With a career that spans over a quarter century, the Swedes from Evergrey richly deserve their reputation as one of the flagbearers of the Scandinavian progressive power metal scene. Conceived in 1996, the band sought to counterbalance the death metal wave that swept their home town of Gothenburg. Headed by co-founder/singer/guitarist Tom S. Englund, who is the sole remaining founding member today, Evergrey has built a loyal following with evocative melodic metal songs just begging to be performed live. Back in 2010 though, the band’s future hung by a thread when three band members quit all at once. They were duly replaced but a few years later, two of the three newcomers left again and in a sudden turn of events, both Jonas Ekdahl and Henrik Danhage rejoined the fold. The reunion signalled a marked return to form on ‘Hymns for the Broken’ (2014) and they haven’t looked back since. Their 15th long player ‘Architects of a New Weave’ is scheduled for release just two weeks before their appearance here so watch out for new material. (#GMM26)
