REVIEW: EVERGREY ‘ESCAPE OF THE PHOENIX’
EVERGREY — ‘Escape of the Phoenix’ is the bands’ 12th album, and after spending weeks listening to it, I can confidently feel good about writing this review. However, there was a lot to live up to with the success of their previous album. THE ATLANTIC was my favorite throughout 2019 and 2020. Yes, I listened to that album more than any other album. If you are not familiar with Evergrey, they are from Sweden, and it’s apparent, the majority of my favorite metal bands in the last 20 years come from outside the USA. The first time I heard Evergrey was when I bought their debut album back in 1998 called ‘The Dark Discovery’ because it had a sticker on the front that said, ‘Heavy Dark Progressive Metal from Sweden’. That was enough for me to purchase it on a blind buy, I just hoped my money did not go to waste. That was the problem back then, you couldn’t preview any type of imports and since these bands were not widely known in the U.S. you just had to take a leap of faith and hope the cover art, a cool band picture, or a description from a sticker would properly represent the music. I wasted plenty of money from music from blind buys, and this was the only gambling I took part in.
‘Escape of the Phoenix’ is what I call a perfect metal album. It is a heavy, melodic masterpiece with hooks that cause you to get pulled into the Evergrey spell. Therefore, I have always loved Evergrey’s music, they can execute a blend of heaviness and catchy choruses with flawless precision. I have played their music to many non-metal fans, and they always walk away with a ‘wow, they’re good or a ‘that’s awesome- who is that’? If I tell them how many albums they have, they cannot believe this is the first time hearing about this band. The reason is the popular music pushed in the United States is a majority of garbage. No bands I like outside the U.S. or ever seem to get the recognition they deserve. It’s all plastic manufactured crap that deserves to be flushed down the damn toilet. Awards are given to groups that don’t write their own songs and some, cannot even play an instrument. It is more of a dance contest than a musical performance. Am I living in a damn Twilight Zone episode? Not only has music got worse over the decades in pop culture, it is more offensive than anything the cancel culture could get canceled, but they don’t touch it. To be clear, I am not calling for canceling anything, but I’m just pissed off, that real offensive stuff never gets called out, but awarded. The cancel culture is a bunch of hypocritical a-hole punks that need to be canceled themselves, and my advice to anyone who is a target, never grovel to these trolls. Okay, enough of my ranting, back to the album.
Evergrey is a band I have been fighting to be discovered here in the U.S. in a crucial way. I saw Evergrey live on ‘The Atlantic’ tour in 2019. It was one of the best concerts I have ever seen in an intimate club setting by Chicago. My only complaint was, this show should have been in a Civic Center arena, not in a rock club. It was great for me because I got to see the show close-up and even met the band afterward. However, I was a little sad because their show was so damn good that it needed to be experienced by over 10,000 people, not a couple hundred. They gave 200% and over delivered a memorable experience to every fan that was there.
The songs on ‘Escape of the Phoenix’ are more explosive than ever and never diverting off course from what Evergrey fans would want. They are commanding and convey melodies that get stuck in your head straight-away. There are 11 tracks on the standard cd and a bonus track called ‘The Darkness in You’ available on a limited-edition release art-book and vinyl package. However, don’t worry if you can still get the bonus track available here as a download.
‘Forever Outsider’ kicks off the tone of the album with a heavy double bass driving track with soaring melodic vocals that pull you right in and do not let up. ‘Where August Mourns’ is a mid-tempo chugging track with tons of soul and a hook you will find yourself singing too. ‘Stories’ remind me of what I would call a power ballad with a doom metal riff and is one of two slower songs that gave me chills with just stunning songwriting. A superb track to be listening to while out in nature and reflecting on life. ‘A Dandelion Cypher’ is another headbanger that certainly sticks in your head and is also a fun song to sing.‘The Beholder’ was one of the biggest surprises on the album and features a vocal collaboration from progressive metal legend James Labrie of Dream Theater. Wow! This song is a match made in metal heaven and I just loved this song. Coincidentally, I met both singers in the year 2019 and I can say they were so friendly towards me. I must say, I was a little nervous they might be annoyed. They say never meet your heroes they might let you down. However, I met both in the same year and it was a rewarding, refreshing experience. I would love to see more collaborations like this in future releases.
‘In the Absence of Sun’ is the sixth track on the album and is one of 2 songs that eclipses the 6-minute mark. Starting with a beautiful piano, it hypnotizes the listener, builds, and delivers an epic melodic pay-off. For some reason, six minutes go by so fast that it seemed like it was three minutes. The title track ‘Escape of the Phoenix’ is the seventh song and is the fastest, most intense song on the album. Double bass playing and spectral synth work adds just the right amount of atmosphere to this epic masterpiece. ‘You from You’ has a perfect emotional spark and a monumental guitar solo that will send more chills up your spine. ‘Leaden Saints’ smacks you in the face with what I would say is the darkest heaviest track on the album and a true favorite! Dark heavy guitar rhythm, gothic atmospheric backing vocals, and a perfect synth accompaniment. The guitar riff is legendary! ‘Leaden Saints’ ends up being a song I find myself rolling down the windows and blasting quite often. The final song outside of the bonus track is ‘Run’ and ends up having another melody that will once again get stuck in your head by the time you finish the album.
The only disappointment, not having the bonus track on the standard release. It’s a must-have, and I could only get it on mp3 format as a download here in the United States. I had the limited edition Artbook pre-ordered, but for some reason, Amazon in the U.S. said they were not able to get it when it was released. I could have ordered it through AFM Records, but I did not want to go through the overseas ordering process and take a chance on something getting damaged or lost. I am very picky with my cd’s and Amazon makes it easy for me to replace them if something goes wrong. Anyway, enough rambling. I hope AFM Records does better with distribution in the United States. I think the limited edition Artbook of Escape of the Phoenix would have sold enough quantities to make it well worth stocking it at Amazon U.S. I also hope one day there will be the official Evergrey t-shirts and other merchandise available on Amazon in the United States. So many people would buy it, and many people like me would promote it. Anyway, that’s just my thoughts.
Evergrey’s Escape of the Phoenix’ will no doubt end up being my favorite album of 2021. It is exactly what fans wanted. Every song has a purpose on the album, and nothing seems out of place. Each track flows with flawless delivery and I find myself not wanting to skip over any of the songs. Evergrey has a gift of giving their fans exactly what they desire on each album or live shows. I relate to the mood, energy, and frequency of what they musically present. No other band seems to have the consistency of churning out so many memorable songs, that it truly becomes an addiction. As much music as I listen to, Evergrey always ends up at the top of my playlist and throughout. I don’t know what they believe spiritually, but I can tell you their gifts don’t come from the devil. They inspire, and their music has helped people through dark times. Their music is also a form of therapy for me. Tom Englund is at the top of his game and deserves to be in the Hall of Fame of Melodic Metal vocal legends. He is also one hell of a guitar player. The chemistry between all the players is just remarkable. Jonas Ekdahl has become one of my all-time favorite drummers over the years, and he destroys the drums on this album! Johan Niemann’s bass playing on this album is no less than a driving force of excellence. Henrik Danhage’s guitar playing is so incredible and totally unleashed on this album. However, the final band member that certainly does not get the notability he deserves is keyboardist and backing vocalist Rikard Zander. His playing and the sounds used were the atmospheric magic dust that underscored the magnetism of this album. Every member was essential to the success of ‘Escape of the Phoenix, and I cannot imagine any piece missing.
My final request is that every person buys a tangible cd to keep media alive and support the band. Who knows when life will be back to normal with bands playing full live shows, so we need to support them any way we can by buying merchandise, CDs, and telling people about the band.
Evergrey’s -Escape of the Phoenix is an undisputed- 5 out of 5 Stars!
