In Theories of Emptiness, Evergrey have once again released a progressive metal album sure to please current fans and win over new ones.
Theories of Emptiness is the 14th album from Evergrey , their second for Napalm Records and all of this in the 29th year of the band, all of which are amazing. For Theories of Emptiness the lineup remains the same although drummer Jonas Ekdahl has announced his departure and will be replaced by Simen Sandnes. This lineup came into being and has remained constant since guitarist Henrik Danhage and drummer Jonas Ekdahl arrived as new members following the release of The Glorius Collision in 2011 and this lineup had their first release with 2014’s Hymns for the Broken. This time Tom Englund and Jonas Ekdahl handled production, mixing by Adam “Nolly” Getgood, and mastering by Thomas “Plec” Johansson (multiple Grammies, platinum and gold records).
Evergrey waste no time jumping straight into things with “Falling From the Sun”. The song starts out with some pounding drum and then the fast, heavy guitar riff and the album is well underway. Those who have heard Evergrey before will instantly recognize Tom Englunds, emotive, smooth, powerful vocals, which have also gotten him a nomination from Metal Hammer as the Voice of Metal 2024. Add in a catchy hook and chorus, a couple guitar solos, a quieter piano/vocal interlude and you have everything you’d expect from a progressive metal band and Evergrey deliver as expected.
“Misfortune” slows things down a bit and has more of an atmospheric feel to as opposed to the straight ahead rocker feel of “Falling From the Sun”. The gang chorus in the song is a great touch and the chunky, slower heavy riff works really well with the bass work from Johan Niemann.
As fans have come to expect, Tom Englund’s vocals shine on the tracks as the guitar work from Englund and Henrik Danhage, and the strength of the band as a whole comes through in the tracks where Rikard Zander, Johan Niemann, and Jonas Edkahl take the lead. Evergrey has brought back intensity and aggression to their epic brand of progressive metal and as a result have one of the best albums of the year. “To Become Someone Else” shifts even more at the opening with just some clean guitar and Tom Englund’s vocals. Keyboards come in and then the rest of band joins with another dark, heavy riff. Through all of this Jonas Ekdahl’s drums pound through keeping the song moving. This track features a more extended atmospheric/ambient keyboard interlude in the middle that divides the song nicely and builds until the guitars and the rest of the band come back in forcefully, but not enough to drown out the keyboards which add great texture to the song. This is the kind of production/mixing/mastering one would expect from veterans like Evergrey and here they deliver as well.
“Say” is one of the videos from the album and while it doesn’t feature the pyrotechnics of “Falling From the Sun”, the video shows the band delivering a powerful performance even just playing in a horse arena. I especially appreciate the section of the song where it is just Tom Englund’s vocals backed by Jonas Edkahl’s drums and Johan Niemann’s bass. To me, Evergrey is one of those bands you really do need to actually see as without the videos I had a hard time picturing everything given the music and style. Interesting in the video that drummer Jonas Edkahl leaves his kit and comes forward to the camera to say “Thank You” before walking away, making it one of the best departing band member scenarios I’ve ever seen.
“Ghost of My Hero” is the closest the band comes to a ballad-like song on the album and while it does highlight Englund’s vocals, it’s definitely not one of my favorites but then again I’m not a fan of ballads. As if to make sure listener’s haven’t forgotten the heaviness Evergrey can deliver, the band goes next into “We Are the North”, featuring a crunching riff, and some some shouted gang vocals and then into an almost straight ahead power metal-like track in “One Heart” complete with gang chorus that have a crowd-like feel. I have to say I wasn’t expecting this style from Evergrey but the song is great, even down to the harmony guitar solo section.
Of the remaining tracks on the album, “Cold Dreams” featuring Jonas Renkse (Catatonia) and Salina Englund is the standout on the second half of the album. Certainly darker than some of the preceeding tracks and featuring some harsh, growled vocals, and sections where Tom and Jonas sing together, the song has a number of quieter elements, strong keyboard presence at times and a lot of layers to keep the listener involved.
As someone who has reviewed Evergrey releases for the last 8 years, I will say that Theories of Emptiness is the first release during that time that didn’t immediately grab me and is my least favorite of the albums during that time. What’s important to keep in mind is the base I’m starting from where I’ve named every Evergrey release during that time as one of my top 10 albums for the year they came out and also that I typically don’t like progressive metal. So with all that being said, Theories of Emptiness is one of those albums that you can listen to over and over and never be bored and additionally, the melody and catchiness of their songs can appeal to a wide audience including those who are not metal fans.
Rating: 8/10
Written by John Jackson.
Tracklist
- Falling from the Sun
- Misfortune
- To Become Someone Else
- Say
- Ghost of My Hero
- We are the North
- One Heart
- The Night Within
- Cold Dreams (feat.Jonas Renske, Salina Englund)
- Our Way Through Silence
- A Theory of Emptiness
Band Members
Tom S. Englund – Vocals, guitars
Henrik Danhage – Guitars
Rikard Zander – Keyboard
Johan Niemann – Bass
Jonas Edkahl – Drums
Release Date: June 7, 2024
Record Label: Napalm Records
Weblinks: Website / Facebook / Twitter / Bandcamp
Video for “Falling from the Sun”
Video for “Say”
Video for “Midwinter Calls”
Video for “Cold Dreams”