Ranked & Rated: Evergrey
Evergrey are a band that I hold very dear. A very unique sounding band that would be easiest to describe as dark melodic metal. They have a sound that combines elements of power metal and progressive metal with elements of darker metal genres such as doom and gothic metal. Musically they have as much in common with bands such as Kamelot and Symphony X as they do with bands such as Katatonia and Anathema. This dark take of melodic metal combined with the dark lyrical content makes for a mesmerising listening experience also ably assisted with the heartstring pulling vocals of frontman Tom S. Englund.
The band formed in Gothenburg in 1995 and have since released a total of eleven studio albums. They all have a fairly high level of quality though there are obvious peaks in their discography as well as a couple of missteps. Here is my ranking of the Evergrey discography:-
11 - The Dark Discovery
The debut album of the band released back in 1998. Whilst not a bad album it is pale in comparison compared to what was to follow. The band are still discovering their sound and whilst there are some stand out songs such as Blackened Dawn and For Every Tear That Falls the bands songwriting chops are yet to develop and a lot of this album is fairly bland and forgettable. Great things were to come though…
10 - Glorious Collision
By the time this album came around in 2011 the band had gone through a major upheaval having lost three members of the band and this upheaval is reflected in this album which whilst perfectly listenable is Evergrey very much going through the motions with some very average and forgettable songs. As with any Evergrey album there are stand out moments such as Wrong and Frozen but overall this is a bit of a misstep for the band.
9 - Monday Morning Apocalypse
This album attracted a lot of criticism from Evergrey fans when it released back in 2006 for it’s more simplistic and streamlined approach to songwriting in comparison to the complex conceptual albums that had been released previously. There’s plenty to enjoy here but it’s more simplistic approach means that the songs are less memorable.
8 - Torn
After the more simplistic Monday Morning Apocalypse Evergrey somewhat darkened their sound again although the songwriting was again in a more simplified format. This once again affected the memorability of the songs on display although there were some absolute gems to be found on Torn such as Broken Wings, Fear and These Scars.
7 - The Atlantic
The latest album by Evergrey (released this year) is also one of the heaviest and darkest in the band's career. The fact that Tom Englund was going through a divorce whilst writing this album is evident in some of the most foreboding and sullen songs Evergrey have ever released. This does somewhat work against the band in some respect in that this can be a bit of a difficult album to get into but once you get over that hurdle you will be rewarded with such gems as All I Have, End Of Silence and Departure.
6 - Hymns For The Broken
Guitarist Henrik Danhage and drummer Jonas Ekdahl rejoined the band and the Evergrey magic returned after the pedestrian Glorious Collision. With this album the band released some of their finest material in years and a lot of these are still live staples such as KIng Of Errors, Black Undertow and The Grand Collapse.
5 - The Storm Within
For me The Storm Within is the strongest of the trilogy of albums that started with Hymns For The Broken with a fantastic mix of songs from more melodic and accessible tunes such as Passing Through and In Orbit to the dark melancholy of the title track and Distance and the emotive ballad The Paradox Of The Flame. A really superb Evergrey album.
4 - The Inner Circle
Evergrey embraced their progressive tendencies on this album with a concept centering around organised religion and abuse. The band had also never been heavier up this point with a mix putting the guitars up front. Some classic Evergrey songs came from this album such as More Than Ever, Waking Up Blind and live set staple A Touch Of Blessing.
3 - Solitude Dominance Tragedy
There was a stratospheric leap in quality between the first and second albums by Evergrey and it’s safe to say that on Solitude Dominance Tragedy that Evergrey truly found their sound and released one of the best albums of their career. The highlights are countless on this album - Nosferatu, The Shocking Truth and She Speaks To The Dead being a selection.
2 - Recreation Day
This album was so close to being number one but just narrowly missed it though many Evergrey fans would argue that this album is their finest hour. Recreation Day was the album that got Evergrey noticed and it’s no surprise as the quality of the performances and songwriting is astonishingly high. There are so many highlights but the stand outs for me are the title track, End Of Your Days, Blinded and As I Lie Here Bleeding.
1 - In Search Of Truth
The pinnacle of the Evergrey discography is undoubtedly In Search Of Truth. A concept album about alien abduction sounds geeky but Evergrey manage to work their magic and make this a dark and moving conceptual piece with a bunch of songs that are very close to perfection. This album got the band their first hit with The Masterplan but other highlights are Rulers Of The Mind, Mark Of The Triangle and Misled. If you’ve never heard Evergrey before this is the place to start.
Evergrey are a band that I hold very dear. A very unique sounding band that would be easiest to describe as dark melodic metal. They have a sound that combines elements of power metal and progressive metal with elements of darker metal genres such as doom and gothic metal. Musically they have as much in common with bands such as Kamelot and Symphony X as they do with bands such as Katatonia and Anathema. This dark take of melodic metal combined with the dark lyrical content makes for a mesmerising listening experience also ably assisted with the heartstring pulling vocals of frontman Tom S. Englund.
The band formed in Gothenburg in 1995 and have since released a total of eleven studio albums. They all have a fairly high level of quality though there are obvious peaks in their discography as well as a couple of missteps. Here is my ranking of the Evergrey discography:-
11 - The Dark Discovery
The debut album of the band released back in 1998. Whilst not a bad album it is pale in comparison compared to what was to follow. The band are still discovering their sound and whilst there are some stand out songs such as Blackened Dawn and For Every Tear That Falls the bands songwriting chops are yet to develop and a lot of this album is fairly bland and forgettable. Great things were to come though…
10 - Glorious Collision
By the time this album came around in 2011 the band had gone through a major upheaval having lost three members of the band and this upheaval is reflected in this album which whilst perfectly listenable is Evergrey very much going through the motions with some very average and forgettable songs. As with any Evergrey album there are stand out moments such as Wrong and Frozen but overall this is a bit of a misstep for the band.
9 - Monday Morning Apocalypse
This album attracted a lot of criticism from Evergrey fans when it released back in 2006 for it’s more simplistic and streamlined approach to songwriting in comparison to the complex conceptual albums that had been released previously. There’s plenty to enjoy here but it’s more simplistic approach means that the songs are less memorable.
8 - Torn
After the more simplistic Monday Morning Apocalypse Evergrey somewhat darkened their sound again although the songwriting was again in a more simplified format. This once again affected the memorability of the songs on display although there were some absolute gems to be found on Torn such as Broken Wings, Fear and These Scars.
7 - The Atlantic
The latest album by Evergrey (released this year) is also one of the heaviest and darkest in the band's career. The fact that Tom Englund was going through a divorce whilst writing this album is evident in some of the most foreboding and sullen songs Evergrey have ever released. This does somewhat work against the band in some respect in that this can be a bit of a difficult album to get into but once you get over that hurdle you will be rewarded with such gems as All I Have, End Of Silence and Departure.
6 - Hymns For The Broken
Guitarist Henrik Danhage and drummer Jonas Ekdahl rejoined the band and the Evergrey magic returned after the pedestrian Glorious Collision. With this album the band released some of their finest material in years and a lot of these are still live staples such as KIng Of Errors, Black Undertow and The Grand Collapse.
5 - The Storm Within
For me The Storm Within is the strongest of the trilogy of albums that started with Hymns For The Broken with a fantastic mix of songs from more melodic and accessible tunes such as Passing Through and In Orbit to the dark melancholy of the title track and Distance and the emotive ballad The Paradox Of The Flame. A really superb Evergrey album.
4 - The Inner Circle
Evergrey embraced their progressive tendencies on this album with a concept centering around organised religion and abuse. The band had also never been heavier up this point with a mix putting the guitars up front. Some classic Evergrey songs came from this album such as More Than Ever, Waking Up Blind and live set staple A Touch Of Blessing.
3 - Solitude Dominance Tragedy
There was a stratospheric leap in quality between the first and second albums by Evergrey and it’s safe to say that on Solitude Dominance Tragedy that Evergrey truly found their sound and released one of the best albums of their career. The highlights are countless on this album - Nosferatu, The Shocking Truth and She Speaks To The Dead being a selection.
2 - Recreation Day
This album was so close to being number one but just narrowly missed it though many Evergrey fans would argue that this album is their finest hour. Recreation Day was the album that got Evergrey noticed and it’s no surprise as the quality of the performances and songwriting is astonishingly high. There are so many highlights but the stand outs for me are the title track, End Of Your Days, Blinded and As I Lie Here Bleeding.
1 - In Search Of Truth
The pinnacle of the Evergrey discography is undoubtedly In Search Of Truth. A concept album about alien abduction sounds geeky but Evergrey manage to work their magic and make this a dark and moving conceptual piece with a bunch of songs that are very close to perfection. This album got the band their first hit with The Masterplan but other highlights are Rulers Of The Mind, Mark Of The Triangle and Misled. If you’ve never heard Evergrey before this is the place to start.