ALBUM REVIEW: A Heartless Portrait (The Orphean Testament) – Evergrey

Given the amount of time that EVERGREY have spent perched upon the metaphorical horse, you’d expect that there may have been an element of burn out by now. During their illustrious career they have crafted out a whole plethora of blistering metal and are currently boasting the release of their thirteenth studio album. Clearly far from amateurs, A Heartless Portrait (The Orphean Testament) is their first release with Napalm Records and somehow manages to feel like a milestone despite them being so deep into their discography.

Despite now churning out three records in four years, the Gothenburg natives have managed to compose an album that feels pretty well constructed and fresh. It’s heavy as hell, and kicks off in aggressive fashion by way of Save Us, a gang-vocal-laden track which unleashes a bundle of energy before Midwinter Calls ups the sadness level while remaining heavy enough to warrant a little more headbanging. Keyboards joust with guitars throughout Blindfolded, a surprisingly technical track which meanders and howls in true prog metal style, impressing more on a musical level than most of the other tracks on the album.

The album remains faster than previous material as we spill into Heartless which brings in huge choruses and sweeping solos on top of a swathe of keyboards and effects. Electronics also play a large part in the album (particularly prominent in tracks like Ominous). Tom Englund is a fantastic vocalist. He adds a real sense of power to proceedings, soaring above melancholic musicianship where called upon or else sinking back into more complex instrumentation. The drums hammer along, thundering throughout the album with real panache. This is something we’d expect from this kind of progressive metal, but they are deployed by experienced ears and add impact to an album that already feels potent.

Perhaps the strangest decision is closing the album with Wildfires, a much softer track which seems to take the sting out of the record. Not that it is a bad track in isolation, but it feels a little out of place and crammed onto the end of an album which spends most of its time producing skull shattering heaviness. Aside from this, A Heartless Portrait (The Orphean Testament) is great. It is entertaining at the very least, and is one likely to appeal to old fans and new. It doesn’t feel like an album written by washed up veterans, they are still capable of real thought and stamina. It fits well in the contemporary world and marks EVERGREY as a band very much worth having on rotation. These songs will sound just as good live as they do on record – cue circle pits and spilled beer.

Rating: 7/10

A Heartless Portrait (The Orphean Testament) is out now via Napalm Records.

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