MONDAY MORNING APOCALYPSE

I picked up Evergrey's Monday Morning Apocalypse in April, hoping for another concept album filled with epic-length tracks and extended instrumental breaks. Instead, I got an album with 3-4 minute tracks, that seemed to be the anti-Evergrey. I despised it. I panned it. I couldn't even bring myself to review it, I hated it that much. I recall giving my copy to a friend, and he ended up using it as a coaster, and the booklet as a dartboard.

Well, another buddy lent me a bunch of albums, and this was one of them. I thought I'd listen to it again, seeing if it was still so laughably bad.

To my surprise, it's not. It's utterly -amazing-. This might be Evergrey's best work yet. It's extremely focused, without a single wasted note. It's a very sacrificial record; no single musician is spotlighted at the expense of the song. The arrangements are brilliant, being accessible on the surface, but constantly changing and evolving within a tight framework. The solos, while short, are the most technical and creative that they've ever done. The keys, while generally low in the mix, are -perfect-, always accentuating the rhythm with clever, subtle melodies; when they take the lead, it's never excessive, and always fitting for the moment.

Lyrically, a different approach is taken; instead of a single concept for the whole album, there are a handful small stories, weaving threads throughout the album. Some of them are very dark, some are depressing, but all are classic Evergrey.

This album is not an attempt to sell out. This album is not Evergrey being lazy. Monday Morning Apocalypse is dark progressive metal, distilled completely to its purest essence, like a shot of Everclear to the throat. It never lets up, and it'll take many, many listens to discover every last nook and cranny of its subtle brilliance. Many fans will miss the noodling and extended breaks, but with an open mind and an ear for prog done a different, more mature way, this could easily become a favorite for years to come.

I feel no hesitation giving this album 5 stars; it's Evergrey at their finest, and a successful experiment at a new, mature, deceptively intricate way of creating progressive music.