I Love It, I Love It, I Love It, I Love it !!!
Mr D. | Cave Creek, Az United States | 05/23/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I CAN'T BELIEVE A FEW REVIEWERS DIDN'T LIKE INNER CIRCLE.There are two kinds of people in this world. Evergrey Fans and those who have never heard them. If you are of the former group, don't worry The Inner Circle is another five star album in the string of five star albums. For the latter group, read on. Sweden's Masters of Morose Metal are back again. The Inner Circle's is hot off the press and be assured, it's at least as good if not better than their best, which of course is better than anything else around. Evergrey's fifth album is another concept album. This time we hear the story of a impressionable member of an esoteric cult called The Inner CircleAlthough I think this is a fantastic album, I don't really think the music is that much different from previous albums. It's still the same Evergrey sound even though the current lineup is entirely new, excepting the brilliant singer/guitarist/songwriter Tom Englund but I do think Evergrey has matured in it's approach to the music. The arrangements are now more complex and items that were only hinted at in previous releases are featured in The Inner Circle. Orchestration, background vocals and choirs, items that teased us in previous releases, are now integrally featured for a bigger more impressive sound. I suppose comparisons to Queensryche and their fabulous 1988 album Operation Mincrime are inevitable. After all it is the standard to which all concept albums are measured and it too was about a cult. So how does it compare? It's close, very close but I'm not going to judge. You be the judge!"
The Inner Circle
William Scalzo | Niagara Falls, NY | 11/07/2005
(4 out of 5 stars)
"I came to this, my first Evergrey CD, knowing only that they were a Swedish prog metal band, which conjured up a mental image of Opeth in "clean" vocal mode. Evergrey was touted by some fellow progheads whose taste I respect so I thought I would give it a try and I'm glad I did. While I do enjoy some prog metal, I'm usually more of an old-school symphonic prog kind of guy, so I was surprised at how much I enjoyed The Inner Circle.
Evergrey are more proggy than I though they would be when I first heard "Swedish prog metal" attached to their name, but when they want to they can blast out some traditional double-kick speed metal. The singer doesn't growl like death metal or scream like speed metal though, using a dramatic style(and yes, sometimes cheesy-but it just goes with the territory with prog metal.) The vocals are mostly quite effective, and are surprisingly sung in perfectly enunciated English. There are tons of proggy touches, from keyboards that are much more upfront than most prog metal, to sampled voices and female vocals (shades of Dark Side of the Moon)to the clear and well thought out concept concerning religious cults of personality, those that have a leader who elevates himself to Godlike status. There are so many ridiculous and half-baked bad "concept albums" out there, especially in the neo-prog world, that I was pleasantly surprised by the coherence on display here.
Both guitarists play tastefully enough to mostly sidestep gratuitous wankery, but the real secret weapon is the excellent keyboard player, something I noticed from the first track and my appreciation just increased as the CD progressed. I read that other than the bandleader, this is an entirely new lineup of the group, startling given the maturity and tightness of this release. I will definitely be checking out some of their earlier work and I hope that lineup was as good as this one.
As I said, my prog metal knowledge is quite limited but I would describe this as a cross between Dream Theater at their best, with a liberal dose of Opeth minus the vocals and some 70's symph prog influence. For those who are more into "regular" prog like myself, Evergrey is a great change of pace."
Moving, but not as exciting as "Recreation Day"
D. Knouse | vancouver, washington United States | 05/23/2004
(4 out of 5 stars)
"With "Recreation Day" I had no idea what to expect from one song to the next making for a refreshing CD. But on "The Inner Circle" the songs tend to sound similar in style and tempo, most notably with the simple rhythm guitar sections where there is more of an emphasis on the vocals. The lyrics are strong and elevate the disc to a higher level than it really deserves. However, the production is first rate, with powerful, layered vocals and a generally charged atmosphere. What makes the tracks standout are either Rikard Zander's keyboards and piano flourishes or the undeniable power of female vocalist Carina Englund. Simply put, this is a concept album about a man lured into a fanatical cult promising the heavens, but he ultimately sees the hypocrisy behind the perfect facade and is eventually left alone. It is a striking, sometimes moving story, and the CD is all the stronger for it. I knew going in that this album would take harsh criticism from fans and music critics being that it is only a year since their last album. Initially, some of the songs sound like leftovers from "Recreation Day" tied together with a common theme, but after repeated listens I can honestly say "The Inner Circle" is a strong album with great arrangements and solid production value. It's just too bad so many Evergrey fans seem to be jumping ship. I am staying aboard because the sailing is still just fine."
Track Listings (13) - Disc #1