Evergrey Blow Us Away
It seems that Evergrey frontman Tom Englund is the first band member of the festival to realise how absolutely dire the sound levels have been throughout. After two songs without any bass, Tom finally demanded that the sound technician sort the levels out. As a result, we got 'Mark of the Triangle' and the excellent 'A Touch of Blessing' at absolutely perfect levels. Loud, clear and exceptionally well played. It must be noted that Evergrey were the first band in which the keyboards could be heard, something that had tripped up Mostly Autumn the day before.
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Sound aside, Evergrey are excellence personified. Guitarist Henrik Danhage's solos were powerful and the ferocious bass chords from Michael Hakansson tore through the crisp evening air. Englund's vocals were all strong, and his deep tone made up for the somewhat quiet microphone, and as a result the crowd went absolutely beserk, and even the most anti progressive metal meatheads were chanting back the belting Evergrey lyrics.
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It's very difficult to describe or label Evergrey. The progressive elements are strong yet their symphonic metal influences avoid alienation of a more general metal crowd that Symphony X or Ayreon might suffer from. Indeed, it is the mix of these two assets that provide Evergrey with the ability to entertain such a variety of fans. The solos are complex enough to entertain, yet there is order enough for anyone to enjoy the choruses.
In conclusion, Evergrey are an excellent band, blending together progressive, power and symphonic elements to bring to Bloodstock a welcome change from the somewhat basic metal we've had so far. The sound was nigh on and then perfect throughout, the band looked alive and even the between song banter was entertaining. An exceptional performance, and the highlight of the festival for a lot of people, myself included.
To view all photos taken during this set click here. There are 26 available.