I never thought I'd be so disappointed with an Evergrey album

[Meanmistreator]

I love this disc. It will certainly not make every one of their older fans happy...but niether did the last 2 albums. I dont expect Evergrey to ever repeat themselves and make a duplicate of the album before...and this one is no different in that respect. I actually love the production here. The guitars are different, by a lot. But I also think it fits the stripped down approach they were obviously going for. They have definitely taken a strong attempt at broadening their appeal but the Evergrey mood and overall vibe is still intact. I agree with Harv about the lyrics as well...they are extremely personal and emotional. In fact, some of Englunds best songs are contained on this album. And that chorus you brought up, Inside out...outside in...I cant get that out of my head. One of the catchiest songs on the disc, and the vocal delivery of that line is really cool, imo.

The bottom line for me is there is still no one who sounds like Evergrey. Whether they try a different approach or not. They still write some kick ass dark emotional songs with strong performances by each member of the band.
I would rank this one at #3 behind SDT and ISoT. I really cant wait to see how they present this material in a live setting where they have total control, Llike PP7.

Let me take a crack at this....I find this all very interesting because I'm not and old fan or a new fan, but I am a fan. When I first heard of Evergrey, all I heard was how great they were (PM Board). But when I bought my first CD, Dark Discovery, I didn't like it at all, and I gave it to my brother-in-law. When ISOT came out, I loved it immediately. Now some people say that's when they went commercial, but for me, I say that's when they signed with a good label. Recreation Day and Inner Circle are truely fuckin' amazing. And I've gone back and now I like most of DD. Commercial means a lot of things to different people, I love dark, heavy, melodic progmetal, with great vox. Most of that doesn't describe this CD. It doesn't suck by any means, but it does not compare to their last four CDs. The melodies are rough and not really that accessable (Larry D. taught me that word). And Toms vox aren't being shown as a strength. I think it's poorly writen, and I really like this band.

 

[7thSaviour]

BTW, I am willing to sell this CD to anyone here, for even less than face value, believe it or not!LOL How about $10 total?

 

[KROSS]

I heard it last night and really enjoyed it. I recently purchased, The Inner Circle, Solitude Dominance Tragedy, and Recreation Day albums and I can certainly tell a difference between MMA and the other ones. I enjoy the rawness of the older albums, but also like the clean sound of MMA. Hard to explain, I hope that makes sense.

 

[AMBR]

BTW, I am willing to sell this CD to anyone here, for even less than face value, believe it or not!LOL How about $10 total?

You gave it an 8/10 but you're selling it for $10?

 

[AngraRULES]

You gave it an 8/10 but you're selling it for $10?

lol

 

[Mosquito]

I heard it last night and really enjoyed it. I recently purchased, The Inner Circle, Solitude Dominance Tragedy, and Recreation Day albums and I can certainly tell a difference between MMA and the other ones. I enjoy the rawness of the older albums, but also like the clean sound of MMA. Hard to explain, I hope that makes sense.

Whaaat? The earlier albums sound much more cleaner than MMA. In fact MMA/TIC/RD sound much more rough than ISOT/SDT (DD does sound rough because of the production though). If anyone thinks that ISOT/SDT sound muddier or more "raw" than the last three albums, they need to have their ears checked.

 

[Kenneth R.]

You gave it an 8/10 but you're selling it for $10?

its too bad I already have it or I'd jump on that offer.

 

[7thSaviour]

Yeah, I think $10 total is a great offer!

 

[Bryan316]

Listened to the new album yesterday.


Pretty different, pretty inventive, pretty cool.

I dig it.

FUCK ALL YOU NAYSAYERS!

 

[ragingsaxmachine]

I gave ISOT a front to back listen and the new one too. From a concept standpoint, I think this new album achieves what it aims for. It's dark and the mix is perfect for the mood.

 

[urayoan]

If something prog music has taught me is to expect the unexpected. That's exactly what happened. MMA maybe not a traditional prog-metal Evergrey album, but a more systematic basic approach I'll say. But I can tell you something straight up, their experiment worked for me. Heavy riffin', interesting melody lines. Exploring different approaches is something musicians do. I guess MMA was Evergrey's turn. Maybe next offering is going to be prog up yours...

 

[Yippee38]

My first impression is that the vocals (other than the first track) are Evergrey, and the instruments are very Evergrey. However, the melodies do not sound Evergrey at all on a lot of the tracks. I've only listened to it once, but that's my impression so far.