The Inner Circle

Ah, here we have Evergrey at the height of their bullshit-spewing, metal-posering stage. They had just hit puberty, and this album was sort of like the awkward transition between their earlier, more metal, stuff, and their later, less metal, stuff. They had just bought their first pack of tampons, for instance, and were beginning to become self conscious about their growing body. They compensated for such with heavy, distorted mallcore riffs, but sometimes they let their inner selves peek out for a self-pitying, ultra-melodic ballady part, and that doesn't happen too much; maybe only twice per song! Overall, I could just end the review here, and save myself a lot of annoyance, but I can't just do that; it would be a disservice to the time I wasted catering to this pity-party.

So here we have The Inner Circle, their fifth album or so, and the band were at the height of their "teenage idolization" phase. It's cool to emulate those who have influenced you, right? Of course, Evergrey, they're just budding flowers in their petty copycatting of the modern Metal formula - they have emotive, midpaced songs with stop-and-go power chords and harmonized vocals, and a severe lack of actual METAL. While I am completely aware of their pain, I just can't excuse the fact that they've written such passive music and passed it off as legitimate Heavy Metal. And people are buying into it! Ridiculous. I'm an open minded sort of guy, in case you had already grabbed your torches and your axes. I don't hate everything with melodic keys and mellow rhythms. I do understand Evergrey's pain. I just hate false music that operates under false pretenses. Yes, Evergrey are just going through hard times; they've never experienced anything like this before, but that doesn't mean I have to like it.

Metal isn't made to cater to the bleeding hearts of the world. Metal isn't made to be a vehicle for such bleeding hearts to cater to their brethren, to express their inner pain and wallow in over saturated self pity. Evergrey may be trying hard, but their hearts are not in the right place here. This whole album is filled with melodic, sad sections and lame riffs, overlaid with the weak vocals of Tom Englund, and then we have spoken word sections that are really bad, such as in the beginning of the last track, which has a clip of a man crying to God about how he "can't do it anymore" and how he has "broke down, and wept, and can't handle this," and then you have some stuff about "the love of Christ." Okay, I'm sure there must be some reason they put this here, but do you see what I'm getting at now? Is this what we've come to accept as "metal"? Sure, there are some redeeming sections, such as a catchy chorus here and there, and the nice ending melody of "More than Ever," but when you get down to the nitty gritty, The Inner Circle is music for wimps.

Originally written for http://www.metalcrypt.com

It was 2004 and Evergrey was about to deliver the follow-up to the very good "Recreation Day". Needless to say I was anticipating this release and was shocked after my first listen.

Evergrey's music on "The Inner Circle" fits the band's name perfectly. This is ever so grey, so dull that I was actually angry at the band and haven't purchased anything of theirs since.

There are only two tracks worth noting on this release; "A Touch of Blessing" and "In the Wake of the Weary". Everything else here is slow-paced, unimaginative and, well... boring. Where "Recreation Day" seemed to have all of its pieces fitting, this record is well arranged and well produced but fails to deliver any kind of emotion. The riffs are sometimes okay and many other times forgettable. The record's tempo also rarely shifts, creating an almost album-long effect of drone, and not in a good way.

"Ambassador" rings in my head as particularly bad as well as well as "The Essence of Conviction" and the closer "When the Walls Go Down". The use of the God-like overlord voice on "Ambassador" sounds cheesy and forced. Evergrey was trying too hard to be epic on this record and forgot all the little details that used to make them great.

Where this record picks up points is in the playing and Tomas Englund's vocals, which are always very good. The only problem is that what he is singing gives me nothing. I don't get a rush or an intellectual stimulation upon listening to this but rather a stagnant grey and empty feeling I do not wish to feel ever again. "A Touch of Blessing" is very good however, and could fit on any of their older releases. "In the Wake of the Weary" is probably the fastest song and has an awesome chorus that reminds me of the aformentioned "Recreation Day".

If you are just getting into Evergrey, do yourself a favor and pick up anything before this release. That is unless you want to enter the inner circle of boredom.

The album starts off with a haunting intro on “A Touch Of Blessing”. It fades in incredibly slowly before leading to a crushing, slightly up-tempo, simplistic riff. Once that riff kicks in, you begin a journey into the world of questioning religion and of just pure heavy metal. This opening track is incredibly headbang-friendly, as it has a ridiculously simple drumming pattern and a simple riff to go with it. However, the virtuosity is not lost on this track, as there is a solid guitar solo and great keyboard fills in this song. From here, you go to “Ambassador”, which is an insanely heavy cut, one of the heaviest they’ve ever put out.

After these two songs are done, the album tends to settle into the realm of the familiar when it concerns Evergrey. In other words, the songs tend to feel very familiar, especially when compared to their previous effort, Recreation Day. The players’ ability in this album shines through very well, especially because of the top-notch production that this album gets when compared to other metal bands.

One thing that I tend to dislike about this album is the lack of conviction some of the performances tend to have. I hear overly simple drum beats in most cases. The guitar riffs are simple compared to what we’re used to from Evergrey. The album overall, while not being bad, has a feeling of being somewhat forced. It seems like they were very weighed down in the process of trying to make some grand statement about questioning religion throughout the album.

Overall, the album is decent. I don’t think it’s a classic, but it’s still very good in my eyes. Truthfully, the album has gotten much more replay over the last year or so than I would have ever imagined it would. So, in its own way, it finds a way to stick out in my collection. I like this album.

Spirituality seems to be a topic of choice among many bands. Whether embracing it or denying it, bands seem to relish in the myriad discussions they can bring to the table with regards to spirituality. Evergrey are no exception. They’re latest studio album, “The Inner Circle” is a rollercoaster ride of spirituality, embrace and denial, the everlasting fight between the spiritual and the religious. It questions God, faith and belief, and leaves you with more questions than you started with.

I like this album a lot. Musically it is lingering and heavy, ethereal and dark, honest and unforgiving. I don’t find it the least bit boring. It changes constantly. The opening track, “A Touch of Blessing,” fades in slowly and hauntingly, leading into soft, almost Tool-esque vocals from singer Tom Englund. After a single verse, the track shifts into high gear, knocking you over with heavy guitar riffs and powerful, angry, honest vocals. The song tackles the idea of giving up the life you now have, to follow in the footsteps of a Higher Power, in this case, Christianity. It treats the following of a Higher Power as an abandonment of all that one is used to, the abandonment of a normal life. “All the dreams I had / all my future wishes / put aside for a greater journey,” this lyric defines the premise of the song, quiet clearly. All in all, the track is brutal, direct and emotional, and one that should be respected.

The following track, “Ambassador,” is a track laden with heavy guitars and symphonic melodies. It is a representation of who Jesus Christ was as He walked earth. Straightforward and intense, the song makes you think while you’re banging your head. It expresses Jesus’ purpose while he was here and even now. Whether the band believes it or not, I cannot simply say from this song.

The next two tracks on the album show are extremely heavy-hitters. Laced with double bass and demanding, crunchy guitar, they take the listener on a journey of doubt and remembrance. Englund’s vocal are superb. He has the ability to relay his soul to he listener, leaving one breathless with anticipation and understanding. “In The Wake of the Weary” features a bridge sung by a female vocalist. I almost want to consider this a throwback to Dream Theater on their “Scenes from a Memory” album. At least, that’s what I’m reminded of. In “Harmless Wishes,” Englund again displays that soft, melodic voice that pulls you in at the beginning, only to shake you relentlessly once inside. Superbly melodic and progressive, this track readily displays that clear, yet heavy, lead guitar Evergrey can almost be recognized by. The song shifts back and forth from heavy to soft, crunchy to clean, and does it without a single moment of awkwardness.

“Harmless Wishes” leads delicately and perfectly into the soft harmonies of “Waking up Blind.” One of the album’s token “slow tracks”, “Waking…” is emotional and heart-touching. It sounds as if someone is giving up, throwing in the towel. And lyrically, it says the same. The guitar is beautiful and haunting, displaying the versatility of Henrik Danhage.

The next three songs are classically Progressive Metal. Reminiscent of bands like Dream Theater or Fates Warning, they are musical microcosms, combining varied melodies and progressions, showing Evergrey’s raw power and talent. Lyrically they go on to further deny spirituality, calling it a lie and a farce. The songs are simply stated and brutally honest.

The final lyrical song on the album, “Faith Restored,” retreats back into that soft, haunting vocal approach and unassuming acoustic melody. The song is beautifully executed and touches your heart and mind, listening to the reflection of someone who has just found faith again, who has realized that life is nothing without a Higher Power, without that soft place to fall. It proves that no matter who you are and what you’ve done wrong, you will always be given another chance, a chance to start over again in Faith. Englund’s vocals are perfect. The music is simplistic infallibility. The song says exactly what it means. Not too many bands can claim that.

The last track on the album is an instrumental track, a musical prayer. It is symphonic, progressive music, laced with samples of prayer and “hellfire and damnation” preaching. It is a perfect closing track for such an album. It sums up the entirety of the album in a few short minutes. It will go down in my metal history as one of the best selections for an album’s closing track, ever.

All in all, this album is one of Evergrey’s finest moments. Though one may not like the message, one cannot deny the execution of that message in such a brilliant, powerful album.


Standout Tracks: More Than Ever, The Essence of Conviction

Just like fine wine, Evergrey gets better with each album! This has to be their most powerful and eye opening CD to date. While the story within is fiction, it could translate into reality. It deals with a weak-minded person who can't think for itself and leaves it into the hands of a religious leader who they think has all of the answers. As you dig deep into this story, you will find out that there are people being abused sexually by others and how it's covered up and how if you let others lead your life, you will crumble.

Tom Englund's voice is very emotional and packed with conviction. I always tear up when he sings because it not only moves mountains, but it really hits you in your heart, if you have one… The music contained within is equally powerful with Jonas' drumming that can shake the very foundation you rest your feet upon and the guitar work from both Henrik and Tom is just remarkable. The keyboards from Rikard gives the bands sound a creepy and eerie vibe, but that's a good thing. “A Touch Of Blessing“ is a real pick me upper, but it's “Ambassador“ where things get even better. There are some hints of classical arrangements along with powerful dual guitar work and there are inserts of priests talking in between this fine music. Tom’s voice is angry and ugly here, but it drives the message home. He is pissed!

“In The Wake Of The Weary“ gets only more powerful and this time he gets help from his wife Carina who has an equally powerful voice that can make a grown man cry. Not only is Tom good at singing a Power Metal tune, but also they are awesome when it comes time to hit that ballad. It's equally moving as his other stuff and then some. This track is beautiful complete with acoustic guitars and a really thick kick drum that pounds its way through the speaker. Once again, everything about this CD and band is perfect. They have the perfect blend of everything. The CD closes on a creepy note with “When The Walls Go Down.“ This is pretty much an instrumental with an orchestra and there are inserts of people talking. When you hear this, you will begin to think just how screwed up people can really be. It's not a good feeling to have.

While the band's music is dark, creepy, haunting and powerful, there is always that little bit of hope at the end. The band is not about depressing you, they just expose to you what is out there, but you can do something about it if you want to. There is always a solution to a problem and this band lets you know that. Tom and company did it once again with a cd that will make you think.

A must have!

Evergrey had the world listening with the double-time effort of "Recreation Day" that was metallic, epic and progressive while lacking all of the problems that could have come with any combinations of that set of words. Sadly, "The Inner Circle" is the fufillment of every tragic implication of the boring nature of "progressive and epic metal". This effort is a well produced and expertly placed piece of boredom that ruined the perfect build of momentum for a band that looked like they could have had it all. Slow and slithering, winding and sliding with nowhere to go at any speed..."The Inner Circle" is hypnotic in it's utter ability to be dull. Cult concept? Indeed...only a cult could find this enjoyable.

"Ambassador" is the only song I recall after repeated listens. It winds and twists nicely hear and there but not one moment of the song touches back on the greatness of anything off the previous records. The songs drag, the choruses don't build as they should and the drumming is absolutely lethargic. It's almost impossible to believe that the same band is behind both recordings as one is vibrant and exciting showing a deep creative sense while the other is pompous exercise in showing off how much space you can fill with brooding and plodding dork-metal.

I expected so much more from Evergrey on this record...how could they themselves not notice how different this was? This CD played a game of dancing between stupid and clever that dived WELL into the wrong end of the spectrum.

File this under well produced, well played...and utterly fucking dull.

Strangely enough, the metal world is only now starting to take notice of the genius of Sweden’s Evergrey. Now five albums down, each and every one of them a progression on the previous, it was 2003’s stunning ‘Recreation Day’ that really made the metal community sit up and take notice. There are no gimmicks with Evergrey – these guys are in it for the music. Evergrey represent the dark emotive side of metal – thoughtful, intelligent and simply masterful in its conviction and integrity.

I have been living with ‘The Inner Circle’ for quite some time now, avoiding a hasty slapped together review just for the purposes of getting it out there before anyone else. This has also allowed me the necessary time to totally absorb the material written, because for the first time, I was not instantly taken with what I heard. That scared me. Unlike their ‘In Search of Truth’ album, and the colossal ‘Recreation Day’, ‘The Inner Circle’ failed to grab hold of me initially. Evergrey have always strived to be a complex metal band and perhaps this time around, their quest for a dramatic conceptual theme has supplanted their usual melodic catchiness. Yep, this one is a slow burner, a more ambitious exploration of their song writing abilities, but one that is thoroughly convincing once you take it all in.

Lead vocalist/guitarist and founding member Tom S Englund has always been the backbone of the Evergrey sound and lyrical concepts. I loved the alien abduction/psychological madness theme of ‘In Search of Truth’, but this one is probably his most brutal story yet. Rather than explain it myself, a word from Tom: “It is a conceptual album about being caught up within a religious cult, viewing how you deal with it and how others around you deal with it. It is told from everyone’s point of view, and shows how you fall deeper and deeper into a state of apathy, losing more and more control and power over yourself and dreams; eventually giving yourself over to the cult. It is about fanatics, not specific to a religious group; it can relate to Christians, Muslims, Satanists, Jews, it doesn’t really matter.” It is heavy going and like most concept albums, can only be dealt with as a whole. Thankfully, one can still listen to any track of this album in isolation and not be distracted by its complex lyrical nature.
On reflection, my initial indifference to ‘The Inner Circle’ comes from an expectation that Evergrey would opt for the easy path. What was I thinking? Tom S Englund has once again refused to repeat himself and while this album has that trademark EG sound all over it, the move towards a darker, more dramatic song structure (and less melody) proves that this band is not resting on the recognition garnered via ‘Recreation Day’.

‘The Inner Circle’ also shows off Evergrey’s dynamic versatility. For me this album has more extremes – their laid back, ballad-esque like moments are even more poignant than before and the heavier moments even darker and more menacing. Underneath each of these extremes is the emotive, tortured vocals of Tom Englund. Each and every lyric that he has penned on this is delivered with intense meaning and soulful purpose. I’ve said it before – this man is simply the star of the show.

I have a couple of mixing issues with ‘The Inner Circle’ in that it sounds a little more compacted than ‘Recreation Day’ – particularly on the heavier riff laden tracks where their impact is lost among the backing keyboards and throbbing bass line. Having said that, the use of the Gothenburg Symphonic Orchestra on some tracks gives Evergrey one of their grandest sounds yet. Listen to the simply awe inspiring final track entitled ‘When the Walls Go Down’ – brilliance personified.

If you can, try to lay your hands on the limited-edition release this – it features three live acoustic performance recorded in France of ‘I’m Sorry, Recreation Day and Madness Caught Another Victim’. It also comes in a superb digi-booklet that only serves to complement the material within even more. For fans of superbly written, flawlessly delivered dark metal, Evergrey must be heard.

Here's a 2004 release, complete with all the mistakes that plague the post-1987 metal movement. You can write up a checklist of all the dumb things that metal bands do today for dramatic effect, and check off the items one at a time as you listen to this album.

Let's see, gratuitous female vocals. Check. Random vocals-only passages. Also check. Songs that try to take on the whole world instead of just doing one thing and doing it well. Check. Keyboards for the sake of keyboards. Check.

So this album doesn't really get going very often, but it shows potential when it does... as sometimes, for isolated sections only several seconds long, it's pretty good. But oh how quickly they forget - how quickly some mental block goes off and says "can't do that, been played out by Judas Priest" or whatnot.

The vocalist is pretty terrible, sounding like the generic "can't hit high notes, too cliche and 80s" style of the Angel Dust vocalist more than anything else. There isn't a single shriek to be found here. At times the atmosphere is pretty good, similar to Martin-era Sabbath, or even the later Pokolgep albums. But, Hanging in the Balance, this isn't. Even that album had fucking balls of steel... a few more years, a few more tears!!!

Overall, a very frustrating listen. They have it in them to just fucking take off and rock, but somehow they keep holding themselves back. I just want to hear ONE vicious Toxik "Count your Blessings" riff, or the over-the-top chorus of Pokolgep's "The Bell Tolls for Me", or just... something, anything, anything that shows true inspiration. Even if Judas Priest or Black Sabbath did it first... let's face it, they did EVERYTHING first, so imitating them is just a matter of practicality.

But, again, the biggest checkmark seems to be "avoid sounding like traditional metal", and of course this throws out the shrieking baby along with the bathwater. Reading the previous review, where it quoted "she's three years old..." - before I downloaded the album, I imagined that in some godforsaken banshee shreak; the actual go-through-the-motions adult-contemporary vocal delivery just does NOT work here. Gawd, even middle-era Queensryche had more balls than this. Pretty much every song is a ballad, and that's what makes this so hard to listen.

Gawd, at the very least, they could do that "she's so beautiful" like Twisted Sister (so unforgettable... love is for suckers!!). "More than Ever" has the slightest bit of spark in the pre-chorus, but goes nowhere. Even the "heavy" riffage in the middle sounds more like Dream Theater attempting to play Pantera, than a real classic metal band.

The production is pretty modern, with most everything compressed beyond recognition, leaving a jarring set of contrasts; whenever the distorted guitars come in, it's borderline startling. There's the occasional double-bass flurry at times (see "In the Wake of the Weary") that is meant to simulate heaviness, but the guitars still are pretty devoid of any smashing value, so the illusion shatters quickly.

Well, it's better than Opeth. But that's not saying much. It's modern and boring and without a single good hook. The aforementioned "In the Wake of the Weary" sounds like Virgin Steele's "Blood and Gasoline", as performed by lounge-singers on valium. It never gets exciting. It never goes anywhere. It never grabs you by the throat. It just kinda sits there.

That's modern power 'metal' for ya; a far cry from Ample Destruction and even Imaginations from the Other Side. Welcome to dying.

Not very often do I rate an album so high as I am about to rate Evergrey's latest release "The Inner Circle". I had the opportunity of seeing Evergrey live in Minneapolis on April 26th this year, along with Children of Bodom and Iced Earth and that is where i picked this up (the digipack edition). They put on one hell of a show playing a couple new tracks, that the crowd received well. One of them being "A Touch of Blessing", that i had heard a clip for, and to put it bluntly it's a song that is so original in nature you will and have never heard anything quite like it. Tom Englunds vocals are simply amazing on this entire disc, and he has really created a unique voice of his own. Just like Tom Petty has that unique nasal voice, Tom Englund has that depressing dark emotional voice that has never been matched by anyone else.

In addition with new drummer Jonas "The Inner Circle" is Evergrey best album to date in my opinion. I very rarly review albums anymore but this just had to be done because this album just means so much to me. Every instrument in this glorious mix is distinquisable between one another. This is truely Evergrey's Opus and I commend them for stepping up to the plate and out-doing last years "Recreation Day" which is no easy task. If one wanted a brief definition of Evergrey my first thoughts would be, take Symphony X and put them in a blender, add a dash of My Dying Bride's, and Bronx Casket Co's depressing side, and add another touch of groove with the likes of Masterplan and you have Evergrey. The gloomy lyrics and vocals make you shed tears. The Production as mentioned before is some of the best i have ever heard. For a comparison into all of their albums this one is probably the most moody, emotional one focusing more on the vocals and mood of the songs instead of the riffage as much. Thats probably why this one sticks in my head more than say "In Search of Truth" which is probably my second fave album by the swedish dark lords.

There is already a song discription by the first reviewer and he did a great job at describing the tracks so i'll leave that where it is. But basically if you like very emotional metal which has some crazy twists and turns on the progressive side, with killer keyboards, amazing riffs, tight as fuck drumming, fat fucking bass, and vocals that tear you a new asshole then you need Evergrey's latest album "The Inner Circle". There are no exceptions, you all need this.

Best Tracks: A Touch of Blessing, Ambassador, In The Wake of the Weary, More Than Ever, The essence of Conviction