Evergrey
Theories of Emptiness

Fortunately, Evergrey have found their consolidated formula for several years, and this has made my anticipation less intense than usual. What I expected was yet another album of melodic and precisely sharp metal, undoubtedly grand because Evergrey are masters of solidity and quality, but no longer able to shock. However, they always find a way to surprise, and "Theories of Emptiness" knows how to amaze in its own way.

The thing that struck me the most is the strong melodic component and the significant space given to melodic tracks. Indeed, melody is predominant in about half of the tracks, at least five compositions where melodic openings dominate the scene while metal is even scarce, and the little that is there tries to hide or appears timidly. Of course, these are always rather gray, autumnal, and often nocturnal melodies. The emblematic track of all this is undoubtedly "Ghost of My Hero," slow but with a powerful melody, which seems like the postcard of a quiet and melancholic autumn evening. Also very nocturnal is "The Night Within," the title says it all, but it's a slightly more eventful night, a bit stormy but not too much, with melodic synth passages that truly feel like an evening breeze; anyway, the melody is very strong, and those hard riffs here and there don't seem sufficient to speak of a true metal track. "Our Way Through Silence" has a decidedly more rock than metal imprint, with firm but not sharp riffs and again a cerulean and poignant melody, it's a kind of direct and effective gothic rock. We can include in this cycle of tracks the concluding "A Theory of Emptiness," which with its glimmers of light represents the brief, relaxed, and laid-back conclusion of a more or less winding path. But the absolutely most surprising track is undoubtedly "Cold Dreams" (featuring Tom Englund's daughter on backing vocals and Jonas Renkse of Katatonia), which sounds practically like a track by Arena more than Evergrey: the stunning and choral keyboards and the edgy guitar create an incredible dark prog atmosphere that can't help but remind one of the band of Clive Nolan and Mick Pointer.

But the surprise is not confined to the presence of several melodic tracks; the rest of the tracklist also offers some gems that do not go unnoticed. Arena-style openings can also be found in the extended central section of "To Become Someone Else." The verses of "One Heart" veer towards a rocky hard rock that still maintains a metal weight, while the bright and choral chorus even winks at AOR. "Say," on the other hand, has no qualms about inserting sharp cuts reminiscent of djent and mixing them with a robust organ. The most classic and least surprising tracks, those that align with the productions of the last decade, are fundamentally "Falling from the Sun," "We Are the North," and what I find to be the not-so-thrilling "Misfortune" (for me, the lowest point of the album).

The general feeling is that the band has tried to go beyond without betraying their nature, without denaturing or overturning themselves. There seems to be an intention to go beyond metal; metal builds the scaffold that supports everything, but it seems that it's no longer the most important thing, the one to focus attention on. To be honest, it's not exactly the first time this has happened; even "Hymns for the Broken" had a strong melodic setting that almost put the metal aspect in the background, even though the coordinates were a bit different.

I greatly appreciate the fact that Evergrey still find a way to surprise, to not always seem too identical and repetitive. However, it's worth mentioning that in the past, they managed to reinvent themselves in a much more radical way: the transition between the first five albums of melodic prog power nature and the rough sound of "Monday Morning Apocalypse" was undoubtedly sharper, then immediately revolutionized again with the dark and cavernous metal of "Torn," up to the modern, sharp, and precisely melodic metal of the last ten years.

Let's say that of this last decade, three albums stand out: on one side, this last one and "Hymns for the Broken" for their melodic vocation, on the opposite side "The Atlantic" for its decisively sharp and cutting style; "The Storm Within," "Escape of the Phoenix," and "A Heartless Portrait" are more "ordinary," of these the 2021 album is the one I find less inspired. In any case, Evergrey remain a solid guarantee.