Evergrey's 'The Atlantic' - Album Review

Evergrey are a band that holds a somewhat unique place in the metal world. The Swedish five-piece's dense, melancholic sound is hard to pigeonhole, so have their feet in many camps as a result. The band's earlier works certainly had a strong dose of power metal, but this was always tempered by a certain darkness that pervaded everything - particularly frontman, and sole original member, Tom S. Englund's lyrics. This power metal influence has certainly dissipated over time, with the band seemingly getting heavier and heavier over time. While never straying close to extreme metal territory, Evergrey's sound has certainly become darker and more intense. The Evergrey of 2019 is characterised by dry, heavy guitar riffs; dense, enveloping keyboard textures; and - of course - the soulful vocal delivery of Englund. Throughout Evergrey's near 25 year career, Englund has eschewed many of the tropes of melodic metal vocalists and carved his own path. With over-the-top histrionics common in the genre, Englund's more restrained approach has certainly made him stand out. While he may not display the range as many of his peers, his delivery is one that is full of emotion and soul. This approach has always complimented his lyric writing, and has really helped to cement the band's more melancholic feel. This style has served the band well, and is no more apparent than on their newly-released tenth studio album The Atlantic, which dropped last month. The band's third effort with the current line-up. The Atlantic is the final part of a somewhat loose conceptual trilogy that started in 2014 with Hymns for the Broken (which I reviewed here) and continued in 2016 with The Storm Within (which I also reviewed here). This pair of albums saw the band feeling refreshed after a small hiatus, which had seen the band take stock after a period of line-up instability and a handful of weaker releases. The break certainly did Evergrey the world of good and, with most of the band's classic-era members reinstated by Englund, they were once again ready to impress. I count Hymns for the Broken as one of my favourite Evergrey releases, along with 2001's excellent In Search of Truth, and while The Storm Within did not quite reach those heights it is still an impressive piece of work. I would rank The Atlantic alongside The Storm Within in terms of quality, and is another strong release from a band who will celebrate 25 years of existence next year. Those who have enjoyed the band's recent efforts will want to pick this one up too, as the sound established on the previous two albums carries over here. The almost-tech metal riffing returns, as does Rikard Zander's suffocating keyboard arrangements. This concise, yet dense, take on progressive metal still sounds fresh despite the familiarity and that is a testament to the current Evergrey line-up's songwriting skills.

The album opens with its longest song, the near-eight minute long A Silent Arc. It starts slowly, with swirling atmospherics and radar beeps, before exploding into a frantic heavy guitar riff backed by some fantastic drumming from Jonas Ekdahl. This riff is one of the heaviest moments in the Evergrey catalogue, and it really sets the tone for how the album will progress. Heavier moments pop up throughout the album, but elsewhere the melancholy pervades as usual. A Silent Arc mixes heavy verses, that make use of Englund and Henrik Danhage's muscular riffing, with slower, more expressive choruses that see sombre strings and Englund's soaring vocals dominate. Englund sounds as great as ever vocally, and this song's chorus is perfect example of his talents. He sings over the band's heavier moments well enough, but it is during the more atmospheric, keyboard-heavy parts where he really shines. About two thirds of the way through the song a crunching mid-paced guitar riff takes over and this allows him to croon over the top to great effect, before everything transitions into the album's first true guitar solo. The song is a great example of the modern Evergrey sound, and would be a great entry point for new fans despite its length. Single Weightless is more overtly melodic, but it still packs a punch. A dry riff drives the song, but things open up when Zander's keyboards join the fray to provide a chiming, pulsing melody that compliments the tech metal-esque riffing well. Being a single, it is unsurprising that Englund's vocals are really pushed to the fore, with a simple verse that allows him to deliver a strong melody unhindered. The song is similar to Evergrey singles of the past, but still fits in with the album's overall mood. Where it really comes alive however is during the chorus. It is probably the album's most instantly memorable moment and is a little bit of a throwback to the band's earlier work with more of an emphasis on powerful melodies. The choppy, tech metal riffing that continues to surface throughout drags the song back into 2019 however, and the big, prominent bass performance given by Johan Niemann adds some serious weight. Singles can sometimes be a little tame, but this is one that really represents the album as a whole while still being fairly accessible. All I Have has some really heavy moments, and opens with a riff that sounds like something Gojira might have come up with for one of their more recent efforts before transitioning into a dark, murky verse that keeps up the grinding guitar and bass work. Sombre piano lines add some emotional weight, but it is the song's chorus that makes the piece a real winner. A far cry from the opening grooves, the pseudo-ballad style of the chorus really allows Englund to shine. Zander's keyboards create an everlasting soundscape, and this helps the lyrics to seemingly take on more meaning. It is another earworm moment, and the emotional guitar solo that follows the second chorus really helps to take things to the next level.

After a keyboard-heavy intro, A Secret Atlantis ups the pace and heaviness of the album with a driving guitar riff and some furious double bass drumming from Ekdahl. Not one to compete vocally with such heaviness, Englund slows things down a little for the verses as the guitars are paired back somewhat to allow the vocal melodies to shine. It still maintains a strong pace however, with lots of intricate drumming patterns and dry riffing that maintains a darkness despite being more in the background. The chorus is more typical of the album's style however, with the keyboards once again ramping up and the overall pace slowing to allow for that more emotional vocal delivery. A stunning keyboard solo from Zander is arguably the highlight of the piece however, and sees him unleashing a flurry of synth notes to great effect. It is moment of pure abandon in a song that feels more measured overall, and it works really well. Following the short, keyboard-heavy instrumental piece The Tidal, End of Silence hits hard with a mid-paced crunching guitar riff that continues into the verses. Englund sings over the heavy riff to great effect, and this helps to give the song a suffocating feeling. That being said, this is not a song that is consistently heavy and in fact the first chorus sees everything paired back to a simple keyboard arrangement to allow for a burst of pure, uninterrupted vocals. Future choruses are more involved and feel heavier, but that simple melody is still there. As with many of the songs on the album, this is one that manages to fit a lot into a fairly short space of time. There is in instrumental section part way through that sees the keyboards take the centre stage, and this provides a bit of a break from the guitar-dominated riffing that fills the rest of the song. Currents seems to hark back a little to the band's earlier work, and opens with a driving guitar and is based around a soaring verse that sees Englund really pushing himself vocally and sounds more like a rock start than usual! The band's early power metal sounds are evident here, with a fairly jaunty keyboard melody overriding everything during a catchy chorus, and guitar riffing that sounds fuller and richer than the dry, tech metal-inspired motifs that have dominated the album up until this point. The shredded guitar solo also helps to enhance this mood, and this is another burst of abandon that is welcome. Sadly the album's liner notes do not credit the guitar solos, so I am not sure if Euglund or Danhage is responsible for this shredding, but it is great to hear something somewhat more energetic in an album that is otherwise very sombre.

Departure slows things down and opens with a powerful, rumbling bassline from Niemann while Zander's sombre piano chimes away in the background. The last few numbers have featured big arrangements, but this one takes a bit more of a less-is-more approach with acoustic guitars filling some of the gaps, and Englund's vocals pushed right to the fore. I made comparisons to Anathema's more modern sound in my review of Hymns for the Broken, and that comparison seems apt once again here. Zander's rolling piano melodies, that often repeat motifs over again, feel like something Anathema might have written, and the overall feel of the song recalls the beautiful desolation that the last few Anathema albums have been filled with. The Atlantic is an album which, on the whole, is rather heavy and this song stands out as more of a moment of calm. There are still moments that feel somewhat 'heavy', such as the bass-heavy intro, but overall this feels like a conscious attempt to write something as an antidote to all the heaviness that is present elsewhere. The Beacon opens slowly, with some effects-heavy spoken word that creates a bit of an unsettling atmosphere, before a synth-heavy riff kicks in that sounds dark, yet extremely catchy. The presence of electronics in this song really helps it to stand out, and really shows what Zander adds to the band. He stuck with Englund throughout all the line-up changes and weaker albums, and he has proven to be an invaluable asset to the band. His keyboard work on this song is excellent, and often steals the show from the guitarists despite some heavy riffing. This is a song that feels like a perfect mix of the band's early sound and their modern efforts, with power metal vibes coming through despite the dark, progressive metal overtones. The chorus has some strong, overt melodies and there is an excellent guitar solo that cuts through the mix with perfect phrasing. The album's closing number, This Ocean, ramps up the heaviness again and opens with a dry riff that would not sound out of place on a TesseracT album before steaming along at a faster pace. This definitely more of a song for guitarists, as the riffing never really lets up throughout. The atmospherics are still present, but they are certainly mixed more into the background to allow the heaviness of the guitars to shine. It is as if the band wanted to end the album as it began, with a real injection of metal. It works well, and acts as a strong bookend to the album after a couple of more atmospheric pieces that focused more on the keyboards than the riffing. The ending in particular is powerful, with Ekdahl laying into his double pace pedals for some of the albums's fastest drumming, before a slower, mechanical riff sees the album come to a discordant close. Overall, The Atlantic sees Evergrey doing what they do best and is a fitting close to this loose trilogy of recent albums. The darkness and melancholy are here in spades, but with probably a few more standout melodies than on the last album which helps to keep things fresh.

The album was released on 25th January 2019 via AFM Records. Below is the band's promotional video for Weightless.