ESCAPE OF THE PHOENIX

The Swedish masters of dark and melancholic progressive power metal have returned this year with their 12th full-length album in a discography that spans four decades. Driven by the charismatic voice of Tom S Englund, Evergrey developed their unique sound very early on in their discography, with 2001's In Search of Truth representing a monumental career highlight that still shines bright today. From then on, the Swedish combo has continued to hone their sound, incorporating subtle electronic influences and modern metal vibes, without ever abandoning the signature elements that have defined their music so far: chugging guitars that churn out a myriad of groovy, down-tuned riffs; pounding drumwork that is rich with offbeat fills and flourishes; delicate keyboard and piano interjections creating dramatic contrasts with the guitars and rhythm section; and Englund's unique voice - dark and gruffy but yet incredibly melodic and emotional.

Escape of the Phoenix does not stray too far from the usual formula the band have been following in the past few records. The songs are perhaps even slightly heavier than what Evergrey have used us to in recent years, with a couple of djenty interjections ("Where August Mourn") and a good dose of dark metallic vibes that suggest Evergrey have been paying close attention to the latest sonic evolutions of moody progressive metal bands like Katatonia ("Forever Outsider", "The Beholder"). There are also clear references to modern metal, with not too subtle electronic undertones and catchy vocal melodies that frequently veer towards poppy territories ("Where August Mourn").

The combination of heavy and soft elements make the album feel varied and dynamic. This characteristic is further reinforced by the diversity of the tracklist, which alternates soft melancholic ballads ("In the Absence of Sun"; "You from You"), majestic mid-tempos ("Where August Mourn"; "Run"), faster pieces ("Eternal Nocturnal), and more complex, progressive epics ("The Beholder", featuring a cameo by James LaBrie from Dream Theater). The musicians' performances are strong throughout (with a handful of very tasteful guitar solos), and together with the simple, lean song structure ensure that the album flows away fairly easily despite its long duration of nearly one hour.

Despite these strengths, Escape of the Phoenix is not an album that adds much to Evergrey's rich discography. There are a couple of songs that stand above average and might just make the cut for a "best of" album ("In the Absence of Sun", "The Beholder"; "Leaden Saints"). The rest, however, feel very unadventurous and almost written on auto-pilot. There is nothing egregiously bad, but also nothing that will make you jump out of your chair and scream hallelujah. A handful of tracks ("A Dandelion Cipher"; "Eternal Nocturnal"; the title-track ) are slightly disappointing to me, in that they seem to feature a somewhat lazy songwriting, relying excessively on Englund's voice to carry the song through with big dramatic melodies, while offering very little in the way of instrumental accompaniment (plenty of chugging background guitars, pounding drums and opulent string arrangements, but no exciting riffs or remarkable instrumental moment). But this is also how a lot of modern metal sound like (big on vocal melodies, small on pretty much everything else), so it may please fans that lean towards that particular genre.

To sum up, Escape of the Phoenix is a good, if fairly unremarkable, Evergrey album. If you are new to Evergrey, this is not the place to start as the band have written much stronger albums over their career (for instance, In Search of Truth or Recreation Day). If you are already familiar with the band's sound, this album won't change much the way you feel about it. There are some subtle new influences woven in into their sound, pushing the album in modern metal territory, but nothing that changes significantly Evergrey's overall musical direction. It's pretty much more of the same, which may be a good or bad thing depending on your inclination towards the special blend of dark, melancholic progressive power metal Evergrey have been churning out for nearly 25 years now.