Another year, another stellar album from Swedish progressive/power metal act Evergrey. Theories of Emptiness sees Tom S. Englund and crew once again delivering an album that checks all the boxes of what makes them such a great band, perhaps even at the cost of not really giving the fans anything new. After all, an Evergrey album has to sound like Evergrey, right? We can argue that the formula never changes, and there's a certain 'sound' that permeates each and every studio platter these guys crank out, but when the songs and the productions are this good, what's the point of arguing?
Longtime drummer Jonas Ekdahl makes his last appearance on Theories of Emptiness, as he's since stepped down from the drum kit, replaced going forward by Simen Sandnes, and he joins Englund (vocals, guitar), Henrik Danhage (guitar), Rikard Zander (keyboards), and Johan Niemann (bass) as the 2024 version of Evergrey. Plenty of chugging, gothic, and progressive metal to be found here, with some of the heavy hitters including "Falling From the Sun", "Misfortune", the crushing "We Are the North" (my personal favorite), "Cold Dreams" (featuring a great growling vocal performance from Katatonia's Jonas Renske), and the dramatic "A Theory of Emptiness". Even the mellow stuff here is fantastic, especially the ballad "Say", which just soars and soars, killer hooks delivered by Englund's unmistakable and highly emotional vocal performance. And, "The Night Within" is SO damn catchy! At every turn, there are big bombastic riffs, screaming guitar solos, orchestral keys, pounding drums, and those unique vocals...so undeniably Evergrey.
So yeah, it sounds like an Evergrey album, and ultimately, that's a really good thing. Chalk up another winner for the Swedes!
Track Listing
1)Falling From the Sun
2)Misfortune
3)To Become Someone Else
4)Say
5)Ghost of My Hero
6)We Are the North
7)The Night Within
8)Cold Dreams
9)Our Way Through Silence
10) A Theory of Emptiness
Printer Friendly Page
Send to a Friend
