THE DARK DISCOVERY

Evergrey is a dark and gloomy progressive metal band from Sweden. Their ideal song format is a catchy thrash metal epic of around 5 minutes with sharp and witty riffing that is made into magic by the emotive command of their exceptional vocalist Tom Englund. That man has one remarkable voice, it's hoarse, soulful but still very melodious and with a naturally flowing power.

There's two ways to approach this album. The first is looking at it from 1998. Then it is a significant debut where they display all tricks and skills that define them. The other way is going backwards in time, where you will find a blandly produced album that will add nothing to what you already heard on their ensuing masterpieces.

The main problem is the electric guitars that sound as if they're processed through a tube, lacking sharpness and precision. In other words, they're muddy and messy. Now, for a metal that's not an advantage, but the production isn't so bad that it wrecks the enjoyment of the album. Underneath the dense sound sit 11 wonderfully crafted songs that are performed with a sincere and gripping intensity.

Evergrey offer quite a difference to how progressive metal usually sound. Dark and slightly gothic, they remind me of Iced Earth's best moments on The Dark Saga. Evergrey had it in them to surpass that album but some sonic issues nipped that in the bud here. 3.5 stars