Band: Evergrey
Album: Glorious Collision
Official Release Date: February 22, 2011 on Steamhammer/SPV GmbH (an independent German label)
Genre: Progressive Metal / Melodic Metal / Power Metal
Band Members:
• Tom S. Englund - vocals, guitar
• Rikard Zander - keyboard, backing vocals
• Marcus Jidell - guitar, backing vocals
• Johan Niemann - bass, backing vocals
• Hannes Van Dahl - drums
• Carina Kjellberg-Englund - female vocals
Track List:
1. Leave It Behind - 5:09
2. You - 6:23
3. Wrong - 5:14
4. Frozen - 5:01
5. Restoring the Loss - 4:46
6. To Fit The Mold - 5:24
7. Out of Reach - 3:43
8. The Phantom Letters - 5:31
9. The Disease - 4:13
10. It Comes From Within - 4:25
11. Free - 3:45
12. I'm Drowning Alone - 4:17
13. ...And The Distance - 3:47
The Band
I am approaching this band from a new fan perspective and have no bias attached to my interpretations. “Glorious Collision” is the first album I have listened to by Evergrey and I am very impressed with the mix of progressive and classical styles and melody in the music compositions. After doing a bit of homework on Evergrey, I discovered that this album has an almost complete band line-up change. Tom Englund and Rikard Zander were left as the only members of Evergrey in 2010. Tom Englund is not only a master song composer but a supremely gifted vocalist who has worked with other bands such as Nightrage, Dragonland, Odin’s Court, and Ayreon. Rikard Zander is a wonderful keyboardist and co-songwriter who previously played with Solid Blue. Together, Tom and Rikard, have a cohesive bond that brings the band to life even after a band member reboot. “Glorious Collision” saw the additions of Marcus Jidell on guitar, Johan Niemann on bass, and Hannes Van Dahl on drums. Each of these musicians are seasoned in their craft and have added a special element of rejuvenation to “Glorious Collision”. Johan Niemann has played with Therion, Tiamat, and co-founder of Mind’s Eye. Marcus Jidell played with Jekyll & Hyde, Royal Hunt, and is a very successful session musician with numerous side projects. The newbie to the band would be drummer, Hannes Van Dahl, who is very gifted and fits in with the band like an old friend.
Sweden is known for bands like Opeth, In Flames, Dark Tranquility, Candlemass, Bathory, and its greatness in producing excellent metal bands. I would consider Evergrey to be in the top 4 of the greatest metal bands to come from Sweden (Opeth, In Flames, Dark Tranquility, and Evergrey). Tom Englund and Rikard Zandar are exceptional music composers, whom have managed to release 8 albums together since 1995. Tom’s vocals are the driving force behind Evergrey and with his wife, Carina, performing female backup, the harmonies become angelic. The current line-up of Evergrey is a force that will take the fans to new heights in listening pleasure.
The Music
”Leave It Behind Us” ~ The song begins with some soft haunting vocals then you are greeted with a crunching assault. Zander delivers some great piano lines and synth fill ins. Englund’s voice is spectacular. Van Dahl does a marvelous job with the drums, creating the perfect rhythm . There is a pretty impressive guitar solo mid-song by Jidell, showing that he does possess a tremendous amount of energy and power.
”You” ~ This song hammers down pretty hard from the beginning. The guitar solo is decent. The vocals are somewhat less impressive than the first song, but still excellent with Carina doing a beautiful job with background vocals on the second verse. Zander works some great keyboard magic, which is the highlight of the song, and the piano outro is a nice serene closing to all the energy of the song.
”Wrong” ~ This is the single that was released, which is the more commercial formulated song off this album. Don’t misunderstand me, this song is really impressive. The changes in tempo are a great, from power to melodic, making this song have a gothic feel. Jidell delivers a superb solo along with Zander having some great piano lines. Niemann’s bass is more prominent in this song, which adds some dark depth to the song.
”Frozen” ~ Van Dahl is fast, and he gets the chance to show his speed and double thumps not only in the opening of the song, but throughout the song. The guitars are loud with explosive riffs and Zander has some great synth effects. I would consider this song the one I would be most likely to sing-a-long to.
”Restoring the Loss” ~ The symphonic atmosphere on this song is fabulous. What really stood out on this song was hearing Tom Englund harmonize with Tom Englund, voice dubbing obviously, but gives the vocals a really cool depth.
”To Fit the Mold” ~ “We are Liars and Vultures, Rapists of the Weak, Plunderers of Peace”…..Outstanding lyrics! Infact, this whole song is excellent as far as lyrics go. The acoustics in the beginning is an awesome effect before you get a full guitar blast, then switching back to acoustics, and next comes the best guitar solo on the album. The synthesized effects only accentuate the overall melodic quality of the song. I really like this song
”Out Of Reach” ~ Another song that kicks your ass from the start. Very similar to “Wrong” in style and tempo. Englund does a very good job vocally on this song. Nice song but nothing outstanding.
”The Phantom Letters” ~ The boys break out the acoustics again to deliver a melancholy opener. This is a fantastic opener to the beautiful story told in the song. Jidell delivers a heart wrenching solo. Zander does a magnificent job adding a symphonic background and piano fills. Englund’s voice soars and Carina gives the song that special touch. I would have to say this is my favorite song on the album *hits repeat*!
”The Disease” ~ Zander’s piano riffs are very notable even above the wall of guitars. The vocal harmonies are unsurpassed. I liked the sludgy feel of this song. This song is pretty intense, blink and you will miss something.
”It Comes From Within” ~ Round two of the soft haunting vocal opening then in your face music. This song takes many twists, not only in tempo but style. From dual guitars with shear power and blazing solos to an almost halt, while the melodic groove takes stage. The full blast will hit you once more then Poof, it’s over. Excellent stuff!
”Free” ~ A piano opener is the backdrop to Englund’s vocals. This is a slow, melodic song with many layers. The lyrics are extremely poetic and the vocals somber. A gorgeous song, IMO.
”I’m Drowning Alone” ~ Time to wake you up again with a blast. And if that doesn’t wake you up, the angelic voice of Tom and Carina’s daughter will haunt you with her precious vocal delivery of:
“See me cause here I am
Hear me cause here I am
Remember me cause here I am
Notice me cause here I am”
”….And The Distance” ~ This song is another beautiful song. Englund gives an outstanding vocal display with Carina. The whole song is one huge emotional package; from the beautiful piano all the way to the guitar riffs.
I cannot speak for past Evergrey albums, because I have yet to listen to any of them, but this album has left me in awe. I find the songwriting to be excellent and the musicianship outstanding. I do not know if the new band members have altered Evergrey’s signature sound, but I do know this line-up is fantastic together.
My overall rating for listening pleasure 4.5/5.
Album: Glorious Collision
Official Release Date: February 22, 2011 on Steamhammer/SPV GmbH (an independent German label)
Genre: Progressive Metal / Melodic Metal / Power Metal
Band Members:
• Tom S. Englund - vocals, guitar
• Rikard Zander - keyboard, backing vocals
• Marcus Jidell - guitar, backing vocals
• Johan Niemann - bass, backing vocals
• Hannes Van Dahl - drums
• Carina Kjellberg-Englund - female vocals
Track List:
1. Leave It Behind - 5:09
2. You - 6:23
3. Wrong - 5:14
4. Frozen - 5:01
5. Restoring the Loss - 4:46
6. To Fit The Mold - 5:24
7. Out of Reach - 3:43
8. The Phantom Letters - 5:31
9. The Disease - 4:13
10. It Comes From Within - 4:25
11. Free - 3:45
12. I'm Drowning Alone - 4:17
13. ...And The Distance - 3:47
The Band
I am approaching this band from a new fan perspective and have no bias attached to my interpretations. “Glorious Collision” is the first album I have listened to by Evergrey and I am very impressed with the mix of progressive and classical styles and melody in the music compositions. After doing a bit of homework on Evergrey, I discovered that this album has an almost complete band line-up change. Tom Englund and Rikard Zander were left as the only members of Evergrey in 2010. Tom Englund is not only a master song composer but a supremely gifted vocalist who has worked with other bands such as Nightrage, Dragonland, Odin’s Court, and Ayreon. Rikard Zander is a wonderful keyboardist and co-songwriter who previously played with Solid Blue. Together, Tom and Rikard, have a cohesive bond that brings the band to life even after a band member reboot. “Glorious Collision” saw the additions of Marcus Jidell on guitar, Johan Niemann on bass, and Hannes Van Dahl on drums. Each of these musicians are seasoned in their craft and have added a special element of rejuvenation to “Glorious Collision”. Johan Niemann has played with Therion, Tiamat, and co-founder of Mind’s Eye. Marcus Jidell played with Jekyll & Hyde, Royal Hunt, and is a very successful session musician with numerous side projects. The newbie to the band would be drummer, Hannes Van Dahl, who is very gifted and fits in with the band like an old friend.
Sweden is known for bands like Opeth, In Flames, Dark Tranquility, Candlemass, Bathory, and its greatness in producing excellent metal bands. I would consider Evergrey to be in the top 4 of the greatest metal bands to come from Sweden (Opeth, In Flames, Dark Tranquility, and Evergrey). Tom Englund and Rikard Zandar are exceptional music composers, whom have managed to release 8 albums together since 1995. Tom’s vocals are the driving force behind Evergrey and with his wife, Carina, performing female backup, the harmonies become angelic. The current line-up of Evergrey is a force that will take the fans to new heights in listening pleasure.
The Music
”Leave It Behind Us” ~ The song begins with some soft haunting vocals then you are greeted with a crunching assault. Zander delivers some great piano lines and synth fill ins. Englund’s voice is spectacular. Van Dahl does a marvelous job with the drums, creating the perfect rhythm . There is a pretty impressive guitar solo mid-song by Jidell, showing that he does possess a tremendous amount of energy and power.
”You” ~ This song hammers down pretty hard from the beginning. The guitar solo is decent. The vocals are somewhat less impressive than the first song, but still excellent with Carina doing a beautiful job with background vocals on the second verse. Zander works some great keyboard magic, which is the highlight of the song, and the piano outro is a nice serene closing to all the energy of the song.
”Wrong” ~ This is the single that was released, which is the more commercial formulated song off this album. Don’t misunderstand me, this song is really impressive. The changes in tempo are a great, from power to melodic, making this song have a gothic feel. Jidell delivers a superb solo along with Zander having some great piano lines. Niemann’s bass is more prominent in this song, which adds some dark depth to the song.
”Frozen” ~ Van Dahl is fast, and he gets the chance to show his speed and double thumps not only in the opening of the song, but throughout the song. The guitars are loud with explosive riffs and Zander has some great synth effects. I would consider this song the one I would be most likely to sing-a-long to.
”Restoring the Loss” ~ The symphonic atmosphere on this song is fabulous. What really stood out on this song was hearing Tom Englund harmonize with Tom Englund, voice dubbing obviously, but gives the vocals a really cool depth.
”To Fit the Mold” ~ “We are Liars and Vultures, Rapists of the Weak, Plunderers of Peace”…..Outstanding lyrics! Infact, this whole song is excellent as far as lyrics go. The acoustics in the beginning is an awesome effect before you get a full guitar blast, then switching back to acoustics, and next comes the best guitar solo on the album. The synthesized effects only accentuate the overall melodic quality of the song. I really like this song
”Out Of Reach” ~ Another song that kicks your ass from the start. Very similar to “Wrong” in style and tempo. Englund does a very good job vocally on this song. Nice song but nothing outstanding.
”The Phantom Letters” ~ The boys break out the acoustics again to deliver a melancholy opener. This is a fantastic opener to the beautiful story told in the song. Jidell delivers a heart wrenching solo. Zander does a magnificent job adding a symphonic background and piano fills. Englund’s voice soars and Carina gives the song that special touch. I would have to say this is my favorite song on the album *hits repeat*!
”The Disease” ~ Zander’s piano riffs are very notable even above the wall of guitars. The vocal harmonies are unsurpassed. I liked the sludgy feel of this song. This song is pretty intense, blink and you will miss something.
”It Comes From Within” ~ Round two of the soft haunting vocal opening then in your face music. This song takes many twists, not only in tempo but style. From dual guitars with shear power and blazing solos to an almost halt, while the melodic groove takes stage. The full blast will hit you once more then Poof, it’s over. Excellent stuff!
”Free” ~ A piano opener is the backdrop to Englund’s vocals. This is a slow, melodic song with many layers. The lyrics are extremely poetic and the vocals somber. A gorgeous song, IMO.
”I’m Drowning Alone” ~ Time to wake you up again with a blast. And if that doesn’t wake you up, the angelic voice of Tom and Carina’s daughter will haunt you with her precious vocal delivery of:
“See me cause here I am
Hear me cause here I am
Remember me cause here I am
Notice me cause here I am”
”….And The Distance” ~ This song is another beautiful song. Englund gives an outstanding vocal display with Carina. The whole song is one huge emotional package; from the beautiful piano all the way to the guitar riffs.
I cannot speak for past Evergrey albums, because I have yet to listen to any of them, but this album has left me in awe. I find the songwriting to be excellent and the musicianship outstanding. I do not know if the new band members have altered Evergrey’s signature sound, but I do know this line-up is fantastic together.
My overall rating for listening pleasure 4.5/5.
. If you enjoy this album you should definitely try the older ones. I personally have to dig more this new album because for me the expectations were very high and after the first listen I'm not so satisfied.
