Label: AFM Records
Release date: Feb. 26, 2021
Production: Jacob Hansen
Album length: 58.34 min
Genre: Progressive Metal
Rating: 8.0/10
When would a phoenix, that mythological feathered creature from the days of ancient Egypt, actually decide to escape? When it runs out of reasons to do good deeds and is surrounded by nothing but irredeemable, all-consuming evil. In other words, the world as we live it today. The Swedish dark progressive and power metal champions Evergrey are back with an album of just that title, one that sounds very timely and in tune with the decay of everything good. Even if the light of hope never quite goes out, much like the birth of a new phoenix smoldering in the ashes. Englund and company have even rushed things a bit with “Return of the Phoenix”, which was hardly expected, but still. When someone bans you from doing a proper live promo run, there’s suddenly more room on the other side for creating new music. Then again, it’s precisely touring that boosts these creative processes, but let’s leave that debate for another time. In a relatively short span, the guys reckoned they’d piled up enough useful new ideas.
“Escape of the Phoenix” is a textbook Evergrey album. From head to toe. You know right away what and who you’re dealing with. A dark but consistently hungry, highly theatrical production stuffed with bombast, or pomp. Songs that grow out of minor scales yet score high on musicality, which once again serves up a few tracks that stick in your ear immediately, like the opener Forever Outsider, Dandelion Cipher or, in the second half, Eternal Nocturnal, all marked by sharply pointed phrasing. It’s strapped into a galloping stampede of double bass drum pedals, and all three are written in pursuit of a highly melodic, magnetic chorus. Evergrey have actually repackaged their ignition formula very skillfully here, so it lights up nicely once again. That said, the new album doesn’t reach the level of its predecessor “The Atlantic” (2019, RockLine review). Although you can feel it trying to keep up. Take the slower track Stories, which, whatever its title promises, doesn’t say much that’s new or interesting musically. The chorus of the title track is also something we’ve heard from Evergrey on one of their earlier albums. It’s a shame that this ballad is placed in the first half of the album, where it cools things down very quickly after the pleasingly thundering run-up built by Forever Outsider and Where August Mourns. The Beholder also feels like an older song by the band in terms of ideas, and not even guest vocalist James LaBrie of Dream Theater can save it. In his duet with Englund, he doesn’t deliver the contrasting twist you’d hope for.
What keeps the situation afloat throughout is another brilliant, deeply felt and lived-in vocal performance from Tom Englund, whom hardly anyone can match. The guy has a hint of soul in the color of his voice, which is quite rare in metal, especially of Scandinavian origin. You’re more likely to find that element in pop music. And yet it’s precisely this detail in his phenomenal singing, that crucial extra ingredient, that makes Evergrey so special and different that they can never come across as a generic progressive metal cliché. Even in terms of building that dramatic theater feel, Englund’s vocals always add an important spice.
Still, “Escape of the Phoenix” definitely carries plenty of the good stuff that the band’s followers always expect. The darkness Evergrey have always been devoted to is once again all over it. As said. If “Escape of the Phoenix” were, say, only the band’s fourth or fifth album, we’d be bowing down to it, but as it stands, the band no longer surprises here. It’s a good album, but nothing more than that. No standouts or quirks that would pleasantly surprise you and make the listener raise at least one eyebrow a little. The musical performance is phenomenal, and the crew works like a well-oiled machine. There are some outstanding guitar solos that guarantee shifts in mood and gratefully lift the dynamics as things unfold, and the excellent production does its part too, with a wall of phrasing that’s incredibly bristling, delivering massive hunger and a sound that sucks you in. The production follows the tradition of a craft the band has down cold. Contrasts are pushed to the max and the soundscape is masterfully filled out, with Englund, of course, at the center of the story.
So “Escape of the Phoenix” doesn’t bring any earth-shattering novelties that would guarantee artistic delight. Truth be told, it doesn’t bring any novelties at all. A few ideas are repackaged and served up again. Especially when it comes to the melodies. The chorus melodies try to deliver that highly appealing catchiness, but on the other hand they expose predictability and leave the listener with a slightly worn-out feeling. In that sense, the album feels at least ten minutes too long, a bit drawn out, especially on tracks like Stories, The Beholder or You From You, where nothing particularly interesting happens. Two highlights are tacked on at the tail end, Leaden Saints and Run, which squeeze out more high-octane burn and ruinous bristle, though in the choruses they again flirt with already well-tested melodies. Fans of the band’s style and sound, and especially admirers of Tom Englund’s exceptional vocal qualities, will be more than happy with “Escape of the Phoenix”. For the rest of you who look for a real musical adventure in the word “progressive”, the album won’t move you all that much.
Author: Aleš Podbrežnik
Track list:
1. Forever Outsider
2. Where August Mourn
3. Stories
4. A Dandelion Cipher
5. The Beholder
6. In The Absence Of Sun
7. Eternal Nocturnal
8. Escape Of The Phoenix
9. You From You
10. Leaden Saints
11. Run
Line-up:
Tom S Englund – vocals, guitar
Henrik Danhage – guitar
Rikard Zander – keyboards
Johan Niemann – bass guitar
Jonas Ekdahl – drums
Guest musician:
James LaBrie (Dream Theater) – vocals on track no. 5
