there are times i’m late to a party and i find a band too late to appreciate them while they’re still cranking it out. i won’t drop any names but there’s more than 1 band i wanted to pick for my first “icepicks” of the year, but the ones i’ve found have been MIA on social media for 18+ months and if you’re gonna pull a stipulation out of your ass, that’s as good as any i suppose.
this month, while late to the party i welcome everygrey to the ranks of the icepicks.
don’t completely misunderstand me; i’ve been playing “wrong” off of “glorious collusion” for years. maybe not since 2011 when released but i found that song somewhere along the line and it’s always been one i pick up and play and love. but then for whatever reason, i never think to see what other gems this band would have to offer.
that dies today.
after a trip to i-tunes, several mouse clicks later and updating credit card info, i’ve beefed up my evergrey collection and i must say, this will be in my audio player for quite some time. in order to introduce myself to their past, i did a bit of russian roulette and a mental “this name sound good”, hopping from release to release playing random songs to get an idea of the last 16 years fo this swedish band. so far, i’ve yet to find one that didn’t pull me into the story being told with the haunting vocals of tom englund, evergrey vocalist/guitarist.
so, what have i pulled out of my hat to introduce myself deeper into this band’s sound?
i should – monday morning apocalypse (and guys, why do i have mp4 and m4p in here? odd but jammin on another audio player)
harmless wishes – the inner circle
your darkest hour – recreation day; slap those ivory keys guys – LOVE IT!
different worlds – in search of truth
wrong – glorious collusion
written in both 2015 and 2016, released in 16, “the storm within” continues on high bar the band has set over the years with incredible arrangements and instrumentation that i’ve come to love. in the last hour or 2. but hey, i got the rest of my life to catch up.
“distance” is the standard evergrey sound that delves in to grinding guitars and smooth percussion back to back as styles quickly change again and again, an evergrey trademark.
“passing through” is a shift of gears with zero energy loss and someday comes along and changes things even more.
what i’ve come to love about this band is the blend of keyboards they can put into the grunge of the sound their guitars can provide and the vocals from mr englund pan out a bit as we start “the impossible” and get lost in yet another emotional change of pace the band puts you through time and time again.
the release continues to stay strong throughout and just when you think you’ve got time to catch your breath, “the paradox of the flame” drifts into your imagination as tom englund shares the vocal duties with carina englund, yes. his wife who sings quite a bit in the background many times but takes a part of the spotlight in this one.
as i wind down, it’s almost as if a good movie is coming to an end. i say “movie” because the band puts things together in a very “visual” way and if you close your eyes and let yourself go, you’ll get lost in the audio pictures presented so damn well. the title cut, “the storm within” is a bonus track and guys, thank you.
thank you also for that cover at the end. very good call and very well come. what am i talking about? get the release and hear it for yourself.
i have a new favorite band that while late to the game to their music, i suddenly have a lot of it in my collection to take with me as i keep on pluggin through life.
great job, guys. on this, and all, of your music.
your newest fan
love, iceberg
members of the band:
Tom S. Englund
Rikard Zander
Johan Niemann
Henrik Danhage
Jonas Ekdahl
facebook | their store (hit it)
and with his amazing wife:
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