SOLITUDE - DOMINANCE - TRAGEDY

"Solitude Dominance Tragedy" is the 2nd full-length studio album by Swedish heavy/power metal act Evergrey. The album was released through Gothenburg Noiseworks/Hall of Sermon in May 1999. It saw a reissue/re-release through Inside Out Music in 2004, which is probably the version most people are familiar with. "Solitude Dominance Tragedy" succeeds "The Dark Discovery" from 1998 and there´s been one lineup change since the predecessor as keyboard player Will Chandra has left. The keyboards on the album are therefore handled by session musician Zachory Stephens.

The album was recorded at Andy LaRocque´s Los Angered Recordings in Gothenburg, Sweden, and was produced by at LaRocque and Evergrey. The result is a powerful, clear, and detailed sounding production, which suits the material perfectly.

Stylistically Evergrey continue to play their brand of power metal with progressive leanings. "Solitude Dominance Tragedy" is one of their most progressive releases, although this is arguably more power metal than progressive metal. The music occasionally features some pretty hard edged thrashy riffs and a couple of chuggin heavy riffs too, which put Evergrey in the US power metal camp, but their omnipresent use of keyboards and epic lead guitar themes/harmonies (and very well played solos) pull them towards the Euro power metal camp, so they are actually a bit hard to place right. The overall atmosphere of the album is pretty dark and gloomy. Lead vocalist/guitarist Tom Englund has a very distinct sounding voice, which is a bit hoarse, but he sings both melodic and slightly more rough.

I could have done without the power ballad "Words Mean Nothing" (which after a slow and saccharine coated opening, thankfully ends on a stronger note), but the remaining 8 tracks are all high quality power metal. The album opens on a strong note with the trio of tracks "Solitude Within", "Nosferatu", and "The Shocking Truth". The latter featuring several spoken samples from interviews with people claiming they have been abducted by aliens. A theme the band would further explore on their next album "In Search of Truth (2001)". Other highlights include "She Speaks to the Dead" and the hard edged "Damnation", but as mentioned above all tracks are well written and effectful.

Upon conclusion "Solitude Dominance Tragedy" is a giant step forward from the rather mediocre debut album (which also suffered from a poor sounding production job). It´s a high quality release through and through, and Evergrey were definitely on to something special with this one. They have a unique and easialy recognisable sound although they use tried and true musical elements, it´s the way they combine the elements and also the unique quality of Englund´s voice and his melancholic delivery, which make Evergrey stand out on the scene. a 4 star (80%) rating is deserved.

(Originally posted on Metal Music Archives)