Evergrey
The Storm Within

The Evergrey are a rather reassuring guarantee when it comes to melodic power metal with progressive hues. They are also a band that knows how to look forward. They demonstrate this perfectly with this tenth studio album.

I was already very impressed by the previous “Hymns for the Broken” for the band's willingness to reinvent itself; “The Storm Within” is the worthy continuation of that discourse.

A sound that skillfully balances aggression, melody, and modernity, presenting itself as halfway between the very melodic power-prog of the early period and the more extreme, distinctly metal style of their subsequent productions. Specifically, it is harder and rougher than the productions of the first phase of their career but less suffocating than that of the next phase, which tended to overshadow the melodic side. To all this, a significantly more modern touch is added, with influences drawing from the metal productions of our time, going from metalcore to certain electronic elements popular in our decade (stuff that can be heard in bands like Dead By April or solo James LaBrie's latest album). The sound is undoubtedly slightly harder, darker, and more wintery compared to the previous work.

Perhaps the previous one seemed slightly more daring to me, but even here, the idea of a fresh and modern sound takes significant root. My listening started a bit quietly, but it didn't take many listens to grasp its nuances.

It would be great if now their colleagues Symphony X did the same thing, namely to try a new path that sits halfway between the first and last period but is projected forward. It seems really that after a moderate period followed by an extreme one, the middle way but with new ideas is effectively the best choice; the Evergrey have demonstrated this to the fullest.