So far this album seems pretty good to my ears, albeit it's definately less creative, and the riffing is generic at all times. The total picture is definately Evergrey because of Tom's emotional vocal melodies, the songs are pretty good, but the music itself sounds more like a modern metal band (i.e. Lamb of God), same goes for the guitar tone.
Keyboards are very rare on this album, and when they're there, they add little to nothing to the song, which is a shame. The production is also very heavy, and leaves no room for a little atmosphere. I can hear they're aiming for a larger audience, but the essence isn't lost. You can still hear true emotion in Evergrey's music and that's the most important thing. It's still the style of music I prefer, but with keyboards it would be way better.
