Evergrey
From Dark Discoveries To Heartless Portals – Napalm Records
Thirty years is a long time in any business, let alone the topsy turvy world of heavy metal. So,
such a milestone deserves to be celebrated in style and that’s precisely what Evergrey do with
their latest album. Collecting live tracks, alternate studio versions and demos, From Dark
Discoveries To Heartless Portals is a smorgasbord of all that’s good and heavy, and it seems
that Christmas has come early for their growing legion of fans. It’s the live environment where
the men are separated from the boys and the six in concert tracks featured here find Evergrey in
fine fettle, and it’s only the fading between songs that prevents some serious non-stop
headbanging action. Most fans will be familiar with the band’s live prowess so it’s the other
songs that are most revealing. After the full-on ferocity of the preceding cuts, four piano
renditions stand stark and bare, yet they reveal a soulful quality in Tom S. Englund’s vocals that
often get lost in the maelstrom. Finally, five demos find Evergrey beating their songs into shape,
and while they’re a little rough around the edges, they provide an intriguing insight into the
band’s inner workings. Despite their different origins, these tracks hang together well and make
an excellent summation of Evergrey’s career. Time to start writing to Santa…
Review by Peter Dennis