Screw Paradise Lost, true kings of melancholy-driven metal are Evergrey, fronted by Tom S. Englund, a genius songwriter, singer, and guitarist. Even though his band faced inevitable destruction some time ago, Tom managed to get back in the game, bringing back longtime members Henrik Danhage (guitars) and Jonas Ekdahl (drums) and creating a respectful comeback record titled Hymns For The Broken.
After few mediocre offers (Monday Morning Apocalypse and Glorious Collision) Evergrey did what few bands can achieve – climbing back from the abyss, and releasing records that can match their best offerings ( In Search Of Truth and Recreation Day). This time, Evergrey managed to combine sound from their distant past with a more modern take on the power-progressive metal the band nourished through the last couple of albums, and the result is strikingly intoxicating.
Expect a barrage of riffs right from the start. Distance, Passing Through, Someday and Astray are songs perfectly walking the thin line between a heart wrecking atmosphere and killing blows the guitars and drums send through speakers. While soaked up in melancholy, the album keeps a positive side, not going overboard, not filling songs with an unnecessary amount of cheese (completely different than Glorious Collision for instance, which felt extremely pathetic, lyrics-wise).
Around the middle, the album goes into first gear with an excellent atmospheric, vocal-driven The Impossible, after which a barrage of killing riffs continues. The songs are catchy, with extraordinary vocal performance and bewitching solos. Carina Englund (Tom’s wife and an excellent vocalist) joins the band on the heart-wrenching ballad The Paradox of the Flame, and along with Floor Jansen (Nightwish, ex-After Forever) gives the album the much-needed dose of freshness.
There’s just one song worth skipping, the pitiful Disconnect, containing lyrics that are just too far off into self-pity lane. Other than Disconnect, there’s not a single filler song on the album, which is an accomplishment by itself, especially in these days marked by hyperproduction of music. The Storm Within is a prime example of melancholic metal done right. You don’t need to have slow rhythm, Black Sabbath-like riffs, and woeful-sounding vocals to make gloomy music. All you have to do is to give all your heart to the music (like Tom does with his emotionally filled vocals), and spice it up with interesting lyrics. The result, this time, is prodigiously enchanting.
Recommended for all metal fans.
