Album review: EVERGREY – Escape Of The Phoenix

AFM Records [Release date 26.02.21]

Evergrey, led by the formidably talented writer/producer/guitarist/vocalist, Tom Englund, are now on their 12th album.

Escape Of The Phoenix once again revisits the band’s idea of adult contemporary metal. It’s a dark, sinewy sound, braced by ground shaking rhythms and devouring riffs, laced with memorable guitarwork and sturdy vocal melodies. It creates its own narrow musical boundaries and exploits every square metre to the full.

For Englund, a unique, informed worldview is the wellspring from which truly original music flows. On … Phoenix, his lyrical themes have moved on from the “Ocean” trilogy. However, the album generally confirms that we’re still living at the dark end of the street – a shadowy wasteland, populated by the disillusioned and disenfranchised.

The title track itself, ‘Escape Of The Phoenix’ denies us any thought of cleansing and renewal… when end of days comes, that’s it, the end. These thoughts and notions often turn inward. Song titles like ‘Leaden Sun’, ‘August Mourns’ and ‘In Absence of Sun’ are always going to give up a huge clue concerning content and mood. So far, no surprises.

But the music, oh, the music. ‘Forever Outsider’ and ‘You From You’ are full of progrock complexity and dissonant instrumental voices, topped off with towering hooks and vertiginous choruses.

‘Dandelion Cypher’ and ‘Eternal Nocturnal’ go barrelling down the road, steamrollering everything in their path, crashing and clanging, but always in control, creating gaps, spaces between the noise. The sharp edged words and the tortured vocals appear in these spaces like rockets escaping gravitational pull.

So we have a complex series of songs, frequently epic but never overblown. And as always – ‘Run’ and ‘Stories’ show this best – this extraordinary guitarist mainlines his spine tingling axe solos into the rarefied blood of classic melodic metal, or maybe it’s Prog Metal, or maybe Power Metal. One of those, or all of them.

James LaBrie guests on the booming, full blown Progmetal of ‘The Beholder’. It falters a little toward the end, dragging its feet to the finishing line. But it’s the only misstep on an album otherwise brimful of surefooted, grown up metal.

Worth noting that a major European tour is planned for later this year, including 8 UK dates (inc Glasgow Cathouse!). ****

Review by Brian McGowan

Featured Artist: JOSH TAERK

Since early 2020 Josh has been entertaining us with exclusive monthly live sessions, streamed via Facebook.
In 2023 he signed a recording deal with Sony in Canada and released a new single on 15 September.

Next session: Sunday 1 December

Check out videos here: https://www.facebook.com/getreadytorockradio

David Randall presents a weekly show on Get Ready to ROCK! Radio, Sundays at 22:00 GMT, repeated on Mondays and Fridays), when he invites listeners to ‘Assume The Position’. The show signposts forthcoming gigs and tours and latest additions at getreadytorock.com. First broadcast on 20 October 2024.

UK Blues Broadcaster of the Year (2020 and 2021 Finalist) Pete Feenstra presents his weekly Rock & Blues Show on Tuesday at 19:00 GMT as part of a five hour blues rock marathon “Tuesday is Bluesday at GRTR!”. The show is repeated on Wednesdays at 22:00, Fridays at 20:00). This show was first broadcast 22 October 2024.

How to Listen Live?

Click the programming image at the top of the page (top right of page if using desktop)

Listen via Windows Media Player. Click or tap here and “open file”
Listen via other media player (eg. VLC) Click or tap here and “open file”

Get Ready to ROCK! Radio is also in iTunes under Internet Radio/Classic Rock
Listen in via the Tunein app and search for “Get Ready to ROCK!” and save as favourite.

More information and links at our radio website where you can listen again to shows via the presenter pages: getreadytorockradio.com

Power Plays w/c 11 November 2024

ARCANE MOON Hello Sun (indie)
S8NT ELEKTRIC XTC (Long Branch Records)
RIOGHAN Hands (Inverse Records)
ARCANA KINGS Here We Go (Curtain Call Records)
KLOGR face The Unknown (Zeta Factory)
BEYOND UNBROKEN Dance With The Dead (FiXT)
REVENGIN Decadent Feeling (Wormholedeath)

Featured Albums w/c 11 November 2024

09:00-12:00 The Best of 2003-2023 (Melodic Rock)
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003-2023 (Melodic Hard Rock)
14:00-16:00 The Best of 2003-2023 (Singer Songwriter)