Evermore‘s 2021 debut Court of the Tyrant King appeared somewhat reluctantly on the RMR ‘zine. Only in 2022 did it dawn on us that tyranny can make for great Power Metal. So, here we were, comfortably late – and totally surprised by that steady stream of astonishing Power Metal roaring toward us from an unknown band.
2021 and 2022 yielded a crop of 8 PM reviews each, some at pretty stellar levels. Out of which Vandor, Ilium, and Fellowship stood out. 2023 has been more restrained so far. Luckily the laggards at the RMR review desk finally took the time to hit up Evermore‘s In Memoriam. Because there’s still hope in sugary cheese, believe it or not.
Yet, judging by that 3rd rate plastic video game album cover, things should have turned sour in the meantime in Evermore‘s backyard.1 And the useless Nova Aurora didn’t bode well either. But – behold – just after this the band let loose with a vengeance. And I mean, with some serious aggression.
Court of the Tyrant King was already lusty to a point, but the band’s 2023 incarnation somehow gained juice to spare. We truly had to hold on to our baseball caps once Forevermore took off. This is Power Metal at 350 mph, garnished with Johan Haraldsson‘s constant high-pitched whine heard at any nook and cranny of the record. And this first real track already gets you an idea of the astonishing heaviness that now comes with picture-perfect Power Metal. Meaty riffs that are often more at home in Death Metal, soaring solos roaring on at breakneck speed, and acoustic passages that suddenly appear. You won’t find any real ballad on this here record, though. Which – come to think of it – ain’t a bad thing after all.
If anything, In Memoriam took a few more style directions on board and used them to juice up their wares. After all, there’s only so much fat you can squeeze out to of the cheese the PM folks usually devour. But here, apart from subtle Melodic Death Metal vibes (Forevermore), blatant forays into Heavy Metal will also make their appearance. I Am The Flame leads off in best Iron Maiden fashion to the point that you feel Dickinson’s ghost lurking backstage somewhere. Whereas Nightfire exudes that musty smell of 70s Hard Rock and early Heavy Metal. But Evermore always artfully bring this back into their typical Power Metal fold.
The mid-tempo yet very powerful Parvus Rex oozes that Heavy Rock flavor that we love over here. Until it mercilessly leads into this Evermore-esque brand of Power Metal, that is. And In Memoriam – the title track – truly turned out to be the king of the tracklist. Typical orchestration, burly heaviness, soaring solos, and a majestic and deliciously baroque mid-section. A keenly passionate Power Metal track.
The RMR crew ultimately couldn’t find much amiss with In Memoriam. In a way, this is how any sophomore album should come along. Not by reinventing the wheels with some crazy shenanigans. Instead, the Swedes from Evermore built on the Tyrant King and smoothly added power2 and additional musical prowess into the mix. The record ain’t the most accessible of them all, true. But the gazillion hooks on this record and the infectious nature of the songs will rivet pretty much any Power Metal adept to their earphones. To top it all, the artful inclusion of a number of styles into their PM fold is pretty much second to none. Thus, the band created one of the most memorable Power Metal albums of 2023 at the time of writing.
A stellar feat, we’re impressed.
Record Rating: 7/10 | Label: Scarlet Records | Web: Facebook (band)
Release Date: 21 April 2023