Evergrey Unveil 8th Studio Album
aaamusic | On 07, Jan 2011
Swedish rock group Evergrey’s eighth studio album, ‘Glorious Collision’, set for release on February 28th on SPV / Steamhammer, is nothing other than an outstanding progressive / melodic metal masterpiece, despite, and more likely because of their recent line-up upheaval.
In May 2010 Vocalist / guitarist Tom Englund and keyboard player Rikard Zander parted company with their former band mates. “The most recent Evergrey line-up had reached a point where we no longer had fun as a group,” states, Englund, adding: “So we went our separate ways to save our friendship. There were no angry words, and we’re still friends privately.” The continuation of Evergrey was never called into question for Tom and Rikard, yet they both had to face a new challenge: “In the beginning, we weren’t sure whether we’d be able to write a new album without the wealth of experience that the previous line-up brought in. But after Rikard and I had composed a full three numbers during the first week, we felt that was a real coup.”
Totally fired up, the guys stormed on with writing. “This may sound like a contradiction in view of our personnel situation, but Rikard and I have allowed more influences on Glorious Collision than ever before. Some elements on Glorious Collision are classic rock, based on a metal format, sometimes the tracks are quiet and haunting, sometimes wild, demanding and gripping.”
With such great material on offer, it wasn’t hard to find talented and hungry musicians (Marcus Jidell, ex- Royal Hunt on guitars, Johan Niemann, ex-Therion on bass, and 20-year-old drummer Van Dahl), to complete the new band line up. “It’s great to hear what a breath of fresh air Marcus, Johan and Hannes have brought into the band,” Englund enthuses. “Although the entire material, except for two songs to which Marcus contributed on the compositional side, had already been decided when we started recording, they all left their own, very personal mark on this album.”
Hot on the heels of the release of ‘Glorious Collision’, Evergrey will set off on tour around Europe as Special Guests of Kamelot, calling in to the UK to play Sheffield Corporation on April 27th and London Koko on April 28th.
Commenting on the album’s title, Englund states that “It’s about that personal struggle in life, about traumas and the inner chaos which we all feel inside ourselves. We go through a life in which situations, points of view and perspectives change all the time, we permanently encounter major collisions which we have to face. We don’t pretend that we have something to teach other people. What we are saying is: sometimes the situation is totally different to what it appears at first sight. That’s why it may be better not to judge too quickly but to allow things to sink in and make up your mind after you’ve weighed them up carefully.”
