Evergrey

I really enjoy listening to this album every once in a while ... great songwriting and very emotional vocals/lyrics. It's not typical power metal all the time, there are many extensive quiet passages, with great contributions by every band member - and they're never flashy.

On this album Evergrey take a step back in terms of progressiveness and technicality ... but they didn't change the underlying style much. The music is dominated by the vocals and chugging rhythm guitars, and the nice piano interludes/intros/outros. The mood is not as gloomy as on The Inner Circle, but still biased towards the sad and depressive side.

This is an album which takes a little more time to settle than your usual prog metal album. It's about cults and how people get seduced by spiritual leaders and get drawn into something which they can't control anymore. In the liner notes the band even cautions the listener about the seriousness of the music ... and it really is quite intense and emotional.

Much of the intensity has to be credited to their singer, who does a tremendous job. The vocals are not for everyone though, they remind some people of 80s hair metal bands, which is a connection that I can't reproduce at all. Composition and musicianship is excellent throughout, as is the production and sound. I rate this album 4.5 stars, and it is heavily recommended to fans of Pain of Salvation or Riverside. Evergrey have a heavier sound than those bands though.