Evergrey
- GENRE: power metal, progressive metal
- COUNTRY: Sweden
You like power metal, but you wish the genre ventured out more, perhaps was a bit more atmospheric? Evergrey have successfully occupied this niche since 1995. The Swedes have combined this genre with the progressive metal craft, the alternative metal ear for hits, and even a pinch of gothic. And in each iteration, they’re impeccable.
History:
Evergrey was formed in 1995 in the Swedish city of Gothenburg. Despite the then-dominance of melodic death metal on the scene, the band took a different aesthetic path. They were playing music somewhere halfway between power metal, which was then enjoying a revival, progressive metal and even gothic metal. In 1998, they released their debut album, The Dark Discovery. On the subsequent records, they kept to their signature style, attracting more and more fans. Their third record, In Search of Truth, was their first one to debut on Swedish charts. However, their true breakthrough in Sweden as well as Europe as a whole came in 2006 with the album Morning Day Apocalypse. On it, the band got closer to progressive-curious alternative metal. Since then, they have established themselves as a particularly important name in the world of European prog. Currently, the Swedes are touring their 2024 album Theories of Emptiness.
Discography:
LP:
The Dark Discovery, 1998
Solitude, Dominance, Tragedy, 1999
In Search of Truth, 2001
Recreation Day, 2003
The Inner Circle, 2004
Monday Morning Apocalypse, 2006
Torn, 2008
Glorious Collision, 2011
Hymns for the Broken, 2014
The Storm Within, 2016
The Atlantic, 2019
Escape of the Phoenix, 2021
A Heartless Portrait, 2022
Theories of Emptiness, 2024
Demo:
Demo 1996, 1996
Splits:
NTS Compilation Promo No. 11, 2001 (z Angra, Symphony X, Andromeda i Silent Force)
Maximum Metal Vol. 262, 2021 (z Epica, Iotunn, Annisokay, Brunhilde, Mason Hill)
Maximum Metal Vol. 286, 2024 (z Disbelief, Unleash the Archers, Take Offense, Lutharo, Arka’n Asrafokor)
Live albums:
A Night to Remember, 2005
Live: Before the Aftermath, 2022
Compilations:
A Decade and a Half, 2011
From Dark Discoveries to Heartless Portraits, 2023