Evergrey - Torn

The Swedish dark metal veterans return to more of their classic sound, and for the most part it works well.

There have been a few changes for Evergrey since 2006's Monday Morning Apocalypse. On the personnel side they have a new bassist, Jari Kainulainen, formerly of Stratovarius. On the business side they have a new record label, SPV Records. They've also changed musically from the last album, returning more to their roots.

After bringing in outside producers and focusing and polishing their sound last time around, Torn was produced by the band. The songs are also a return to Evergrey's classic sound: dark, heavy and atmospheric. They've kept some elements of Monday Morning Apocalypse, but overall it's more in the vein of albums like Recreation Day.

The songs on Torn blend power and progressive metal with a lot of melody. The riffs are heavy, and the keyboards are utilized very effectively, injecting atmosphere and mood without being too obstrusive or distracting.

Tom S. Englund has a distinctive voice. He sings with a lot of emotion and really sells the lyrics. He also has a good amount of power and range. Torn is a rock solid CD, but there aren't as many standout tracks as some of Evergrey's past efforts.