The Swedes of Evergrey' have not been idle for a few years because, after the last part of the trilogy 'The Atlantic' from 2019, 2021 saw the release of 'Escape of the Phoenix', followed by live 'Before the Aftermath (Live In Gothenburg)' in early 2022. Meanwhile, frontman 'Tom S. Englund' has also released 'Nectar' with his project 'Silent Skies' and just 4 months later, Evergrey's last recording, 'A Heartless Portrait (The Orphean Testament)' was released, which somehow sequel to Escape of the Phoenix', the themes deployed by 'Tom S. Englund' revolving, among other things, around the growing importance of social networks and their harmful effects to keep a critical mind to build one's own personality and not foolishly follow the herd. From a musical point of view, 'Evergrey' continues to make Evergrey', that is to say, melodic, powerful and epic metal at will. On the menu of this new opus 10 compositions for 50 minutes of listening.
And it starts strong with 'Save Us' (see the video above) and 'Midwinter Calls' (see the video here) which display extraordinary power with catchy melodic lines and all the ingredients that we know from the Swedes, including these grandiose vocal harmonies. The 'Evergrey' machine is running and 'Ominous' offers us a first break also showing all the talent of this formation to lay us more moderate compositions but just as effective, then, 'Call out the Dark' continues with a bass which prints a marked tempo and which starts the headbanging machine to accompany a new memorable melody. Make way for the title track which is more progressive in construction with different sections that follow each other and many tempo changes thanks to a more complex rhythm section. Follows 'Reawakening', faster but still as energetic in a less immediate melody then, 'The Great Unwashed' is much more original and shows that it is in this kind of slower title that Evergrey' shows its best face with a chorus that sends you an incredible power and with a remarkable break in a long central part highlighting the poignant vocals of 'Tom S. Englund' then a masterful guitar solo of 'Henrik Danhange'. We stay on very good 'Evergrey' with the energetic 'Heartless' which deploys an addictive chorus and which offers a new break in the middle of the title before an instrumental part with a new fantastic guitar solo. I hang less on the following title 'Blindfolded' (see the video here) certainly because of a rather repetitive and rougher rhythm section and 'Wildfires' ends this beautiful album with an acoustic ballad in which 'Tom S. Englund' gives us a last moving vocal performance.
In summary, the Swedes of Evergrey 'continue to offer us very good progressive metal, powerful and melodic with a singer always at the top of his art, but who is not necessarily immediate which destines 'A Heartless Portrait (The Orphean Testament)' to an audience that likes to linger over an album and repeat the listening to draw all its richness... | |
