Shawn Peleta of DigitalMetal.com review Recreation Day!

[ProgMetalFan]

http://www.digitalmetal.com/reviews.asp?cid=4016

Recreation Day
(Inside Out) Oh yeah! Now this, in my humble opinion, is the best record so far in 2003! Evergrey follow up the outstanding In Search Of Truth record with Recreation Day. An album that not only lives up to expectations, but far exceeds them. Everything from the music itself, to the flow of the album, to the vocalizing, to the musicianship has all been stepped up from an already high quality level. I thought In Search Of Truth would be one of those records that the band would never recover from, meaning it was so good that they’d never be able to top themselves. In cases like this, I love being wrong! Evergrey has always written dark, emotional, melodic metal and Recreation Day is no exception. It’s hard to describe it past that other than to say everything is just “better”. The soloing, both keyboards and guitar, is among the most fluid and meaningful in the business. The guitar lead breakdown in “End Of Your Days” is a superb example. The singing keeps getting better with each subsequent release both in phrasing and melody/harmony use, as the song “I’m Sorry” abundantly shows. The song arrangements, while progressive, are not drawn out and over complicated. Everything about this album is tight and intelligent. The song flow is perfect, blending strong driving tempos with more ambient and melodic parts creating emotional hills and valleys that truly take the listener on a journey. The guitar tones are full and heavy, without dominating the mix. Actually, no one thing dominates the mix. Absolutely everything is in its place sonically. If you’re waiting for a “but”, you’re not going to get one. I can’t even begin to say a negative thing about this album. It’s going to be really hard for Evergrey to top this one. But, I thought that last time.
[Shawn Pelata]

 

[ProgMetalFan]

Evergrey - Recreation Day



I’m the kind of metal fan who pretty much knows whether he likes a band in the first minute or two of hearing them. When I heard Evergrey for the first time on their 2001 release, In Search of Truth, I thought they were decent, but nothing extraordinary. There was enough for me to listen a few more times, though, and I did. By Listen #6 or so, I realized these guys were absolutely incredible, an emotional and artistically fearless band that was too good to give in fully to their dark, aggressive side. By Listen #10 I was convinced that I was listening to the best pure progressive band in heavy metal.

Vocalist/guitarist Tom S. Englund founded Evergrey in Sweden, releasing The Dark Discovery in 1998. The follow-up was 1999’s Solitude Dominance Tragedy, a stand-out album that heralded the band’s rise. 2001’s In Search of Truth was every bit as good. A concept album about alien abduction, it was also strikingly more ambitious. The album was produced by King Diamond guitarist Andy Larocque, who gave the band the polished final product it needed. The band was set to work with Nevermore/Spiral Architect/Rage for Order producer Neil Kernon on its next album, but things fell through when Kernon’s visa was not approved to travel to the band’s homeland. Having little time to make alternate arrangements, Englund decided to handle the production chores with guitarist Henrik Danhage

Recreation Day begins on a striking note with “The Great Deceiver.” Englund introduces a massive sound that just engulfs the listener—an immediate difference from In Search of Truth. There are choirs of monks, riffs that are somewhat technical and chop up huge sections of pavement, and some great guitar leads. The song establishes the lyrical theme of the album: death and bereavement and the human response to it. “End of Your Days” comes out from Second One on the attack. It then segues into a hook that has some fantastic vocal work from Englund—that trademark raw emotion that makes Evergrey such a unique and special band. Another soaring lead; patient and splendid. Drummer Patrick Carlsson gets loose on track five with some great snare bashing in the song’s heavy early moments. But it gets heavier—Englund hits a riff that just crushes before a doomy chorus kicks in with a chorus of three Englunds chanting “drrreeeeeeeaaammiiiinnngggg... Wish I was caught in a dream, but I’m not," he says. It actually sounds like he’s being plagued by “Visions,” which is the name of the song. A thunderous chugging ending fades out as a lush keyboard solo fades in and we go black on that. Listen to the bridge in “Blinded,” where an ominous keyboard drones as Englund chunks a precision riff. Or how about that power riff in “Fragments” that sounds like a guitar gaining sentience? “This is it—where I go—when my soul falters,” cries Englund. Or how about the great acoustic guitar work on the unbelievably soulful and sad “Madness Caught Another Victim”? On “Your Darkest Hour,” Rikard Zander flexes his fingers on piano and the album begins to reach its emotional climax in the song’s chorus: “I’m sure you’re not leaving out of the darkness and into the light. Leaving, I’m sure you’re not leaving to find a new day and a vision in black.” A breakdown section with a guest female vocalist just letting loose brings us back down again, but only for a moment. The anchor tune is “Unforgiveable” and it all comes together. There’s that classic Evergrey touch as the guitars and drums drop out and Englund simply preaches. “Unforgiveable sin. Temptation too big.” The last sound we hear as the album concludes is a poignant piano solo.

To me, this band is to progressive metal what Opeth is to death metal. Again, the impression they make might not be as immediate, but it is ultimately very powerful. The very raw character of the emotion on their songs is striking, and feels entirely sincere. When you can make me feel something while singing about UFOs, you’re accomplishing something. On Recreation Day the lyrics are better, universal and touching. If this band now has a remaining weakness, I don’t see it. This is one of the best bands in metal; melodically, artistically, and professionally. Listen to them for one reason and one reason only: because you love great music.

Reviewed By: Ladd Everitt
www.tmetal.com