Review by Paul Monkhouse for MPM
No other band in the world does crushing heaviness and soaring emotions quite like Evergrey, the Swedes having mastered their technique over the course of a dozen albums.
This new release, their thirteenth, sees the quintet at the height of their powers and ‘A Heartless Portrait (The Orphean Testament)’ may well be their finest achievement yet.
Those who have already discovered the band know the sort of thing to expect, but even long-time fans will be swept away by what singer/guitarist Tom Englund and Co have managed here. For people new to the Gothenburg titans, it’s going to be an eye opening and heart-rending ride that has the power to change worlds.
With it’s distinctively crafted sound, ‘Save Us’ opens the album in a huge maelstrom of sound, the central riff sweeping all in its path away as its skyscraping melodies launch everything into orbit.
With the solos shared by Englund and Henrik Danhage, it slices and dices, eviscerating with every note but it’s the soul here that pours from the main man’s voice that hits the hardest.
It’s this tightrope balance between city flattening heaviness and the quiet roar of a very human heart at the centre that makes Evergrey just so unique and powerful, a connection between the primal instincts of power and pain.
The epic ‘Midwinter Calls’ and a scorching ‘Ominous’ bring more fire and passion, Johan Niemann’s bass and the drums of Jonas Ekdahl thundering as Rikard Zander’s keys spray a huge wash of colour upon the multi-layered sound.
Call Out the Dark’ punches like a sledgehammer to the skull and this is only a prelude to the relentless and dark atmosphere that overwhelms the senses in ‘The Orphean Testament’, the solos all lifting it to another level entirely.
The desolate beauty and isolation of some of their home country is captured perfectly here, the feeling one so powerful that it has the ability to leave the listener caught between tears and euphoria.
Whilst Englund puts his eloquent heart firmly on his sleeve, this though is no constant battering that leads to a downward spiral, Evergrey do ‘hope’ as well.
Reawakening’ is a prime example of this, its galloping rhythm pushing forward lyrics full of optimism tinged with doubt, a cry from the soul that lights up the darkness. Similarly, ‘The Great Unwashed’ is a multi-layered song of strength and features more sparkling fretwork from the guitarists.
After the powerful and rolling ‘Heartless’ and a helter skelter ‘Blindfolded’ the album closes with a well-placed whisper in the form of ‘Wildfires’, all bombast and volume put aside.
Featuring a gentle acoustic accompaniment and some gorgeous fretless bass, this is Evergrey at their most serine, Englund’s plaintive vocal saying more in a subtle bit of phrasing than most artists manage in a decade. It’s a beautiful way to finish an extraordinary album.
Uncompromising and unapologetically passionate, ‘A Heartless Portrait (The Orphean Testament)’ is a bonafide masterpiece.
A Heartless Portrait (The Orphean Testament) tracklisting:
Save Us
Midwinter Calls
Ominous
Call Out the Dark
The Orphean Testament
Reawakening
The Great Unwashed
Heartless
Blindfolded
Wildfires
EVERGREY are:
Tom S. Englund – Vocals, Guitar
Henrik Danhage – Guitar
Rikard Zander – Keyboard
Jonas Ekdahl – Drums
Johan Niemann – Bass
EVERGREY online:
Website
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Napalm Records
