SOLITUDE - DOMINANCE - TRAGEDY

The sophomore album of Swedish dark prog metallers Evergrey is a massive improvement over their uncertain debut album, The Dark Discovery. Released only one year after that album, Solitude, Dominance, Tragedy follows closely in the footsteps of its predecessor, but manages to fix many of the pitfalls that had plagued that album. It showcases a more assured songwriting, more nuanced arrangements and also a better production. Moreover, although not all material on Solitude, Dominance, Tragedy stood the test of time, the album contains a couple of early classic Evergrey masterpieces ("Solitude Within", "Nosferatu") that remain among the best material the band have written to date.

Evergrey's line-up on this record is essentially the same as the one that had recorded the debut album, minus keyboard player Will Chandra who is here replaced by a session musician, Zachary Stephens. This effectively makes Evergrey a quartet, comprised of singer/ guitarist Tom S. Englund, guitarist Dan Bronell, drummer Patrick Carlsson and bassist Daniel Nojd. The band continue to propose what had already characterized their debut album: a dark, melancholic blend of progressive metal that takes inspiration in equal parts from classic heavy metal (Iron Maiden, King Diamond, Savatage), power metal, and thrash. The band enrichens this basic sound with gothic and symphonic undercurrents through the use of solemn choirs, haunting female vocals (provided by Englund's then partner Carina Kjellberg), harp and violin interludes, and lush orchestral arrangements. It's a rich and thick sonic tapestry that offers a slightly different take on the standard progressive metal sound, one that is gloomier and more dramatic, with less emphasis on technical proficiency and more attention to melody and emotions. Singer Tom Englund plays a big part in this, his melancholic and dramatic vocal delivery being one of the standout aspects of Evergrey's music. This more visceral and emotional form of prog metal is a welcome change of direction for the scene, especially given how a lot of the prog metal that was coming out at the time used to sound so aseptic, lifeless and emotionally detached - the exact opposite of how the Swedish quartet sound here.

The songrwriting on Solitude? has clearly improved compared to the debut LP. Songs like "Solitude Within" and "Nosferatu" are very convincing. They are structurally complex, containing multiple sections and rich arrangements, but at the same time they feature strong melodic hooks that have a lasting impression on the listener and make the tracks instantly likeable and memorable. Unfortunately, not all tracks on the album reach this level of quality. In fact, after this opening pair of songs, there is a sensible dip in the quality of the record, and a fair share of what comes in the middle of Solitude? sounds drearily similar to the weaker material that had appeared on The Dark Discovery. Tracks like "A Scattered Me", "She Speaks to the Dead" and "Damnation" are uninspired and directionless, resulting overall forgettable. This is not unusual for Evergrey, whose albums often contain a mixed bag of strong and weak material. On Solitude? the share is probably slightly tilted towards the weaker material, which is why I cannot really rate this album higher. The album closes strongly, though. "When Darkness Falls" is a powerful and dramatic piece with a good chorus, while the ballad "Words Mean Nothing" is a welcome change of pace and features some excellent vocals by Englund. Closing track "The Carey Curse" is another strong piece, bringing to the fore the prog/power metal influences of the band and reminding me of Iced Earth.

One issue that had plagued Evergrey's debut was the sound production. Things have improved on Solitude?, although not yet to a point where I can say that the album sounds good, even considering the time when it was produced. The sound is too dark and murky, with lots of emphasis on the bass tones. This may fit the overall gloomy tone of the album material, but at the same time makes the music feel colourless and dull. My guess is that producer Andy LaRocque (King Diamond) was trying to emphasize the dark, brooding nature of Evergrey's music, but he overdid it. I also dislike the mix of the album. Englund's vocals sound muddled and sit too far back in the mix, and so do the drums. Moreover, the keyboard arrangements are still not well integrated with the rest of the music. At times, it almost feels like the keyboard parts were added ex-post, once the rest of the music had been arranged and recorded.

Nevertheless, Solitude, Dominance, Tragedy is a convincing sophomore album for Evergrey. If with The Dark Discovery the band had surprised the prog metal community with its dark, melancholic blend of prog metal that certainly stood out relative to the rest of the scene, on Solitude? Evergrey show that they start to have ideas of what to actually do with that sound. The songwriting has matured and shows a sense of purpose and direction, even if only in about half of the songs of the album. The delivery and production are also more assured. Overall, the album is a definite step-up relative to the band's debut record and it shows that Evergrey are getting ready for their big breakthrough album that will come in 2001, when the band released their masterpiece In Search of Truth.

[Also published on metal-archives.com]