The band was … Read Full Bio ↴Evergrey is a melodic metal band from Gothenburg, Sweden.
The band was founded in 1996 and released its debut album The Dark Discovery in 1998.
Evergrey's lyrics have always been of the darker sort. While The Dark Discovery dealt with a variety of ideas, later albums have been concept albums, dealing with issues like self-reformation (Recreation Day), paranoia, alien abduction (In Search of Truth), child abuse, and religion (The Inner Circle).
Recreation Day is an album that covers many issues, ranging from death and mourning to general fear and sorrow, all of which contribute to a greater concept of re-creation of oneself. These ideas are explored from many different points of view, such as someone contemplating suicide ("As I Lie Here Bleeding"), mourners after a funeral ("I'm Sorry," a cover of Dilba Demirbag's hit) and dying priests looking back on their "unforgivable" sins (molestation) ("Unforgivable"). "Unforgivable" also acted as a catalyst for the next album, (The Inner Circle), which dealt with the same two issues described in the song: religion and child abuse.
All releases so far:
* The Dark Discovery (1998)
* Solitude • Dominance • Tragedy (1999)
* In Search of Truth (2001)
* I'm Sorry (rare single, 2003)
* Recreation Day (2003)
* The Inner Circle (2004)
* A Night To Remember (live CD/DVD, 2005)
* Monday Morning Apocalypse (both single and album, 2006)
* Torn (2008)
* Glorious Collision (2011)
* Hymns for the Broken (2014)
* The Storm Within (2016)
For decades, Sweden has continued to produce the top names in heavy metal, regardless of sub-genre. Although debuting back in '98, this Gothenburg outfit is only now receiving the international acclaim due them. Molding the various pedigrees of their countrymen into one distinctive sound: supreme musicianship prized by perfectionists, yet intense enough to win the blackened hearts of those more primordial, EVERGREY offer fans something truly different.
In these days of paint-by-numbers releases, where everyone mimics the elite purveyors of a particular style, EVERGREY's music is something unique. Reviewers, and fans alike, typically use other bands as a reference point when discussing music.
On July 25th, 2006, Michael Håkansson has decided to part ways with Evergrey. The new bass player will be the band's long-time friend Fredrik Larsson (Hammerfall). Michael left on good terms with the band stating that he wanted to do his own thing musically.
In June of 2007, Fredrik Larsson decided to leave Evergrey to rejoin Hammerfall.
The new bass player is Jari Kainulainen (ex-Stratovarius).
The band has decided that it is the time for some changes. As they wrote at their official webpage:
"Thomas and Rikard have together with Henrik and Jonas made the mutual decision that it was best for all that they leave Evergrey. They wanted to and the rest wanted them to. The last tours, recordings and just hanging with each other has not been as fun and giving as earlier AND before it would go too far, resulting in a collision in between friends, which could ruin everything we have built up during the years, they decided to call it quits"
Actually, Tom Englund (voice,guitar) & Rikard Zander (keyboards) stay in the band as a core members.
New members:
Marcus Jidell (Royal Hunt) on Guitars
Johan Niemann (ex-Therion, Mind’s Eye) on Bass
Hannes Van Dahl on Drums
Occasionally a musician has to take a step back into the past to develop artistically. Tom Englund, guitarist and vocalist with Swedish rock group Evergrey, took this risk and reorganised his artistic environment. “The most recent Evergrey line-up had reached a point where we no longer had fun as a group,” he confesses, adding: “So we went our separate ways to save our friendship. There were no angry words, and we’re still friends privately.”
Naturally, the decision to break up wasn’t easy for these long-standing friends, especially for Englund and his remaining keyboardist, Rikard Zander, for whom a continuation ofEvergrey was never called into question. Yet they both had to face a new challenge: “In the beginning, we weren’t sure whether we’d be able to write a new album without the wealth of experience that the previous line-up brought in. But after Rikard and I had composed a full three numbers during the first week, we felt that was a real coup.”
Listeners will feel this positive energy throughout Glorious Collision, the band’s eighth studio album, which is due for release on 28 February 2011 (Germany: 25 February 2011; USA/Canada: 22 February 2011) on Steamhammer/SPV. A dynamic goody bag featuring the most diverse material ever released on an Evergrey album. “This may sound like a contradiction in view of our personnel situation, but Rikard and I have allowed more influences on Glorious Collision than ever before. Some elements on Glorious Collisionare classic rock, based on a metal format, sometimes the tracks are quiet and haunting, sometimes wild, demanding and gripping.”
This diversity is also expressed in the instrumentation of this extremely dynamic studio production which presents the new band members Marcus Jidell (guitar), Hannes Van Dahl (drums) and Johan Niemann (bass). “It’s great to hear what a breath of fresh air Marcus, Johan and Hannes have brought into the band,” Englund enthuses. “Although the entire material, except for two songs to which Marcus wrote and contributed on the compositional side, had already been decided when we started recording, they all left their own, very personal mark on this album.” The great experience of Jidell and Niemann, who have worked with acts such as Royal Hunt and Therion, among others, and have now contributed lots of positive energy together with the 20-year-old drummer, Van Dahl, can be felt throughout the album.
Departure
Evergrey Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And time made us reasonable
The currents no longer deceivers
We were the reasons for us losing ground
We were the reasons for why the lights went out
We were the reasons for the years we had
And we were the reasons to why it end at last
The struggling, the reaching
The searching for feelings
That weren′t there no longer
From splendor to nothing
The rising, the falling
The giving, the taking
To fathom it's over
It′s over It's over
I left without knowing and withered without it showing
Discontent made us seekers
Silence has never been this silent and the winter never so widened
We were the reasons for us losing ground
We were the reasons for why the lights went out on us
We were the reasons for all the years we had
And we were the reasons to why it end at last
My heartbeats echoes lonely
And the emptiness the same
It's not about the breaking
But the rising with an aim
The rising with an aim
Too many reasons to not stand my ground
Too many reasons to not carry on this blind
Too many seasons where we held on tight
And too many reasons to not leave this night
The struggling the stretching
The inventing of feelings
We′re feeling no longer
We′re feeling no longer
The tension the sensing the knowing you are lacking
To the chasing of pieces the hunting so tiring
The missing the longing
The essence that was needed
To knowing it's over
To knowing that it′s over
The song Departure by Evergrey is an emotional journey of a person who leaves a relationship without knowing it and eventually realizing that it has ended. The first stanza describes how the passage of time and the ebb and flow of emotions have changed the situation, making it easier to leave without realizing how it has come to this point. The singer recognizes that they were the reason for losing ground, for the lights going off, and for the years they had. It’s a realization that they cannot ignore.
The second stanza narrates how the singer struggled, reached, and searched for something that was no longer there. From splendor to nothing, it’s clear that something that was once beautiful and thriving has turned into a desolate and barren situation. They were inventor of feelings, but they have no longer felt any emotions. The silence around them is still and the winter feels wider than before. The singer acknowledges that it's not about how it ended, but about how to rise again to start afresh. Although they admit there were too many reasons to not stay, they also confess that there were too many reasons to not leave.
Overall, the song’s message is about moving on from an unhealthy relationship. The singer takes responsibility for their part in the deterioration of the relationship and accepts the reality that it has ended. The chorus reflects on the many difficulties they encountered and how it has come to this point.
Line by Line Meaning
The tide made it easier
The flow in life pushed them towards a new direction which they welcomed.
And time made us reasonable
As time passed, they became more reasonable and calmer.
The currents no longer deceivers
They have become better at navigating through life's obstacles and no longer fall prey to its traps.
We were the reasons for us losing ground
Their own shortcomings and mistakes caused their downfall.
We were the reasons for why the lights went out
Their own actions led to the end of their happiness and contentment.
We were the reasons for the years we had
The time they spent together was because of their own will and choices.
And we were the reasons to why it end at last
Their individual mistakes and actions led to the ultimate end of their relationship.
The struggling, the reaching
The hardships they faced while trying to work things out.
The searching for feelings
The efforts to find a connection they have lost.
That weren't there no longer
They failed to find the emotions and bond they used to share.
From splendor to nothing
Their beautiful and exquisite relationship eventually came to nothing.
The rising, the falling
Continual ups and downs within the relationship.
The giving, the taking
The mutual exchange of love and care followed by arguments and misunderstandings.
To fathom it's over
To realize that their relationship has ended beyond repair.
It's over It's over
Acceptance that their relationship is no more and cannot be revived.
I left without knowing and withered without it showing
They drifted apart without realizing it and suffered silently.
Discontent made us seekers
Their dissatisfaction and unhappiness pushed them to search for something more.
Silence has never been this silent and the winter never so widened
Their silence and coldness towards each other was evident, and the distance between them was too great to bridge.
My heartbeats echoes lonely
They feel alone and isolated without their partner.
And the emptiness the same
The emptiness they feel is constant and unchanging.
It's not about the breaking
It's not about the end of their relationship as much as it is about what they do after it.
But the rising with an aim
It's about moving forward and finding a new purpose in life.
Too many reasons to not stand my ground
There are numerous reasons that have led them to the decision of ending the relationship.
Too many reasons to not carry on this blind
They cannot keep going in the relationship without addressing the problems they have.
Too many seasons where we held on tight
They have held on to the relationship for too long despite the problems and pain.
And too many reasons to not leave this night
They cannot continue to live in this situation, and they need to make a change.
The struggling the stretching
They struggle to make sense of their lives and who they are without their partner.
The inventing of feelings
They try to create new emotions and connections, but they fail to feel the same way as they used to.
We're feeling no longer
They have lost the touch with their emotions and connection with their partner.
The tension the sensing the knowing you are lacking
They feel a sense of unease and tension, knowing they are missing something important in their lives.
To the chasing of pieces the hunting so tiring
They are running after a part of themselves that they can never get back, and the pursuit is exhausting.
The missing the longing
They feel the loss of their partner and their relationship and the desire to regain what they lost.
The essence that was needed
They realize that there was an essential spark missing in their relationship that they needed.
To knowing it's over
Coming to the conclusion that their relationship is over for good.
To knowing that it's over
Fully accepting the fact that their relationship is beyond saving.
Writer(s): Henrik Danhage, Johan Niemann, Jonas Ekdahl, Rikard Zander, Thomas Englund
Contributed by Asher K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.