damn catchy. Some would say that this direction is perhaps to the bands detriment – forsaking their uniqueness for a more streamlined and typical verse/chorus approach. I’m in two minds about that – yet at this point, because the songs on ‘MMA’ are so strong I’m willing to take the journey and forgive the (semi) abandonment of past glories. But again, thinking about ‘The Inner Circle’ – it is almost certain that Evergrey needed to make an album like this one. Sure, it’s simpler and devoid of any extraneous waffle, but ultimately, it has re-energised the band.

If there is one difficultly I have with ‘MMA’ it is the Sanken Sandquist and Stefan Glaumann (Rammstein, Def Leppard, Bon Jovi) production. As heavy as the band remains, the main guitar sound is a little muted to these ears – detuned a tad too much maybe. It sounds just a little too modern and contemporary than previous efforts. Fortunately the quality of song writing and Englund’s awesome vocal performance overshadows any concerns I may have with its overall sound.

This is a different Evergrey album – one that appears to be a rather bold effort to attempt a more streamlined approach. It is laden with hooks and mighty polished songwriting, yet falls well short of capturing the emotional depth and eloquently beautiful atmosphere that made something like ‘In Search of Truth’ such a classic. Accept that this is a ‘new’ move for Tom and Evergrey and you’ll find plenty of enjoyment here.

note: 8

Tracklist

1. Monday Morning Apocalypse
2. Unspeakable
3. Lost
4. Obedience
5. The Curtain Fall
6. In Remembrance
7. At Loss For Words
8. Till Dagmar
9. Still In The Water
10. The Dark I Walk You Through
11. I Should
12. Closure

Line-up

Jonas Ekdahl – drums
Tom S. Englund – vocals, guitars
Henrik Danhage – guitars
Rikard Zander – keyboards
Michael Hakansson – bass