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.
Numb
Evergrey Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
One single hour when I become you
Unjust prophecies, uncalled for enemies
And all those nights of anguished sleep
Where you wish that someone heard
You've become numb to the world
But you're not alone
So have you ever felt like I feel?
Wounded and never got a chance to heal
And have you ever been through what I've been through
Still breathing?
So please hear my words
As I'm begging you to heal my wounds
Heal my wounds, I'm bleeding through
I never saw it in the eyes of you
What I felt was always true
Unjust prophecies, uncalled for enemies
And all those nights of anguished sleep
Where I wish that someone heard
I've become numb to the world
And I've become you
Have you ever felt like I feel
Wounded and never got a chance to heal
And have you ever been through what I've been through
Still breathing, still breathing?
Breathe, breathe, breathe, breathe
Breathe, breathe, breathe, breathe
Breathe, breathe, breathe, breathe
Breathe, breathe, breathe, breathe
Unjust prophecies, uncalled for enemies
And all those nights of anguished sleep
Where you wish that someone heard
You've become numb to the world
But you're not alone, no you're not alone
So have you ever stood where I stand?
My only wish is you'd understand
And have you ever gone through what I've gone through
Still breathing, still breathing?
The lyrics in Evergrey's song Numb paint a picture of someone who is tired of being mistreated and pushed around, and is reaching out for help while feeling lost and isolated. The song starts off with a plea for clarity and the desperate need for a reason to follow someone. The second line suggests that the singer wants to feel what the person he's addressing is feeling or become them in order to fully grasp the situation. As the song progresses, it becomes clear that the singer is dealing with unjust prophecies, uncalled-for enemies and nights of angst that he wishes someone would hear. He has become numb to the world but is not alone.
The chorus delves into the singer's feelings of being wounded and never getting a chance to heal. He questions whether the person he's addressing has ever felt the same thing or been through the same thing as himself. He implores them to hear his words and heal his wounds while admitting that he's bleeding through because he never saw the truth in their eyes. The verse then repeats, but the singer takes on the first-person perspective and confesses that he has become numb to the world and become like the person he's addressing.
In summary, the lyrics describe one's deep-seated pain, the loneliness of suffering in silence, and the longing for someone to understand and offer help.
Line by Line Meaning
Give me a reason why I'd follow you
I need a compelling justification to trust and emulate you
One single hour when I become you
I fear losing my sense of self if I were to take after you for even an instant
Unjust prophecies, uncalled for enemies
I face malicious pronouncements and unwarranted hostilities
And all those nights of anguished sleep
Countless evenings of restless slumber
Where you wish that someone heard
Hoping that someone would listen to my unheard cries
You've become numb to the world
I've grown desensitized to the world's pain and struggles
But you're not alone
Although it may seem so, you have support and understanding from others
So have you ever felt like I feel?
Can you comprehend the emotions that I'm experiencing?
Wounded and never got a chance to heal
Suffering injuries that haven't had an opportunity to recover fully
And have you ever been through what I've been through
Have you faced the same trials and tribulations that I have?
Still breathing?
Despite everything, are you still surviving?
So please hear my words
I implore you to listen to what I'm saying
As I'm begging you to heal my wounds
I'm desperately asking for you to help me recover from my injuries
Heal my wounds, I'm bleeding through
My wounds are causing me to lose blood, and I need your aid
I never saw it in the eyes of you
I never detected any sign of empathy or understanding from you
What I felt was always true
The emotions I felt were genuine and real
And I've become you
I'm concerned that I'm becoming too much like you
Breath, breath, breath, breath
A reminder to focus on inhaling and exhaling
Unjust prophecies, uncalled for enemies
Again highlighting the unfair treatment being endured
Where you wish that someone heard
Reiterating the desire to have someone listen and empathize with the struggles you're facing
But you're not alone, no you're not alone
Closing with a message of hope - there are others who understand and can help
So have you ever stood where I stand?
Have you ever been in the same position as me, facing these same difficulties?
My only wish is you'd understand
All I truly desire is for you to comprehend and acknowledge what I'm going through
Still breathing, still breathing?
As before, asking whether you're continuing to survive despite the challenges
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: RIKARD ZANDER, THOMAS ENGLUND
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind