Reaching inside oneself can be a difficult experience, but for many artists it is an essential one. In music, a thorough exploration of one's entrails can be the step between a good record and a great one. For it is deep in those pits and caverns of one's being that the materials of genuine expression lie dormant in the cold damp, waiting to be discovered and brought into the light to shine and inspire.

However, as creatively stimulating as it can be, looking into the depths of one's emotional ponds is a complicated process; for as shallow as they may seem they are as unpredictable as the most vicious of seas.  And as the name of their latest offering so vividly suggests, the Swedish Progressive outfit EVERGREY claim to have stirred those exact waters on "The Storm Within", which, although makes some waves, proves to only be a tempest in the making.

Opening up with a moment of calm before the crashing wave of weighty guitars and drums, "Distance" proves to be a fantastic introduction to the thematic undertones of the record. The atmospheric number makes use of extensive effects to illustrate gust of cold winds and oncoming cyclones as the keyboards ring the bells of warning.  The gales then gain some speed as we're carried into "Passing Through", an up-tempo electronically tinged offering with an emotive 80's feel and a hurricane solo.

Yet for all those fine imaginative qualities and atmospheric strength that it demonstrates, the record continually has trouble getting off the ground. Whilst the following two numbers "Someday" and "Astray" pack an impressive musical punch, they fail to evoke the urgency that is necessary to raise this piece above trivial, metallic melancholy.

Nonetheless, the album does manage to come alive on heavier tracks like "My Allied Ocean" - which features some fantastic, driven guitar work from Henrik Danhage - and the Floor Jansen-assisted (one of the two) "Disconnect"; both of which deliver solid performance and stellar Metal songwriting. "In Orbit" (the other number to feature the NIGHTWISH front-woman) and "The Lonely Monarch" are also strong Symphonically-influenced offerings, but for all their merits they don't offer anything truly captivating. The highlights of the record remain to be the piano-based ballads like the touching "The Impossible" and the spellbinding "The Paradox of the Flame", both of which tap directly into your emotional streams and prove to be as riveting as they are

The production is great, although somewhat bland. The performances of band members however are full of commitment and gush with talent. Yes, these may not be the most adrenalized demonstrations of musicianship, but they are certainly impressive ones.

Overall - "The Storm Within" does reach inside, but it never seems to go deep enough.  Whilst the album is a fantastic effort, it is a touch too flat to reach any cathartic outcome; and whilst is poignancy is evident, it is not altogether compelling. Regardless, it is still a fine record and should be a worthwhile listen for any fan.