Phoebe Bridgers is about to go full throttle. She recently played a special acoustic set at Madison Square Garden, and then announced a large arena tour with a “No Phone” rule. Now, she’s added even more shows and also appears to be back on Instagram. Along with thew newly added tour dates, Bridgers shared a photo of her lounging in the arms of a bronze Buc-ees statue.
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Last October, Rush‘s Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson announced their first tour since prog-rock legend Neil Peart passed away in 2020. It has been over a decade since Lee and Lifeson played music from Rush’s catalogue, and after some “serious soul-searching,” they decided it was time to celebrate their band’s 50-plus-year history and pay tribute to Peart.
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Reviewed by Sam Jones
Now and again I go out on a limb to look at releases that fascinate me: today’s band is France’s Véhémence, a curious blend of epic and melodic black metal who I’m vaguely familiar with yet had never checked out. Formed in 2014 in Paris the band dove straight into a self-titled album at once from the word go though it would be five years until their second record, Par Le Sang Versé, would come forth. Album three, 2022’s Ordalies, continued the strong reception fans have ascribed to Véhémence throughout the years and four years later, the band return with Assiégé Pour L’ éternité, primed for a June 10th release date with Antiq Records. After hearing snippets of the record I was intrigued and thus I set out to capture just what newcomers, like myself, can expect from these guys.
It’s must be said the band know how to create an inviting soundscape that manages to excite you without their songwriting overwhelming you. As one starts this record you’ll find their sound is no way looking to bludgeon or rearrange your face, instead their sound is incredibly contained, nearly boxed together. Typically this would be detrimental to a band like Véhémence yet herein conveys their sound across like a gift, a present, something neatly arranged with a bow on top and then handed over to us. It crafts this comforting, smartly attired work as one ready for battle though absent for any want for chaos. The listening experience is therefore tightly controlled; this isn’t the kind of album you lose all manner of composure and decorum too but one infused with the splendour of storytelling.
Though the band are adept playing with speed I appreciate how grounded their sound still comes across as, giving us every opportunity to delve deeply into their performance. This is tied into their epic and melodic stance of black metal; you may not understand a word spoken but you’ll be pulled into their music as easy as breathing. Even as they bring out the longer tracks you won’t feel the pull to wonder how long remains because there’s plenty of variety in their songwriting. There will be blast beats accompanying slower riff pieces, the vocals will exhibit cleaner cries whilst the tempo climbs, a track’s intensity may reach the apex but the guitar work is much more intricate than one expects. Just because the band play fast doesn’t mean the intensity will reach its zenith, and vice versa.
I think the production applied to this record is absolutely perfect. Given the band seek to conjure tales of French medievalism you don’t want a tone that’ll crush audiences into the dirt, rather they’ve placed you squarely amidst the hay and trample of horses. It manages to feel entertaining and a solid investiture of your time without pressing down on the senses; in this regard the record is a blessedly light affair with little effort involved reaping the most out of its six tracks. The drums are pounding and never far from your sight yet blast beats are wondrously mixed in to raise the tempo without having to debilitate the senses. The guitar work feels perfectly positioned to provide sweeping riffs as the harsher vocals come into play, but they also exude valour and bygone honour as these sequences stretch and work into a track’s backbone. Véhémence have effectively zoomed us out, giving us a vantage point ideal for beholding the record in its entirety.
Black metal can be many things; suffocating, rapturous, demonic. Véhémence’s brand can only be labelled as triumphant for whilst their sound is founded in epic black metal, it isn’t conveyed with murderous glee over fallen foes nor ravenous fervour, instead it’s employed in retelling this centuries-old era as a new myth. Listening to the band perform feels like the telling of a new fable or legend; have such events been dramatised for storytelling’s sake? It’s impossible to say for like any myth there’s a hint of truth to them; this record is merely an audible variation of what mythtelling can be. The result of this approach to songwriting, to tone, to black metal, is a record effortlessly rewarding and entertainment renewable.
In conclusion, Véhémence demonstrate themselves to be an upstanding act of black metal, bringing a mythic and celebratory stance of songwriting that’s sorely desired. With six tracks the band bring their fourth album to a close but I know I’ll be there front and centre come their next release; they manage to balance that fine line between ferocity and beauty, roping in the flute periodically when the need demands it, offsetting their blackened vitriol for something more homely and representative of a people’s trials. Véhémence’s sound could easily pass as something out of a fantasy yet there’s always this reminder it’s borne out of the far past, not out of some romanticism but a legitimate allure of bygone times. A quality time to be sure.
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by Dave Campbell
Fifteen studio albums – let that sink for a minute or two. The heavy metal juggernaut known as EVERGREY formed in 1993 in Sweden, the band’s early style could best be described as Gothic (early), Progressive Power Metal (later), in contrast to the Melodic Death Metal bands that created what is known as the “Gothenburg” sound, the second largest city in Sweden. Vocalist and singer Tom Englund was the primary force behind the original line-up and remains so today. Early line-up changes plagued the band, but they found a stable cast shortly thereafter. Their first two albums were released in 1996 and 1998 respectively and were flavored with dark lyrics. These themes would continue with the next two concept albums, titled “In Search Of Truth,” and “Recreation Day,” the latter dealing with themes of suicide, mourning, and even atonement and forgiveness. Three more albums were released in the 2000’s, as the band continued its prolific writing pace without signs of slowing down. The album “Monday Morning” debuted in 2006 at #6 on the Swedish charts.
In 2010 however, three of their members departed on friendly terms, citing interpersonal relationships as the catalyst, and more specifically, not wanting to ruin established friendships. Creative differences? Maybe, but it goes deeper than that. One thing the trio learned from this split was knowing when to walk away to preserve the sanctity of EVERGREY. Tom and company carried on in the 2010’s, still plagued by more line-up changes, through albums as “Glorious Collision,” “Hymns For The Broken,” “The Storm Within,” and finally, “The Atlantic,” which saw the light of day in 2019. Turning to the modern decade, their 2021 release “Escape Of The Phoenix” garnered attention from Metal Hammer among others, naming it one of the best 10 Progressive Metal releases of the year. They signed to Napalm Records, the same record representing them today. 2024’s “Theories Of Emptiness” saw another line-up change, ushering out drummer Jonas Ekdahl and welcoming Simen Sandnes. In 2025, guitarist Henrik Danhage also departed, and Stephen Platt entered.
Their latest album, titled “Architects Of A New Weave” is aptly titled, and is being marketed as “a new era of Evergrey.” Tom and fellow musician/keyboardist Vikram Shankar (the other half of the duo known as SILENT SKIES with Tom, he is also a member of WITHIN TEMPTATION and LUX TERMINUS) handled the production. Four songs were released ahead of the twelve on the album, and I would like to start with these on the review. Beginning with the title track, it rocks back for just a second, and kicks down the door, carrying a heavy palate of weight in the music and towing emotions along with it. The vocal harmonies are excellent, and the piano notes provide a melancholy shade of grey they are infamous for. It’s an anthem…the band is clearly making a statement that they can’t be broken and are as strong as ever. “The World Is On Fire” is a slower, calculated sound, and much of the emotional qualities that are so pronounced in their music comes from Tom’s vocals. If you look over your shoulder while the song plays, you can see flames beginning to engulf the horizon, and there is a foreboding sense of oppression that you can feel deep inside.
“Leaving the Emptiness” pushes a lot of energy and melody, and it’s so damn catchy it moves me get up out of my seat and sing along, especially with the chorus. They seem to reload their guns from the verses and come out firing, but the bullets are like stinging hits of melody, one after another. This is exactly what EVERGREY does best, and it’s nothing short of glorious. I will remember this song for a long time. “A Burning Flame” features the vocal talents of Mikael Stanne (DARK TRANQUILLITY), and the harmonized vocals are outstanding. It’s a mid-tempo rocker that isn’t right up in your grill, but that doesn’t stop the emotions from still running strong. “A burning flame…forever,” he declared with conviction. Indeed. “The Shadow Self” is a meat and potatoes song…weighted and heavy at the bottom…like meteors falling to the earth with jarring force. But if you miss the colorful shower of melody in the sky that preceded the fall, that’s where much of the flavor comes from. They show great restraint at times in that regard.
“Heaven” has a rousing energy to it, with a balanced mix of keyboards and guitars. Thick, meaty bass notes anchor the low end of the song firmly to the ground, but vocal harmonies send it soaring into the clouds. Guitarist Stephen Platt also reminds you of the power of a decorated guitar solo. “The Script” has that classic EVERGREY ring to it…just enough melancholy to let you know it’s there. It’a slower song, with poignant, emotional vocals and much of the sound keys on the melody in Tom’s vocals. They are gentle and even vulnerable at times, and roar with power at others, especially in the chorus. That change of key in the chorus is like the satisfaction of a clicking a lock over and the anticipation of opening the door to see what’s on the other side. “Longing” might me the handsomest song on the album in terms of its impact on your soul. It’s very charming, and although some of the lyrics provide tough questions we all have to consider, firm, bright chords echo the resolve each of us have to set out own course in life. They invite you to just close your eyes and believe. To dream.
“Call Off Your Lions” uses both the suffocating weight of the band’s weapon arsenal and the catchy melodies that have stashed away in their long pockets in equal measure. That balance is maintained like a tightrope walker successfully crossing between two high rises. If the melody line doesn’t catch you with its cane as you pass by, you might be dead inside. “Chains of Shame” has a rousing energy, similar to a heated race, or even a fire gaining heat from eating more oxygen. The song stays just half a step ahead of you during the race to the point where you can’t quite catch up, and the tone of Johan’s bass work is outstanding, delivering massive snotes you can chew on. “The Prophecy” closes the album, and it’s a towering final song of unraveling emotion. The legato notes are as powerful as they are catchy, and Tom delivers one of the most poignant vocal performances I have heard this year. The gravity of the sound is larger than life, and if further proof is required, goosebumps rose on my body towards the climatic end in a phenomenon is known as “fission.”
‘Architects Of A New Weave’ isn’t just an album title for these seasoned veterans. It’s a declaration…a proclamation…even a manifesto. With a career spanning over 30 years and through 15 studio albums, you would think that the band is naturally slowing down. On the contrary, EVERGREY is as adventurous, passionate, and energetic as ever. The album reminds us why they remain consummate Progressive Metal titans.
Released on June 5th. 2026 on Napalm Records
Order here: https://evergrey.bandcamp.com/album/architects-of-a-new-weave
Tracklist:
1. Welcome To The Pattern
2. The Shadow Self
3. Architects Of The New Weave
4. The World Is On Fire
5. Heaven
6. The Script
7. Leaving The Emptiness
8. Longing
9. A Burning Flame
10. Call Off Your Lions
11. Chains Of Shame
12. The Prophecy
Line-Up:
Tom S. Englund – Vocals, Guitars
Rikard Zander – Keyboards
Simen Sandnes – Drums
Johan Niermann – Bass
Stephen Platt – Guitars
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Mike D has been making moves. This spring, the Beastie Boy hopped onstage twice with his children’s band, then announced some shows of his own, then released the solo singles “Switch Up” and “What We Got.” There were also postcards and a website with the name Mike D 5D. You knew an album announcement was coming, and now it has.
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