THE DARK DISCOVERY

Evergrey are the new proverbial, progressive metal "KING'S OF THE HILL". I know this is heresy, since C.W.(conventional wisdom) places Dream Theater on top of our imaginary hill and they certainly are worthy, but let's face it, they are getting a little stale. I don't want to talk about how mediocre Dream Theater's last few albums were and I certainly am not starting a verbal battle of the bands but Evergrey is new and fresh and exciting and intriguing and, well, SUPERLATIVE!!!! They are the KINGS!!!

I know you probably love Dream Theater. Hell, I do too, and maybe you also love Symphony X and possibly Shadow Gallery. They're all great musicians making great music but what I want from you, my readers, is to open up that skeptical thing you call a mind and entertain the remote possibility that I might know what I'm talking about and that these guys are the musical equivalent of the second coming of C.....

Now, I think many of you out there are already familiar with 'Our Grey Boys' and you know what I'm talking about, so my job with you is easier. You've already got In Search of Truth which was, hands down, the BEST PROGRESSIVE METAL ALBUM OF 2001 and probably their followup Recreation Day and you might even have their very strong sophomore effort Solitude*Dominance*Tragedy, so You're all primed for another good Evergrey album. Trouble is The Dark Discovery is not good, it's SUPER DUPER. Yes folks Evergrey's debut album is fantastic. In fact I Like it almost, as much as In Search of Truth. Some songs I like even more.

Who is EVERGREY

The Swedish dark progressive metal band Evergrey was formed in 1995 by singer/guitarist Tom Englund and guitarist Dan Bronell. Other recruited members are bassist Daniel Nojd, keyboardist Will Chandra and drummer Patrick Carlsson. They recorded The Dark Discovery in 1996 but it's release was delayed until 1998, where it got a very positive response from reviewers etc.

The following year they released their sophomore composition Solitude.Dominance.Tragedy to glowing reviews. Keyboardist Will Chandra had left the band and Englund assumed that role in addition to his other duties. Their music which had been described by some as demented or morose metal, was still gloomy but now taking on a little more classical attitude. The next two years saw a game of musical musicians where Nojd was replaced by Michael Hakansson and Sven Karlsson relieved Englund of the Keyboard duties, also Bronell was replaced by Henrik Danhage and most observers had an ominous feeling about the future of Evergrey. Thank god they were wrong or we would never have had a chance to hear their glorious masterpiece In Search of Truth. This is the unofficial prog-metal album of the year for 2001

The musical Mucicians continued with Chris Rehn replacing Karlsson who was subsequently replaced by Rikard Zander before their forth release Recreation Day and drummer Jonas replaced Carlsson afterward and that takes us to present.

The Dark Discovery

Of course, even though, I had the benefit of having heard all of Evergrey's newer albums first and kind of knew what to expect, this was their debut, after all, and my expectations were subdued. However it only took about three or four tracks to know that this album was not inferior to the other albums. This is a fine album in the classic Evergrey style.

And just what is Evergrey's style? Afraid you were going to ask that. Evergrey sounds like, well Evergrey. In truth Evergrey has their own morose, passionate, emotional, mysterious style that is heavy metal mixed with classical, truly unlike any other bands.

Tom Englund

You've probably noticed that founder Tom Englund is the glue that holds the band together. Well he's also the icing on the cake. Englund, whose voice is similar to but a little deeper than Rod Stewart, is the most emotional and passionate singer, along with Joe Cocker, I've ever heard. He gives life to the songs, he makes the songs soar. Although Evergrey's subject matter is dark, dreary and gloomy I don't really notice because the music is so glorious.

Summation

I would like to give this album five stars but objectively there is a couple weak spots, which oddly did not bother me but might bother other listeners.

Firstly, there seems to be a common thread linking the delivery of too many of the songs. While individually the song may be wonderful, as a group their similarity is noticable. This was more acceptible when I thought The Dark Discovery was a concept album, wherein each new song fed off the previous but apparently they feed off each other without the benefit of a story.

Secondly, some of the middle songs were not up to five star quality and even the inimitible Englund vocals could'nt make them so.

Similar Artists

As I intimated before no other bands sound like Evergrey, however the following bands do have similarities: Tad Morose, D.G.M., Threshold, Mastermind , Dream Theater and Superior

Finding a band that can breathe a breath of fresh air into the lungs of a slowly dying breed of rock is hard to find these days. "Evergrey", however, might just be the answer to the immortal question, "Where did all the good progressive metal acts go?"

It is hard to actually find a good progressive metal act out in the world today. Especially one that can blend such dark and frightening topics such as paranoia and regret with amazing progressive metal, as well as some power metal and gothic metal. Quite a combination going there for them. The album can easily be described as an amazing blend of metal. From start to finish, you are bombarded by various styles. You have your fast, deep, and powerful songs, followed by your really slow, acoustic, break-out-your-lighter-and-sing-in-unison-with-the-vocalist type songs, and then you just have your songs that are in between. There's no constant beat that the band lives up to, bringing a wide array of styles with their presentation.

The lyrics are very deep and meaningful, as well as sometimes spiritual. However, sometimes you cannot hear the vocals. Due to a somewhat low production quality (which is understandable for a band's debut album, especially given the time frame that this CD was actually released overseas in 1998), you can hear the music loudly and amazingly, but the vocals sound faded and off in the distance. And, if you are a real stick-in-the-mud, you can hear some small pops of volume in the song 'Closed Eyes', where the volume level picks up a bit, a cymbol crashes, and the guitars are suddenly real low again, sounding as if the CD skipped slightly, and not as though this sound was done on purpose.

Outside of that, the album is really good. One minute you are given a platter of really fast guitar riffs, the next you are given a slow and meaningful song of passion and fear. It's an odd combination, but it makes for one of the musically better progressive metal releases in a long while. If you haven't already, check this one out for yourself. This was Evergrey's start, and a good one. But in respect of their better produced and more ambitious later stuff, I must take off some points here.

Rating:

6.5/10 points = 64 % on MPV scale = 3 stars

point-system: 0 - 3 points = 1 star / 3.5 - 5.5 points = 2 stars / 6 - 7 points = 3 stars / 7.5 - 8.5 points = 4 stars / 9 - 10 points = 5/5 stars

You can smell a lot of elements in this, Evergrey's debut album: youth, good musicianship, inteligent concepts and still a fair dose of originality; but it still fails in terms of songwriting. Most of the time we have a mellow, painful clean voice over rather heavy riffing, and an overall sophisticated guitar/keyboard work deliver the dose of bliss, but unfortunately the important heaviness is not well balanced, which makes this album very suffocating after a while.

On "The Dark Discovery" is posibly to see the big potential of these Norwegians, which would be consecrated in later albums like "The Search For Truth" and specially "The Inner Circle", but the lack of maturity is obvious at first listen. It is a complex album that meant a daring effort by a young band, but they had to work a lot developing the song structures to improve as they did.

"The Dark Discovery" is the debut full-length studio album by Swedish heavy/power metal act Evergrey and. The album was released through GNW Records in 1998. Evergrey was formed in 1995 in Gothenburg and on this album consists of Tom Englund (vocals, guitar), Dan Bronell (guitar), Daniel Nojd (bass), Will Chandra (keyboards), and Patrick Carlsson (drums). "The Dark Discovery" was recorded at Los Angered Studios, Gothenburg, which is the studio that is owned and operated by King Diamond guitarist Andy La Rocque. The album was produced by Andy La Rocque and Evergrey.

...and let me start by saying that to my ears the sound production unfortunately is below standard. It lacks power, clarity, and a professional touch, which is a bit surprising since Andy La Rocque is involved, but it´s nevertheless the truth. Stylistically Evergrey play a melodic US power metal influenced heavy metal style, so they master both the harder edged semi-thrashy riffing and the more melodic heavy/power metal moments. Englund has a very distinct sounding hoarse voice, which always makes Evergrey´s music easy to identify. Despite the relatively hoarse quality of his voice, Englund actually isn´t a very raw sounding singer, and most vocals on the album are melodic in style.

The quality of the material is decent, but combined with the relatively weak sounding production, most tracks don´t come off sounding that great. There´s definitely potential here and the musicianship is generally on a high level too, but there´s no denying "The Dark Discovery" is a bit rough around the edges both when it comes to the songwriting and the sound production. A 2.5 - 3 star (55%) rating is warranted.

(Originally posted on Metal Music Archives)

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

I am a bit surprised to find this band alive and well these days. They even have a very good reputation. I reviewed this album ten years ago because I got this promo CD directly from Black Sun when I ran a fanzine. I found the review again some days ago when I was compiling all the old reviews and putting them on a new website.

My impression of this album has not changed much though. The music here is dark heavy metal, with some progressive elements. The addition of operatic female vocals is clever though. Besides of that, this album is just a heavy metal album somewhere between Helloween, Dream Theater and Iron Maiden. There is a couple of good songs here. For example the title track. But that is all. I have added one star from the review I gave ten years ago because I think this album is not a total flop. Evergrey was onto something on this album and that makes this a two stars debut album in my view. Maybe I should check out the more recent albums by Evergrey.

2 stars

A light in the dark

Hope. Fear. Dark. Light. Trust. Betrayal. A Dark Discovery... An exciting discovery.

Evergrey's debut literally opens Pandora's Box (implied in the cover) and unveils an amalgam of progressive metal, heavy/thrash crushing riffs, atmospheric keyboards and top-class vocals all laid in a dark/gloomy background perfectly mastered by Andy LaRocque. The influence of this gifted guitarist (and producer here) is obvious, bringing his ''a-la King Diamond'' feeling to this work.

Although this is a clearly progressive metal record in terms of compositional approach, variation, virtuosity etc, the main influences of the band appear to come from traditional heavy/thrash sources such as Metallica, Iron Maiden, Mercyful Fate etc. The spine of this work is based on the excellent rhythm guitar/bass guitar section which produces a remarkable number of riffs of top quality. The speed of execution combined with the skilled drumming can be overwhelming at times, especially in the opening tracks, but this is balanced later on with beautiful acoustic guitar passages (i.e. As Light is our Darkness).

As mentioned by other reviewers, the outstanding feature of this band is the voice of Tom Englund which is dominant, and can be both aggressive and melodic at the same time, providing the right feeling for the music. While difficult to describe, there is a distinct ''Scandinavian'' feeling in this work that separates it from progressive metal works of that time. The balance between the dark atmosphere, the samples, the heaviness and the melody is maintained throughout the 48 minutes of this excellent debut. The production is generally ''rough'' and might be ''burying'' the sound of guitars at times, but this creates an atmosphere of its own.

Although closer to American power/prog metal forms (rather than European), the sound rarely resembles to Dream Theater, Fates Warning, Queensryche - bands like Hades or Eldritch are more likely to come to fans' minds. Last but not least are the physical contributions of Andy LaRocque in Closed Eyes and of Karina Kjellberg, which lends her ethereal voice and impresses in For Every Tear that Falls.

Summarising, the debut work from Evergrey is the closest to progressive metal they have created and finds them at the peak of creativity with an abundance of ideas and inspiring heavy riffs; particularly recommended to fans of heavy-edge, guitar-based progressive metal. The non-polished production might dissapoint some listeners and annoy others. I personally consider this a gem that is often neglected and possibly underrated. The tiny flaws, imperfect production and similarity between some tracks can only change my mind by half a star.

If you are looking for challenging, creative and slightly ''gloomy'' progressive metal then look no further.

Of the literally hundreds of excellent metal bands hailing from Sweden, Evergrey is one of my favorites. The band's trademark mix of thrashy power metal, progressive metal, and gothic subtleties gives them a unique identity within the crowded prog metal genre, and the powerful and distinct vocal delivery from Tom Englund never fails to amaze me. On their 1998 debut, The Dark Discovery, the band's morose and edgy progressive power metal sound is firmly established, but it lacks the refinement that made some of their future efforts so outstanding. Evergrey's entrance into the musical world is flawed in many regards, yet the band exhibits a high level of promise that - thankfully - would be fulfilled over the course of their next few observations.

For those unacquainted with Evergrey, this Swedish act performs a style of progressive power metal with a thrashy, American-sounding edge and dark gothic atmospheres. Their sound has moved in a more commercial direction in recent years, but earlier efforts like this one have quite a few progressive overtones. The Dark Discovery is undoubtedly an original album given its time period, and the band's semi-straightforward and morose sound was a refreshing change of pace from the countless Dream Theater and Fates Warning clones that populated the prog metal scene in 1998. Most of the songs here linger in the four to five minute time frame, and these powerful and melodic mini-epics are all really well-composed and quite diverse. Some songs may take a few listens to draw any distinctions between, but a gothic power ballad in the form of "For Every Tear That Falls", for example, helps add some nice variation and memorability to this already solid album. Although the band would take their unique approach to new heights over the next few years, The Dark Discovery is a worthy listen for any fan of Evergrey.

In terms of complaints, the album's real shortcoming is in its tremendously weak production. The guitars sound muddy and unclear, the drums sound distant and blurred, and Tom Englund's otherwise spectacular vocal delivery is obscured by a poor mixing job. This is just a really amateurish sounding album in terms of production and delivery; in addition to the weak production, the band's technical skills weren't quite as sharp as they would soon become either. It's a bit of a shame, actually, because this is a very impressive album from a compositional standpoint. Still, the production does not ruin The Dark Discovery, and its assets are plentiful enough to warrant a listen from any progressive power metal aficionado. Though I'd recommend starting with a masterpiece like In Search of Truth if you're new to the band, The Dark Discovery is a recommended listen to any Evergrey veteran.

It's always never a good idea to discover a band and listen to their albums in reverse order, ending with their debutalbum.

This debutalbum is much better if I heard in 1998 then listening to it now; especially the production and the aimlessness of the songs makes this album hard to listen through.

They sound hungry and ready to go, but the band doesn't have the skills yet to write coherent songs, nor money to pay for a good studio/producer.

They sound like a crossover of (early) Iced Earth and Danzig, wich is not a bad thing, but I like Evergrey better when they evolve into what they now are. That's also good news, because a band that only has a good debut and becomes worse over time is not exactly what a band wants.

In short: I wish I was there in 1998 to hear this album, but right now in 2018 I'd rather listen to their new albums.

Evergrey's debut album is a rather mixed affair. It already contains the blueprint of the distinctive sound the band will develop to amazing results in the course of their career, showing that Evergrey were unafraid to try and carve their own way in a scene ? that of progressive metal - that at the time was overcrowded with dozens of bands all sounding like clones of Dream Theater. However, one also has the definite impression that Evergrey did not quite yet know what to do with their newly-found sound: the songwriting is rather aimless and uninspired and the delivery seems rushed and underdeveloped. To make things worse, the production is atrocious: even for the standards of the time, the album sounds pretty bad and amateurish. As I said, quite a mixed affair.

Evergrey are the kings of despair. All their albums are brooding, dark, melancholic beasts and The Dark Discovery is no exception. The band's sound is rooted in classic heavy metal (Iron Maiden, King Diamond, Savatage), but Evergrey brings in a lot of more contemporaneous influences, from US power/ thrash metal (Iced Earth come to mind), to symphonic and prog metal, and even gothic metal (for example, in the use of female vocals and choirs). The prog metal ambitions are also evident in the complexity of the compositions, with songs that are typically 4 to 5 minutes long and are occasionally weaved together by recurring themes, forming mini-suites in the classic progressive rock tradition ("As Light Is Our Darkness"; "Beyond Salvation"). However, the most distinctive element of Evergrey's sound is without doubt Tom S. Englund's voice. His vocal delivery ? here as in all subsequent albums of the band ? is unique. The typical male prog metal singer, especially at the time, is known for his high-pitched and cleanly aseptic vocals. Englund's delivery lies at the opposite end of the spectrum. His tone is dark and his voice is husky. Yet, his vocals are incredibly melodious, setting him apart from the heavier thrash metal canon where gravelly voices like Englund's are more common. Englund's singing is passionate and dramatic: he is one of those singers who seem to live on their skin the lyrics they sing. To this day, there are not many vocalists that sound like Englund, he is one of a kind and is widely recognized as such in the scene.

Although "The Dark Discovery" contains all the right ingredients to make for an interesting ride, it ultimately falls flat. There are two main reasons for this. First, the album mostly contains weak and forgettable material. Quite simply, the eleven songs of "The Dark Discovery" are not very good. I chalk this down largely to the band's inexperience. The songwriting feels directionless and underdeveloped. Most of the songs build and build, but do not really seem to go anywhere and they lack the melodic hooks to leave a lasting impression on the listener. Evergrey attempt to inject some dynamics in the songs, alternating quiet and heavy parts throughout the album, but in most cases the transitions are not very smooth and come across as rushed. The arrangements are also quite weak. For instance, the keyboard parts do not seem to really fit in with the rest of the music and in most songs they feel out of place. Patrick Carlsson's drum work is impressive, but his intricate drumming does not always gel well with the guitar and bass, which are instead quite basic and pedestrian. This is another issue I have with the album: neither Englund nor Dan Bronell strike me as very proficient guitar players. Their riffage is average and samey, which really bogs down most of the material of the album. The guitar solos also do not sound particularly inspired. The performances of guest musicians Andy LaRocque (King Diamond) and Mattias Ia Eklundh (Freak Kitchen), who provide solos on "Closed Eyes" and "When the River Calls", are far superior and make you wonder how much better this album could have been if Evergrey had a slightly more proficient guitar player in their rooster.

The second reason why I think the album does not really work is the sound production that is really poor even for 1990s standards. It is actually quite surprising that this is the case, given that the LP was recorded and mixed at Los Angered Recordings studios by Andy LaRocque, who will end up producing quite a few top-notch albums in his career. Yet, The Dark Discovery really sounds terrible. The guitars are murky and mushy to the point that, whatever riff Englund and Bronell manage to come up with, it all ends up sounding the same. Even Englund's vocals suffer from the rather poor mix by LaRocque, which makes the singer barely audible at times. That the mix is quite poor is also clear from the fact that the drums, keyboards and guitars do not really gel well in any of the songs.

Overall, The Dark Discovery is really only an album for completionists. It contains mostly weak material that is badly produced and has not aged well at all. Yet, this is where the Evergrey magic started, so the album remains archaeologically interesting for those who are curious to track down the roots of the sound that brought Evergrey to fame. And that sound is all already here ? dark, gloomy and dramatic, Evergrey have been sounding like Evergrey since the very beginning.

[Also published on metal-archives.com]