Review: Evergrey – Architects Of A New Weave
Style: Progressive metal (clean vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Vanden Plas, Cemetery Skyline, Teramaze, Masterplan
Country: Sweden
Release date: 5 June 2026
It’s been a busy half-decade for Swedish broody prog metallers Evergrey as between full-lengths and live albums, their newest output Architects Of A New Weave becomes their sixth release in as many years. True to form, the album is as dark and introspective as ever, perhaps more so, with Evergrey channeling the tenebrous sonority of some of their heavier neighbours in the Gothenburg scene. But their huge, singable choruses are never far, and you’ll find more than a few exceptionally sharp hooks on this disc.
One thing I noticed in particular with this release is the band’s decision to use drop tuned, seven string guitars, resulting in a natural tendency to write “heavier” guitar work; more open strings, more djenty, start-stop riffing, and an overall darker, more aggressive tonality to the music (“The Shadow Self”, “Chains Of Shame”). Evergrey are no strangers to utilizing downtuned guitars for their music (as far as I can remember learning their guitar parts as a dilettante in ‘04), but the extended low range of seven strings has always felt like more appropriate territory for the atmosphere of their tunes. However, to that end, I think it would seem fair to say that gone are the days where a heavy power metal influence would find its way into their music, and you’ll hear this album generally retains quite little of that outside of some of the standout choruses and the occasional major riff.
There’s some variability on Architects in terms of the songwriting; while some of the heavier tracks have an almost gothic metal tinge that’s not unheard of in Evergrey‘s music, with tinkly synths and mid-paced guitars that change chords once per measure—like “The World Is On Fire” and “Call Off Your Lions”—other tracks approach a near pop metal sensibility (“Architects”, and especially “Leaving The Emptiness”, which sounds like it could’ve been written by Max Martin himself). Even melodic death metal makes a brief appearance, with “A Burning Flame” featuring the pedal-tone riffing typical of the style, and sounding not unlike the work of Mikael Stanne of Dark Tranquillity fame, whose clean vocals feature in a duet. Criminally underutilized, however, he’s relegated to little more than two solo lines in the song, otherwise providing quite a rather quiet backing harmony to frontman Tom Englund. It would’ve been more impactful to have him perform harsh vocals on the track; as it stands, it’s a mostly forgettable cameo, and a quite same-y track addition to an album that’s already chock-full of catchy refrains.
One nitpick I have with Architects—and this is something Evergrey apparently can’t stay away from—is the incessant addition of ballad-type pieces that break up the flow of an otherwise mostly straightforward metal album. Tracks like “The Script” and “Longing” feature an overabundance of melodrama, as Englund can’t help but over-sing even the most banal lyrics1; even the djent backing riffs can’t elevate these snooze-fests. This type of songwriting was more prominent on 2024’s Theories of Emptiness, so I applaud them for showing restraint, but I think these ideas could’ve been omitted entirely and the album would’ve been all the stronger for it. Maybe next time.
I think Evergrey understood the blueprints and competently crafted a heavy-yet-still-melodic album that eschews their older power metal leanings, emphasizing their more moody, brooding atmospheres with downtuned, extended-range guitars as the foundation. It’s a powerful structure, with some great songwriting, but it does unfortunately sometimes get bogged down with overly emotional storytelling at the expense of the pacing. But I digress; Architects Of A New Weave is a solid release, and I think old fans and new listeners alike will find something compelling in its heavy soundscapes and anthemic choruses. Definitely worth a few spins.
Recommended tracks: The Shadow Self, Chains Of Shame, Heaven
You may also like: Seventh Wonder, Inner Vitriol, Dimhav, Tad Morose
Final verdict: 7/10
Related links: Bandcamp | Facebook | Instagram
Label: Napalm Records
Evergrey is:
– Tom Englund (vocals, guitars)
– Rikard Zander (keyboards)
– Johan Niemann (bass)
– Simen Sandnes (drums)
– Stephen Platt (guitars)
- From “The Script”: “‘Cause I would never write a script, if I didn’t know there was a way out, hey” – like what ↩︎
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