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TORN

Evergrey

Progressive Metal


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Evergrey Torn album cover
2.73 | 76 ratings | 5 reviews | 11% 5 stars

Good, but non-essential

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Studio Album, released in 2008

Songs / Tracks Listing

1. Broken Wings (4:42)
2. Soaked (4:58)
3. Fear (4:15)
4. When Kingdoms Fall (5:32)
5. In Confidence (4:03)
6. Fail (4:50)
7. Numb (5:17)
8. Torn (4:43)
9. Nothing Is Erased (4:40)
10. Still Walk Alone (4:43)
11. These Scars (5:51)

Total time 53:34

Bonus track on 2008 SE:
12. Caught In A Lie (5:46)

Line-up / Musicians

- Tom Englund / vocals, guitar, co-producer
- Henrik Danhage / guitars
- Rikard Zander / keyboards
- Jari Kainulainen / bass
- Jonas Ekdahl / drums, co-producer

With:
- Carina Englund / vocals (1,11)

Releases information

Artwork: Mattias Norén

CD Steamhammer ‎- SPV 92842 CD (2008, Germany)
CD Steamhammer ‎- SPV 92840 CD Ltd. (2008, Germany) Digipak SE with a bonus track

Thanks to schismer for the addition
and to Quinino for the last updates
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EVERGREY Torn ratings distribution


2.73
(76 ratings)
Essential: a masterpiece of progressive rock music(11%)
11%
Excellent addition to any prog rock music collection(13%)
13%
Good, but non-essential (39%)
39%
Collectors/fans only (29%)
29%
Poor. Only for completionists (8%)
8%

EVERGREY Torn reviews


Showing all collaborators reviews and last reviews preview | Show all reviews/ratings

Collaborators/Experts Reviews

Review by The T
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Honorary Collaborator
3 stars EVERGREY's previous album, "Monday Morning Apocalypse", was a complete disaster made of simple 3- minute songs with no good melodies or interesting riffs and even less progressive elements. Is this newest release, "Torn" any better? The answer is a yes, though not a very enthusiastic one.

Some of the problems that plagued the preceding work have been worked upon this time around. For starters, the songs are slightly longer in average, and they seem to have been given some thought before being recorded. It doesn't sound anymore like they were spur of the moment, as in the atrocious "Monday Morning Apocalypse" which reminded us of bad made-for-MTV metal (which by default isn't the greatest compliment I could give to an album). The songs in "Torn" sound composed, sound intelligent.

Much of this improvement is due to the better guitar work that we can appreciate. Riffs are much better, much more interesting, original, and powerful. Even though we can't really say that this is the most memorable collection of riffs ever, at least is competent enough for a good metal record. Some are derivative (like the main one in "Fear", which sounds like a mix of DEATH and MORBID ANGEL, bands way heavier and innovative than EVERGREY).

But the biggest advantage that "Torn" has over its infamous predecessor is that it seems Englund and Co. finally decided to bring back that old, forgotten little detail that music oftentimes has: melody. No, this isn't really sweet or mellow music or anything like that, but this time around we actually can remember some of the choruses, some of the verses, even some of the solos. "Broken Wings" and "Scars" are examples of this.

As always, EVERGREY features some tight musicianship. Englund's skills in the guitar are good enough to deliver a decent performance, and Danhage's are even better. Ekdahl never amazes us but is always efficient, and in "When Kingdoms Fall" his performance behind the drum kit is very precise. Zander, though a very competent keyboardist, is more of an ornament than a true main player in EVERGREY. Rarely have I found a better example of "background keyboards" in a metal band.

And that's probably my biggest problem with this band. It started progressive-enough, reaching its climax with "Recreation Day", and taking its music to a newer level with the almost-excellent "The Inner Truth". But suddenly, Englund dropped all the interesting lyrical themes and it seems the music had to suffer as well. The band really "dumbed-down" its music with "Monday Morning Apocalypse", and even though "Torn" is a step in the right direction, is nowhere, nowhere near the level of their previous releases. Songs are shorter, keyboards are just a gimmick, even Englund's vocals, once regarded as some of the best in metal, have taken a distinct commercial approach, with the singer constantly favoring superfluous adorning techniques instead of delivering a true powerful performance.

Overall, EVERGREY is just barely a progressive-metal band. To put this idea in perspective, we can say that, while in "The Inner Truth" and earlier efforts the band sounded a little bit like SYMPHONY X and PAIN OF SALVATION, nowadays what their music reminds us of is of much more direct, non- progressive Swedish metal bands like SOILWORK or IN FLAMES. It's clear that that's the direction Englund wants for its creature. Sadly, I must say that the music of any of those two bands is far more entertaining and well-crafted (for metal, that is), than the last two releases by EVERGREY. While those two bands sound like excellent melodic-commercial-death-metal, EVERGREY could just be described as "metal formerly known as progressive". It doesn't fit in any other description, not because it's incredibly original, but because it almost lacks any character.

As a metal album, I'd give "Torn" a 3, as it's entertaining enough. As a progressive-metal album, it can't get better than a 2. That averages as 2.5, and I'll round the rating up to a 3.

Review by UMUR
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Honorary Collaborator
3 stars Torn is the seventh studio album from Swedish heavy metal ( once upon a time slightly progressive metal) act Evergrey. I used to be a fan of Evergrey back when they had only made three albums. The debut wasn´t very exciting but the second album Solitude + Dominance + Tragedy ( 1999) and the third album In Search of Truth ( 2001) are both excellent melodic heavy metal albums with slight progressive tendencies and some brilliant thrashy riffing. I was led towards Evergrey because of my love for Nevermore and my search for music in the that vein, and I have been very happy with both Solitude + Dominance + Tragedy and In Search of Truth even though those albums will never reach the hights of Nevermore. The problem with Evergrey is that all albums after In Search of Truth seems to have lost in attitude ( especially the lack of thrashy riffing is a problem in my ears) and in memorability. Recreation Day ( 2003) was pretty good while I totally lost interest after listening to The Inner Circle ( 2004). But the worst album was Monday Morning Apocalypse ( 2006) which was a complete disaster. No memorable melodies and lame riffing meant that that album was a complete turn off for me. Torn partially gets Evergrey back on the right track IMO.

The music on Torn is unmistakably Evergrey. Heavy metal/ slightly thrashy riffing, melodic background keyboards and raw yet melodic singing. Heavy verses and melodic anthemic choruses. Compared to Monday Morning Apocalypse this album is much more memorable and heavy. The slight progressive tendencies Evergrey had on earlier albums is nowhere to be found though. This is essentially melodic heavy metal. As usual on Evergrey albums there is lots of heavy songs and a few power ballad type songs and it´s hard not to get the feeling that Evergrey´s style is a bit formulaic by now. You shouldn´t expect much progression from Evergrey. This is business as usual, even though Torn is clearly in the better end of Evergrey´s albums.

The musicianship is excellent. Typical melodic Swedish quality. I especially enjoy some of the melodic guitar solos from Henrik Danhage. He is such a gifted guitarist. Tom S. Englund´s vocals is an aquired taste. His hoarse yet melodic singing will turn off some people while others appreciate his distinct vocal style. I think his voice suits some songs better than others. His theatrical approach is a bit too much for me though and I think it gets a bit too pathetic in the end which the banale and quite frankly embarresing lyrics doesn´t help to correct.

The production is grand and powerful. A typical modern metal production. Very professional.

Torn is really not my cup of tea, but on the other hand it´s hard not to appreciate such professional metal, and there are things in the music that I do enjoy like the aforementioned melodic guitar solos. It would be wrong to give Torn 2 stars because of the quality of the music so I´ll give it 3 stars. For fans of the band this must be a welcome return to form. For me as an old fan Torn only holds a slight interest which is first and foremost because of the lack of progressive tendencies which made Solitude + Dominance + Tragedy and In Search of Truth such exciting albums.

Review by Prog Leviathan
PROG REVIEWER
2 stars 2 stars for my favorite Swedish gothic/black/heavy metal band this time around, with Torn doing little specific to prompt negative comments nor anything exceptional to warrant listening from those who aren't already fans of the band.

The group's heavy, energetic, dark metal playing is as heavy, energetic, and dark as ever, and fine displays of catchy metal musicianship abound throughout Torn. Guitar is the first thing one hears when coming to dine at Evergrey's table, and fans of a straightforward metal rocking will be given plenty to sink their teeth into; solos, riffing, and effects shred in each song. Equally prevalent are Englund's vocals, which are characteristically gravelly, powerful, and angsty. Lyrics are without exception dealing with loss, pain, failure, etc... sound familiar?

That's the problem-- Torn is everything one expects from Evergrey, and it's hard not to acknowledge that they're pretty much phoning this one in. Their key albums (In Search of Truth, Inner Circle, Recreation Day) feature strong themes and narratives-- making for unique and thoughtful listens. Torn is almost like a collection of outtakes the band prepared to insert into any of their previous concept albums; connected only by their gloomy nature. The result is a lack of variety and flow despite fine performances. There are few changes in dynamics or mood, and the album suffers from this feeling of directionless.

Newcomers and fans of metal are heartily encouraged to check out Evergrey-- but this collection of isolated songs makes for a poor example of their coolness. Fans of the group will be treading familiar ground, but since Evergrey is a sweet metal band, that isn't entirely a bad thing.

Songwriting: 2 Instrumental Performances: 3 Lyrics/Vocals: 3 Style/Emotion/Replay: 2

Review by Gatot
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Honorary Collaborator
3 stars EVERGREY is a band that has been very hard for me to clasify whether or not liking it in its overall music releases. Of course I knew the band by accident and was attracted by its good guitar riffs and melody. I would say this band from Gothenburg, Sweden focus their music in something called melodic dark metal sound, which in some compositions there are elements of power metal, gothic metals and a bit of progressive - and ... sometimes like hair bands of the 80s. Oh by the way, if you know what is typically called as emo-style (with band like My Chemical Romance) you might find the elements as well. Sometimes I thought this band is something like 'The Hair Band of Metal' ... or maybe Bon Jovi in Metal? Well, you know what I mean. That's the way I describe the band. You will find stunning guitar solo and beautifully crafted heavy chugging riffs that come across at transition segments and/or as rhythm section. If you like this kind of music, it may suit your taste.

I would say this 'Torn' album represents their return to form of classic style because their previous 'Monday Morning Apocalypse' is just a so and so in musical quality. But I find 'Torn' is much more spin-able compared to 'Monday Morning Apocalypse'.

Let me use my simple guideline in music review. First is in terms of melody ? i.e. the degree to which the main melody of the song is constructed from a combination of notes.I find all songs from the opening 'Broken Wings' to the 'These Scars' have good to excellent melody line that you can get from the vocal line or the guitar solo. Second is the harmonies ie. how each instrument contributes in creating sounds and notes. This album has successfully blended balanced notes resulted from guitars, vocal as well as keyboards that make good harmonies. Take any track from this album and you will definitely see nice harmonies. The riffs are also nice. I also notice that the opening riffs of 'Nothing Is Erased' is somewhat similar with Ritchie Blackmore' "Lost In Holywood'. Is it plagiarism? I don't know ....

Third is the complexity of the arrangement i.e. the degree in which the instrument (including vocal) being played by the musicians and how they generate a piece of music stream or segment of the music. This is also good as far as this album concern. Fourth is change of style i.e. how the style changes in a song which includes tempo changes and/ or heavy or soft musical sounds. 'Torn' is basically, most of them, a straight forward album with minimum change of style. That's why it does not sound quite progressive to my ears. The last one (fifth) is the structural integrity i.e. the degree to which all musical segments, including changes of style, form a cohesiveness of the music as a whole from start to end. At individual track level, I see that this album has a solid structural integrity.

Overall, this is a very good album especially for those who like energetic music with heavy chugging riffs, guitar solo and relatively fast tempo. If you compare with 'Monday Morning Apocalypse', of course this one is much better! 3.5 stars rating overall. Keep on proggin' ..!

Peace on earth and mercy mild - GW

Review by Bonnek
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Honorary Collaborator
2 stars Evergrey is a gothic power metal band that fuses brilliant metal song writing with a dark brooding atmosphere and the best voice you can find in a 1000 miles distance. The music doesn't offer anything new or special that you won't find back on the Dark Saga from Iced Earth, but it is so well done that I find myself listening to them quite regularly.

Not so for their 2008 release Torn. Torn confirms that Evergrey can write dark melodic metal, Torn confirms that Evergrey has one of the best singers around, but Torn also confirms that Evergrey will never stray one inch from the path they carved for themselves during the last 10 years and 7 consecutive albums. I call that a creative standstill.

In itself, that shouldn't be bad for fans. As long as the tunes are good, artists are relevant, at least still for their fans. Unfortunately Evergrey fail to deliver the song quality of past releases. Torn doesn't have one song that gels with me. Every track is an unremarkable blend of anonymous riffs and melodies. As such, the creative standstill has turned out to be a creative downfall.

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