It is quite difficult for a band like Evergrey, changing the 3 / 5 of its members, to record a new album. It is even more difficult for the new album to sound like the “old band” despite the major personnel changes.
Evergrey managed both. They released a new album and managed to keep their dark tone, while the changes in the composition of the band helped them sound fresher.
So, with the announcement of the departure of Henrik Danhage (Guitar), Jari Kainulainen (bass) and Jonas Ekdahl (drums) we learned the names of the people who would fill in for them. The 18 year-old Hannes Van Dahl took the place behind the drumkit, Marcus Jidell is the new guitarist and Johan Niemann (ex-Therion) took over as the bassist.
The “Glorious Collision” has all the elements that made Evergrey so special: Strong melodies and dark emotional lyrics that can give you the chills with Englund’s voice. In many tracks they have adopted more catchy sounds and influences from classic rock. It is reasonable that with the departure of the three, the full burden of writing the songs fell on the shoulders of Englund and Zander (keyboards) so the album has much more room for keys that gives freshness to the sound of the band.
The songs “Free”, “It Comes From Within” and “To Fit The Mold” are three of the best tracks on the disc. Other tracks like “Phantom Letters” and “I’m Drowning Alone” might be the best songs Evergrey have ever written.
“Glorious Collision” is a great first sample of the “new Evergrey”, which set high standards for their next releases and the releases of 2011 in general. Let’s hope that we will see them in our country.
