Evergrey
The Inner Circle

There are moments in life when everything is gray: for those who are fortunate, or simply too foolish, these moments are few and brief; for some, they can last a lifetime. What is certain is that we all know these moments, when nostalgia and sadness take over, when a disappointment has shaken us to the point that we cannot cry, when in the evening we are alone, silent, filled with anger, and we dissolve like ghosts in the rain, when we can't understand how others can still smile, when we are afraid.

Don't get me wrong, don't be scared: I'm not saying that 'The Inner Circle' makes you feel that way. What I mean is quite the opposite, that this album, this music, is born from those moments, and bears with it an immense emotional charge, a dark, angry energy, through which Evergrey communicates their messages with unsuspected grit and power.

Nothing is accidental: every piece, every note of this Swedish band exudes emotion. You may have thought that "Evergrey" means "always gray," you've drawn your conclusions, and I will tell you yes, here everything is always gray, but incredibly varied, nuanced, rhythmic: the powerful guitars and the drums mix giving rise to a very fast, strong, and aggressive prog metal, which then gives way to subtle keyboard notes and acoustic arpeggios creating a completely different atmosphere, particular, gothic and dark, where the singer's hoarse and violent voice suddenly becomes light, introspective. All the songs are like outbursts for something that went wrong: a betrayal, a lie, a lost love, or whatever else can trigger such a calm yet scratchy cry of pain.

The result is something exceptional: I like to think of this album as an unnatural, almost demonic container of emotions, of sensations; a screaming showcase of all the inner evils that afflict the human soul, which slowly hovers in the air when you press play on the stereo, and goes on to pervade the environment and stir something inside you, something cold yet lively, as if a cold flame lit within your heart. In the end, everything closes with a prayer recited in "When The Walls Go Down". The fear and bewilderment of the words in this piece lead the listener to a cryptic and anguished ending: you can almost feel the cold breath extinguishing the flame in your heart and insinuating the suffering of the words into your mind. "Lord, if you don't help me I can't get through this...", "...Little by little you're losing me..." ...a call for help? Another resentful outburst?

The fear and bewilderment that pour from the stereo are almost tangible, and for a few seconds, they also become yours. You feel them inside for a little while longer, after the end of the album. In a moment, however, everything disappears, like when you have a very strange dream at night, that you want to talk about in the morning, but you are surprised to realize you no longer remember.