I won't exaggerate if I say that somehow I had seen this coming. From their previous release The Inner Circle back in 2004, Evergrey started a turn to more easily digested / less technical / less complicated songs. I can partially agree that because The Inner Circle was a concept album (though I won't fall for it) the band was confide in less technical acrobatics in favor of the story.
So here we are in 2006. Monday Morning Apocalypse is the band's latest studio attempt and yes, in case you haven't listened to it so far, it is by far the simplest album the band has ever done. No more endless solos, complicated bridges and breaks. This is as typical as it can get (talking of course about the song's structure). Well, at least the other key ingredient of Evergrey is still pretty dominant: the gloomy / dark vibe is present most of the time. Yeah, I guess that's something. Most of the songs have a really catchy rhythm, while the album, as a package, can be considered as a really easy digested sonic gift from the band.
Thumbs up for the bold production. Produced by the team of Sanken Sandquist and Stefan Glaumann (Rammstein, Def Leppard, Bon Jovi) this one has to be the best produced album Evergrey ever had. The fact that the band preferred to collaborate with Rock producers and not the known Metal producers is another evidence of their attempt to reach a bigger audience.
In conclusion, this is another fine album by this incredible band. Quite different than the ones past by but still a fine album. - Album Highlights: The Curtain Fall, In Remembrance and At Loss Of Words.