EVERGREY
For decades, Sweden has continued to produce the top names in heavy metal, regardless of sub-genre. Although debuting back in ’98, this Gothenburg outfit is only now receiving the international acclaim due them. Molding the various pedigrees of their countrymen into one distinctive sound: supreme musicianship prized by perfectionists, yet intense enough to win the blackened hearts of those more primordial, EVERGREY offer fans something truly different.

In these days of paint-by-numbers releases, where everyone mimics the elite purveyors of a particular style, EVERGREY’s music is something unique. Reviewers, and fans alike, typically use other bands as a reference point when discussing music. They sound like X, is a common refrain. Not so, EVERGREY. Built on a solid foundation of progressive metal, the multi-dimension voice of guitarist Tom S. Englund is what separates these Swedes. The lanky frontman possesses both a coarse, rasp and silky voice, equally suited for the band’s diverse repertoire. Regardless of which set of vocal chords he employed, Englund delivers an emotional performance, from pained, heart wrenching agony to bitter aggression. All of which can be heard on the dark new concept album, The Inner Circle.

“On the last album, we did Unforgivable, and that thought stayed with me, says Englund, about people abusing children, then hiding behind their religion, or whatever, to get away from the law. It´s despicable. It makes me so mad, like I could kill someone. Seriously. We actually thought about doing this concept for the last record, but there was too little time, to really get into the subject. We don´t want to accuse someone, without knowing what we´re talking about. This isn´t about bashing Christianity, it´s about bashing fanatics, people who try to convince others to their way of thinking. Society today wants someone to tell them how/what to think. Our (concert) t-shirts are going to say, I am my own God, God walking.’

As with the success of their previous release, Recreation Day, Englund and guitar partner Henrik Danhage, have again taken on producing duties for The Inner Circle. The results are stellar, the best sounding EVERGREY disc to date. This new opus also features the recording debut of the young new drummer Jonas Ekdahl. Ekdahl was Evergrey’s drum tech and was quick to jump behind the kit when Patrick Carlsson decided to leave the band last year.