Description

CHECK out 10 songs from this album on the playlist below:

CHECK out 10 songs from this album on the playlist above:

Evergrey Recreation Day
Label: Inside Out Music IOMLTDCD 117
Format: CD, PROMO
Country: Germany
Released: 2003
Genre: Prog Rock, Heavy Metal
Tracklist:
1 The Great Deceiver 4:18  Lyrics By Henrik Danhage
2 End Of Your Days 4:38
3 As I Lie Here Bleeding 3:51
4 Recreation Day 5:21  Composed By Rikard Zander
5 Visions 6:01
6 I’m Sorry 3:18
7 Blinded 4:34
8 Fragments 5:37 Lyrics By Michael Håkansson
9 Madness Caught Another Victim 2:59
10 Your Darkest Hour 6:14  Composed By Rikard Zander
11 Unforgivable 4:28
12 Trilogy Of The Damned 9:00

Arranged By Evergrey
Bass Michael Håkansson
Choir Mercury Choir, The
Composed By Henrik Danhage, Tom S. Englund
Design, Artwork By Mattias Norén
Drums, Percussion Patrick Carlsson
Guitar Henrik Danhage, Tom S. Englund
Keyboards Rikard Zander
Vocals [Female] Carina Kjellberg
Vocals, Lyrics By Tom S. Englund

Recorded at Los Angered Studios, Gothenburg, Sweden.
Mixed at Studio Fredman, Gothenburg, Sweden.
Mastered at The Mastering Room, Gothenburg, Sweden.

Built on a solid foundation of progressive metal, the multi-dimension voice of guitarist Tom S. Englund is what separates these Swedes. The lanky front-man possesses both a coarse, rasp and silky voice, equally suited for the bands diverse repertoire. Regardless of which set of vocal chords he employed, Englund delivers an emotional performance, from pained, heart wrenching agony to bitter aggression. On their fourth opus, Recreation Day, the band has graduated to the next level, constructing eleven elaborately layered songs, which highlight this passion soaked voice. Paradoxically, as lovely as the piano accompanied title track and the sultry female wails on Darkest Hour are, EVERGREY excel onstage, still a weak point for most prog-metal acts. The live intensity is shared by the likes of Visions and the opener, The Great Deceiver. Englund, and guitar partner Henrik Danhage, produced Recreation Day, along with the talented Fredrik Nordstrom (In Flames/HammerFall). The results are stellar.

Sweden’s Evergrey figure among a rare breed of progressive metal bands capable of balancing their undeniably impressive musicianship and lofty song and lyric-writing ambitions with the commitment to serving a songs best interest, not their own individual instrumental prowess. More unique yet is their heavy reliance on power metal — often the most predictable and repetitive of metal sub-genres — for much of their sonic imprint, as they effortlessly integrate its best elements into their inventive compositions. Arguably their most consistent and rewarding to date, the groups stellar fourth album Recreation Day fleshes out what few forced experiments had tarnished earlier works into a strong and cohesive set from start to finish. Singer/guitarist Tom Englund wisely eschews the operatic excesses employed by many of his peers, both in the progressive and power metal fields; yet his range is quite impressive, ranging from delicately emotive melodies (particularly on the beautiful “Madness Caught Another Victim”) to spitting fury bordering on death metal-style shouting (see moments in “The Great Deceiver”). Along with fellow guitarist Henrik Danhage, his frequently beautiful solos often become the lasting centrepieces of album highlights such as “As I Lie Here Bleeding,” “Visions,” and the title track. Keyboards and synthesizers are also an ever-present ingredient of the bands sound, but never overwhelm the songs (see the excellent “Your Darkest Hour” for a perfect example), which retain a crushingly focused, heavy metal sheen at all times. Recreation Day is another strong outing from a reliable force in Scandinavian metal.