HARDWARES

Quite interesting, the Swedes have decided to try a few new wrinkles. Not that the faithful will be put off, but Apocalypse sees Evergrey trading some of the progressive refinements for straight-ahead rock. Less flowery, simpler structures and only ‘Still In The Water’ eclipses five minutes, with the majority of the new dozen clocking in under 4:00! What effect the time Hakansson (bass, Hate Project) and Danhage (guitar, Death Destruction) spent dabbling with outside interests had on the overall sound is debatable, but it appears to have turned ears to a harder edge (try the middle of the disc triumvirate ‘The Curtain Fall’, ‘At A Loss For Words’ or ‘Obedience’). The catchy, repetitive title track leads off, with a decidedly modern riff, and at barely three minutes, seems aimed at radio airplay. With children playing in the background, ‘Unspeakable’ feels like it could have been part of The Inner Circle concept, and a brief snippet of the aforementioned ‘Still In The Water’ sees Englund reprise a duet with his wife, a la ’For Every Tear That Falls’. Other nods to the past include the symphonic strings backing ‘In Remembrance’, a short ‘Till Dagmar’ instrumental and the appropriately entitled, spoken word, introspective piano-only ‘Closure’. Love the police post-drunken brawl mug shot cover art, guys. Just goes to show, not too much has changed! Keep up the good work.