I’ve had this disc sitting around for a while waiting to be reviewed. I keep wondering why I didn’t do it right off the bat. The truth is, as great a band as Evergrey is, this is far from their best work. It’s still quite a good disc, but these guys are capable of creating some really interesting music. It seems like someone (either someone in the band or someone in management or at the label) came up with the idea that they should focus on more mainstream, ultraheavy modern metal. The effect is a lot of individual tracks that are good, but when taken as a whole tend to bog down and feel way too samey. It’s a shame because the closing piece is the strongest on the set and the most like what I associate as being Evergrey. It’s just that by the time you get there it’s all so monolithic that you’ve kind of lost interest. Again, that all makes this a good album that could have been a great album with some more variety.
This review is available in book format (hardcover and paperback) in Music Street Journal: 2010 Volume 2 at lulu.com/strangesound.