Dark layers of atmospheric music wash over the speakers like a fine, rich vintage. Guitars are thick, rounding, but yet not corroding. The heaviness unfurls like black wings, spreading their deep pigment over the soundscape and punctuated by the feathery brushes of keyboards. A gorgeous, dramatic voice lends a sense of grounding, but encourages the darkness to give comfort, and leave trails of horrified wonder behind.
Evergrey is back, and
"Torn" shows them in their finest form. Luscious darkness lightened by incredible melodies and expansive choruses that send your mind reeling from the impact. And yes, former
Stratovarius bassist Jari Kainulainen has joined the ranks here as well.
The first track,
"Broken Wings" is a testing trial for all musicians, and reminds me of Dream Theater's "Awake". It's very progressive in nature, but the undeniable dark metal edge is the side of the blade that cuts the deepest. Swirling synthesizers, gripping guitar rhythms, even moments where the bass is allowed to thump and shine in the spotlight. Tom Englund sends the chorus to magnificence and the song keeps changing things, evolving, keeping the ride interesting.
Then there's
"Soaked" which begins with a soul shattering vocal opening that is buffeted by warping synth effects and harsh electric guitars, singing their dark song sweetly. But that chorus, it's absolutely fantastic. Capturing the imagination and driven home by the absolute truthful ringing conviction of the vocalist.
"Fear" has another smashing chorus that deals with the frantic emotions inside us.
"When Kingdoms Fall" intensely builds and never lets go, it keeps the drama on the bleeding knife's edge, seeping your resolve and soul away with it. It boils and churns yet never reaches any kind of relief sought climax. Thick and thrashy,
"In Confidence" is an unrelenting whirlwind of kinetic fury. The chorus slams the doors wide open, letting the melody flow through in an effective fashion. It lightens the song, as the verses chug and shake in angry thunder. Reminiscent of Symphony X's 1990s output, in the switch between light and darkness and the guitar solo that dances so fluid and pure amongst the reddened rage.
"Numb" has one of my favorite lyrical bits
"So have you ever felt like I feel Wounded and never got a chance to heal And have you ever been through what I've been through Still breathing..." fantastic. And the music itself is like a battering of the walls that you put around your soul to keep out those dank thoughts that come lurking in the night. Guitars rumbling, vocals stabbing trying to find ground in striking a life blood wound in the breach.
"Torn" rips you apart, the acoustic so stark and in blatant agony that you cannot help but shed a few tears along with it. The passion in the vocals lock the shackles into place and keep you willingly chained to the roller coaster of misery.
Where other tracks are content to reload previous
Evergrey incarnations and dress them up in a shiny new package (and sporting much snappier choruses and hooklines),
"Still Walk Alone" dares to shove the band across the line into new territory, at least for this dark dipped band. Creeping sinister, probing the hurts of anxiety in isolation, the chorus climbs into a wicked spiral and the instrumentation breaks loose for an experiment in speed metal. The dazzling guitars and frantic paced drums smash the album wide open, leaving this song truly one that walks alone from the rest.
"Torn" is the promised return to form, and Tom S. Englund delivers on that, and more. The freshness of their now ten year old debut can be heard shining within the layers. The emotional forcing from "Solitude. Dominace. Tragedy.", the sweeping epic grandness that was the lasting mark of "Recreation Day", the understanding and execution of concept shown in "The Inner Circle", and a darkness spreading into the progressive touches. Much more darkness than ever before.
Evergrey was never a light hearted band, and this is no exception. It's soaked in the depressive state and sentiments ranging from fury to senses lost, chained to fear, and the wasteland of longing.
The songwriter seems to have suffered every injustice in the world and the music makes you suffer right along with him, every smeared blood stain, every trickle trace of tears. An exhausting disc, so powerfully dark that it can change your mood from happy shiny sunshine to a rain drenched world. Not every song is perfect, and there is no equal to "For Every Tear That Falls" from their earliest work. But there is much to like, and moreso than the past few albums have neglected to consistently offer.
If "Monday Morning Apocalypse" was too straightforward, then
"Torn" makes up for it, bringing back the layered depths but keeping close that power/thrashy prevailing shadows that fester in other acts such as
Angel Dust. A mood killer for sure, but one that is worthwhile to step forward and embrace.
Evergrey is quite the expressive name for their band, since it describes their music perfectly. As being, ever grey, of course. Those emotions that are neither completely black or white, but lurking somewhere in between. Feelings you might not want to acknowledge or face in when the lights are out, are brought to stark, cunning life. Forcing confrontation with your inner fears, leaving you quite...
"Torn".Written by
Alanna Thursday, October 16, 2008
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