When it comes down to Sweden's dark progressive combo, EVERGREY, the principal themes dealt with throughout their albums are death and hopelessness. Of course in the Metal world, they are far from being the only ones! However, they are among the very few to make a statement strong enough for the listener to visualize their topics just by listening to their music. Unlike the overused and, at times, way out of line theatrical devilish fantasy many acts enjoy wandering in, several of the issues developed in EVERGREY's songs are based on actual facts of society, including organized religious cults ("The Inner Circle"). After seven albums, including one live, the Gothenburg-based quintet is back with a new disc, "Torn".

Right off the bat, the approach on the album, with the opening "Broken Wings" and the next tune, "Soaked", is much more aggressive than everything EVERGREY have done to this day. The mild melodies and gentle intros we took for granted until now seem to be gone. To prove that point, the next song, "Fear", is a far from progressive Metal as can be and despite the very intelligent use of keyboards, the riffs are more thrashy than anything else. Even the voice of frontman Tom Englund, (who is amazing as usual), is more aggressive than it's ever been. In short, EVERGREY have definitely opted for a heavier approach. Even on the slower "When Kingdoms Fall" the atmosphere remains very hostile to say the least.

The track "In Confidence" seems to perfectly illustrate the change of musical orientation taken by the quintet. If until now, EVERGREY had appeared to some to hold back some of their enthusiasm, there are now blasting the decibels and double kicking drums and as far as I'm concerned, if you like Metal, there is nothing wrong with the new formula! As always, the Swedes are not shy of treating the fans with quality as well as quantity and the 12 twelve tracks that constitute this album are all beyond reproach. Just give the guitar solo on the superb "Fail" a chance and you'll understand what I'm talking about, followed in the same vein by the very catchy "Vein". The title track, "Torn", is the only one on the album that seems to turn the aggressiveness down a few notches. However "Nothing Is Erased", "Still Walk Alone" and "These Scars" put the album back on track until the very end.

After the fairly disappointing "Monday Morning Apocalypse" (2006), where the band already seemed to opt for a heavier approach, nobody really knew what to expect anymore from EVERGREY. When they could have gone full-circle back to the more gentle attitude of their earlier material, they have not only decided to pursue a darker road, but also to master the art of using the best of what they used to produce with a heavier sound. In my opinion, this album is likely to start what could soon become the golden era of the band's career.