The official lyric video for ‘My Allied Ocean’, a new song from Swedish metallers Evergrey, can be seen below. The track is taken from Evergrey‘s new album, “The Storm Within”, which was released on September 9 via AFM Records.
“My Allied Ocean” is one of Evergrey‘s most aggressive songs to date, the song can be streamed below.
While this may come off as music industry lip service in honor of the quintet, anyone who has followed Evergrey will find it impossible not to become completely enthralled by the music on “The Storm Within” within the space of the first listen. The band’s trademark progressive, dark and melancholic elements are as strong as ever, the album ranks as one of the most progressive record they’ve created in terms of performance, but Evergrey managed to put it in a package that is more accessible and direct compared to any of their nine previous outings. Frontman/founder Tom S. Englund credits Evergrey‘s learning-by-doing over the past two decades for the feel of “The Storm Within”, in particular their all-important “Hymns For The Broken” record from 2014, which saw a revitalized Evergrey lineup return with a new energy.
“We went from having no intention of making an album at all to having all the inspiration in the world on ‘Hymns For The Broken’,” says Englund. “Honestly, we’ve never felt better. ‘The Storm Within’ is a massive album. There are no fillers on it and we’ve never been about that. I think the inspiration speaks for itself.”
Evergrey‘s lyrics have always matched the depth and intensity of their music, and the concept behind “The Storm Within” is no exception. Englund considers the storyline behind the lyrics to be one of the biggest concepts Evergrey has ever tackled, based on something that everyone can relate to; having someone, losing them, and having to pick yourself up and move on. He goes so far as to call it the band’s first “love” album, but it’s not a subject that should be taken lightly in the Evergrey universe.
“As usual, the lyrics are based on someone or some event in my life,” says Englund. “When we were making this album a lot of these relationship issues were going on around me; people losing a partner or a loved one and grieving. ‘The Storm Within’ is about a search for identity, trying to make yourself full when you feel half empty, and I placed that storyline in an interstellar world.”
Musically, “The Storm Within” plays to Evergrey‘s trademark prog metal attack but it’s loaded with double-take moments. Lead-off track “Distance” is a surprise lead single (and first video), the melodically and lyrically stunning ‘Passing Through’ is destined to become a fan favourite, ‘My Allied Ocean’ is one of Evergrey‘s most aggressive songs to date, and the epic title track makes for the perfect album closer in the tradition of Devin Townsend or Rush. The addition of Nightwish vocalist Floor Jansen on ‘In Orbit’ is the icing on an already filling cake.
Englund is proud to have “The Storm Within” represent Evergrey‘s all-important 20th anniversary, although he freely admits he didn’t take note of the landmark occasion until the album was well underway.
“I had a goal when I started Evergrey; I wanted to make 10 albums and that would fulfill my life plan. That’s not something I ever thought I would accomplish. It’s quite an amazing thing to be a band for 20 years and release albums that aren’t sub-par. When I realized we’d done 10 albums in 20 years, it was mind-boggling. I’m proud to say that out of all the albums we’ve released over the last 20 years, we’ve never released one that we didn’t feel was the best we could do at that time. That goes for every song, every note, everything. That’s why we don’t do anything half-assed.”
Our review of “The Storm Within” can be found here.
Track listing:
01. Distance
02. Passing Through
03. Someday
04. Astray
05. The Impossible
06. My Allied Ocean
07. In Orbit (Feat. Floor Jansen)
08. The Lonely Monarch
09. The Paradox Of The Flame (Feat. Carina Englund)
10. Disconnect (Feat. Floor Jansen)
11. The Storm Within
Upcoming Shows:
May 08 Southport Music Hall New Orleans, LA
May 09 Scout Bar Houston, TX
May 10 Gas Monkey Bar N’ Grill Dallas, TX
May 11 The Rock Box San Antonio, TX
May 13 Joe’s Grotto Phoenix, AZ
May 14 Brick By Brick San Diego, CA
May 15 Adrenaline Sports Bar and Grill Las Vegas, NV
May 17 The Viper Room West Hollywood, CA
May 19 Bossanova Ballroom Portland, OR
May 20 Studio Seven Seattle, WA
May 21 Rickshaw Theatre North Vancouver, Canada
May 22 Dickens Calgary, Canada
May 23 The Exchange Regina, Canada
May 25 The Cabooze Minneapolis, MN
May 26 Reggies Rock Club Chicago, IL
May 27 The Token Lounge Westland, MI
May 28 Mod Club Theatre Toronto, Canada
May 30 L’anti Bar & Spectacles Ville De Québec, Canada
May 31 Foufounes Électriques Montreal, Canada
Jun 01 The Marlin Room at Webster Hall New York, NY
Jun 03 Jewel Manchester, NH
Jun 16 SITE DU HELLFEST Clisson, France
Jul 16 Hellfest Clisson, France
Aug 19 Sabaton Open Air Festival Falun, Sweden
Sep 30 Kulturfabrik Kofmehl Solothurn, Switzerland
Oct 06 KB Malmö, Sweden
Oct 07 Trägårn Goteborg, Sweden
Oct 27 ANNEXET/Stockholm Live Stockholm, Sweden
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Video below: ‘My Allied Ocean’