Gothenburg’s finest export of darkness, Evergrey, enters an bewildering new chapter in the band’s history with their thirteenth studio album and Napalm Records debut, A Heartless Portrait (The Orphean Testament), to be released on May 20 via Napalm Records.
With the previously released, pounding album opener “Save Us”, Evergrey lifted the curtain on an overwhelming journey through progressive heaviness and searing emotionality. Today, glistening second single “Midwinter Calls” draws the listener further into this multifaceted world of sound with its grooving instrumentation, flowing between boisterous dynamics and a next level vocal performance by mastermind Tom S. Englund - one of the most distinctive vocalists in metal.
The powerful track gleams with its melodic tunes and guitar riffs and marks just one out of many highlights of the new epos. The song features atmospheric audio recordings from the band’s latest tour through Sweden, giving the song a special effect and fans another opportunity to leave their everlasting mark on Evergrey history.
“Midwinter Calls” is visually brought to live via a sophisticated, cinematic music video, filmed by Patric Ullaeus and conceptually connected to the storyline portrayed in the “Save Us” video, allowing the viewer to jump even deeper into the universe of A Heartless Portrait (The Orphean Testament).
Evergrey on “Midwinter Calls”: "'Midwinter Calls' is the second song but also the second chapter of a three-video story that reveals itself in a reverse order, why make it easy huh? This song is full of energy and it's once again featuring our fans and the live audience of Gothenburg, Stockholm and Karlstad - Co-creating at its best! We can't wait to hear the whole world singing along to this when we play it live! Hopefully you will find the video both thought provoking and uplifting at the same time. What is important, who are we and why? The resistance is getting real!"
Celebrating over 25 years of metal mastery, Evergrey, led by founder, singer and guitarist Tom S. Englund, are known for wandering the realms of progressive and heavy melodic metal and painting sonic renderings with their twelve studio records released as of today. A Heartless Portrait (The Orphean Testament), the follow-up to the unit’s highly successful 2021 full-length, Escape Of The Phoenix (which landed at numerous chart positions worldwide), reveals a 10 track mélange of which every note, every riff and every word seeps pure poetry – creating a ceaseless intensity that mesmerizes from the very first second.
The new album was recorded at Top Floor Studios Gothenburg, engineered by Jakob Herrman and produced by Tom S. Englund and Jonas Ekdahl, with mixing and mastering by Jacob Hansen at Hansen Studios (Volbeat, Destruction, Epica and many more), whereas the hauntingly beautiful album artwork was conjured by Giannis Nakos at Remedy Art Design. Nakos is known for creating artworks for acts like Oceans Of Slumber, Amaranthe, The Agonist and The Crown as well as merchandise for Morbid Angel, Suffocation or Cryptopsy – just to name a few.
Evergrey on the new album: “Here it is. A new album. Yet again. This is what we love about music, it never ends. Our mission is to write music so here you are. 10 new songs. 10 new Evergrey songs that we hope you will have by your side as your life continues to shift and grow. 10 songs that we wish will be part of the soundtrack when you're creating new memories and new possibilities in your life. 10 songs that we feel privileged to have you listen to. 10 songs that have risen through the ashes of two years where our creativity has had more time than ever to flourish. 10 songs we really hope you will enjoy as much as we did writing them. As usual we have given it our best and we can't wait to hear what you have to say. A new year, a new album, a new record label = new possibilities. All this can only be positive, right? Enjoy.”
A Heartless Portrait (The Orphean Testament) impresses with flawless, meticulous production that deftly depicts both heartfelt honesty and scorching metallic intensity, while its instrumental force of furious, technically driven riffs, skyrocketing solos and dramatic synths merges with the expert, brooding vocal performance of Englund – one of the most distinctive vocalists in metal. He skillfully balances harsh and heavy tones with an inarguably soulful approach, all topped by melancholic, thought-provoking lyricism that digs deeper with every spin, leaving a long-lasting impact. Songs like “Midwinter Calls”, which also contains fan participation with atmospheric audience recordings from the band’s latest tour through Sweden, and “The Great Unwashed”, draw the listener in with grooving, glistering instrumentation, flowing between boisterous dynamics and a next level vocal performance, while emotive “Wildfires” turns the volume down as a goosebump-worthy ballad that hurts and heals all at once. “Call Out The Dark” begins atmospherically with accented keys, suddenly evolving into an intense opus of symphonic and power metal attributes in the blink of an eye, whereas the record’s longest track, “The Orphean Testament”, impresses by revealing its heaviest facet. A sensitive introduction lures the listener into “Heartless”, and offers one of the album’s most engaging verses, followed by a hauntingly beautiful chorus and variety in pace to create a magnificent listening experience.
A Heartless Portrait (The Orphean Testament) is a striking testament to the fact that while the Swedish five-piece doesn’t need to prove anything to anyone at this phase, they still impressively showcase that, after over 25 years of existence, their creativity sees no bounds – dropping yet another sensation within their impressive catalog.
A Heartless Portrait (The Orphean Testament) will be available in the following formats:
- Deluxe Box (incl. Canvas, Pendant, Liner Notes on Pergament Paper) – limited to 500 copies worldwide
- 2LP Gatefold “Die Hard” Marbled Red/Black (incl. Slipmat + 7inch (black) w/ 2 exclusive Bonus Tracks) – limited to 500 copies worldwide
- 2LP Gatefold Glow in the Dark – limited to 500 copies worldwide
- 2LP Gatefold Black
- 2LP Gatefold Gold – Band exclusive, limited to 300 copies worldwide
- CD Digisleeve
- Digital Album
Pre-order here.
A Heartless Portrait (The Orphean Testament) tracklisting:
"Save Us"
"Midwinter Calls"
"Ominous"
"Call Out The Dark"
"The Orphean Testament"
"Reawakening"
"The Great Unwashed"
"Heartless"
"Blindfolded"
"Wildfires"
"Save Us" video:
Fans can look forward to seeing Evergrey live, as in 2022, the powerhouse will go on an extensive tour through Europe.
2022 tour dates:
September
16 - Eindhoven, Netherlands - Dynamo
17 - London, England - 229 venue
18 - Nottingham, England - Rescue Rooms
19 - Bristol, England - Thekla
20 - Manchester, England - Academy 3
21 - Dublin, Ireland - Voodoo Lounge
22 - Glasgow, Scotland - Cathouse
23 - Newcastle, England - St Dom’s Social Club
24 - Birmingham, England - The Asylum 2
25 - Leiden, Netherlands - Gebr. De Nobel
27 - Bremen, Germany - Tivoli
28 - Stuttgart, Germany - Im Wizemann Club
29 - Berlin, Germany - Columbia Theater
30 - Hamburg, Germany - Bahnhof Pauli
October
1 - Oberhausen, Germany - Resonanzwerk
2 - Lindau, Germany - Club Vaudeville
3 - Colmar, France - Le Grillen
4 - Munich, Germany - Backstage Halle
5 - Hannover, Germany - Faust
6 - Aschaffenburg, Germany - Colos-Saal
7 - Vosselaar, Belgium - Biebob
8 - Mannheim, Germany - 7er Club
9 - Ljubljana, Slovenia - Orto Bar
11 - Budapest, Hungary - Barba Negra
12 - Graz, Austria - Dom im Berg
13 - Wroclaw, Poland - Akademia
14 - Vienna, Austria - Viper Room
15 - Nuremberg, Germany - Hirsch
16 - Trier, Germany - Mergener Hof
17 - Luzern, Switzerland - Schüür
18 - Lyon, France - CCO Villeurbanne
19 - Barcelona, Spain - Boveda
20 - Madrid, Spain - Shoko
21 - Pamplona, Spain - Totem
22 - Toulouse, France - L'Usine
23 - Paris, France - Petit Bain
Lineup:
Tom S. Englund - Vocals, GGuitar
Henrik Danhage - Guitar
Rikard Zander - Keyboard
Jonas Ekdahl - Drums
Johan Niemann - Bass
(Photo - Patric Ullaeus)
