EVERGREY - Hymns For The Broken EPK Streaming
August 28, 2014, 9 years ago
AFM Records has released an EPK (Electronic Press Kit) for Evergrey's upcoming Hymns For The Broken album. Watch below:
Not too long ago, Evergrey was almost dead. Yes it's true, one of the most original metal bands to come out of Sweden almost called it quits. It wasn't a decision vocalist/guitarist Tom S. Englund had spent hours or weeks brooding over, but as time passed following the band's Glorious Collision album from 2011 he felt less and less inspired to continue.
Perhaps it was the splintering of the band line-up in 2010 - which saw Henrik Danhage (guitars), Jonas Ekdahl (drums), and Jari Kainulainen (bass) leave on friendly terms - or maybe it was the business side of the music that had worn him down, but Englund had seriously considered throwing in the towel. Fate had other plans, however, and he found himself working alongside his former bandmates due to circumstances beyond his control. The end result of that unplanned collaboration, which was meant to be temporary, resulted in a re-energized Evergrey creating Hymns For The Broken, arguably the strongest album in the band's 16 year career.
Evergrey treads familiar musical territory on Hymns For The Broken, but they most certainly haven't rehashed any of their previous eight albums. Their trademark elements of dark and light, rage and melancholy, and Englund's signature vocals are all intact, but there's a raw energy in Evergrey's new music that hasn't been heard in years, if ever.
Producer Jacob Hansen (Volbeat, Amaranthe, Primal Fear) mixed Hymns For The Broken, whom Englund considers the best man for the job. According to him, Hansen knew instinctively what the band wanted to do with the new music. Working from the original demos, "he made the songs sound 100 times better."
Taking the cover art and song titles on Hyms For The Broken at face value, it seems the thread woven through the album is tied to the concept of battle, war and revolution. Evergrey isn't making a political statement, however. Nothing could be further from the truth. Hymns For The Broken is about the human struggle that has been so present on all of Evergrey's albums.
Hymns For The Broken will be released on September 26th via AFM Records.
Hymns For The Broken tracklisting:
"The Awakening""King Of Errors"
"A New Dawn"
"Wake A Change"
"Archaic Rage"
"Barricades"
"Black Undertow"
"The Fire"
"Hymns For The Broken"
"Missing You"
"A Grand Collapse"
"The Aftermath"
The "King Of Errors" video, directed by Patric Ullaeus of the Revolver Film Company, can be seen below:
The limited edition will include additional tracks.
Earlier this year, Tom S. Englund checked in from Division Two Studios, Sweden: "I am sitting here in what feels like the black heart of distorted guitars and heavy drums trying to sort what material to be chosen for the new Evergrey album that will be brought to you by our new record label AFM! While the music might be the most contemplated and dark pieces we have written - and while the sheer amount of music we have the pleasure to choose from is more than ever, we are super psyched and pleased to have chosen a label that believes in Evergrey!"
Trailer #1:
Trailer #2: