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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Emotional, dark metal masterpiece., May 6, 2003
This is the Evergrey album I've been waiting for. I've enjoyed their previous three albums, but never really been *hooked* by them. Despite my love of Tom Englund's amazing voice and the allure of their dark, progmetal-tinged sound, I suppose there was always an ineffable something missing. Whatever that "something" was they got it here.While Evergrey shares characteristics with the metal prog sound, they retain a dark, doom-tinged focus that keeps them from sounding juvenile and cheesy. New keyboardist Rikard Zander's contribution is excellent and complies with their ethic: no synth solos, just dark patches that fill pockets of space between the splintered, staccato guitar riffs. Abundant haunting pianos complement the band's dark atmosphere. On the guitar front, Evergrey is very metal. Spasmic, scattershot riffs, complexly melodic guitar harmonies, and crackling guitar solos (some so melodic and beautiful they sound like Steve Rothery doing metal). Lyrics, mainly about death and unhappy things, are emotionally rendered and awesomely sung. Indeed, this is a talented group, but the one that will always stand out is guitarist/vocalist Tom Englund. His voice gives me shivers. His mid-ranged throaty singing own3z any high-ranged prog metal singer. His raw, unhinged growls ... and sense of bold, persuasive emotional drama knows few peers, and his performances are powerfully complemented by the crushing temblor of the band's metal juggernaut. Further enhancing his vocal presence (aside from the added time spent carefully recording vocals), the vocal harmonies on this album are astounding. Whether arranged with female vocalist Carina (who also delivers a mesmerizing solo on the interlude of "Your Darkest Hour") or the church choir on "Fragments" and "The Great Deceiver" -- sounding like ancient Roman plain chant -- this added vocal presence adds to the album's overall power. Highlights for me are the epic title track, the acoustic guitar ballad "Madness Caught Another Victim" (awesome vocals -- Englund really shines with little backup instrumentation), the seismic metal of "As I Lie Here Bleeding", the bonus track, and...bleh, it's all good. "Unforgivable" is also interesting for its lyrics addressing sexual abuse (presumably) in the Catholic church. Powerful. ABSOLUTELY GET THE LIMITED EDITION IF YOU CAN. It features an ESSENTIAL bonus track taken from the Japanese edition of _In Search of Truth_. It is "Trilogy of the Damned", a nine-minute epic of Englund's voice and beautiful piano. The only other instrument is a brief but beautiful guitar solo on the second part. Plus, the packaging is darn nice -- nice digibook ... Inside Out keeps raising the bar on their packaging.
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by Evergrey 
