Following intense and very constructive discussions, Steamhammer/SPV have announced their future collaboration with Swedish dark melodic metal act, Evergrey. The deal includes not only the group’s brand-new studio album, Torn, which will arrive at the stores at the beginning of September, but also Evergrey’s complete back catalogue. SPV Head of Labels, Ulrike Rudolph says: “We are all happy to welcome Evergrey to the SPV/Steamhammer Family, and are looking forward to a great future together.” Evergrey mastermind Tom S. Englund is also looking forward to a productive cooperation with Steamhammer, explaining: “After long and intense negotiations, we feel that we have arrived at optimum conditions for everybody involved. We are confident that Evergrey will continue to grow artistically under the terms of this contract, that SPV will enjoy our cooperation and – this is definitely the most important aspect – that our fans will thoroughly benefit from the new deal.”

The first stage of this ambitious target will see the release of Evergrey’s new studio album, Torn, at the beginning of September, featuring eleven compositions, described by Englund as a “modern mix of In Search Of Truth and Recreation Day”. “The tracks are all guitar-oriented and very atmospheric. They have exactly the sound that our fans expect from us.” According to Englund, the slightly more experimental direction of Evergrey’s previous release, Monday Morning Apocalypse, has given way again to old strengths and virtues. “Two years ago we needed an album with a slightly different approach and an expensive producer, just to find out how that sort of thing works. It was the right album at the time, but now we have returned to our typical trademarks.” This is one of the reasons why the tracks on Torn were self-produced by Englund together with drummer Jonas Ekdahl. In addition, the band has a new bassist, Fredrik Larsson having been replaced by former Stratovarius musician Jari Kainulainen.

Since the band arrived on the scene in 1998, Evergrey have brought out six studio albums and one live cut. All of them made the top 20 in their native Sweden and the last two made the top 10 (no. 6 and 3, respectively). On top of that, their DVD was number 1 for four weeks and nominated for a Grammy in Sweden. The band has toured around the globe several times, together with In Flames, Nevermore, Throwdown, Arch Enemy, Children of Bodom and Iced Earth, among others. Along with Torn, their new contract with Steamhammer/SPV includes the band’s complete back catalogue, so top-quality reissues featuring a selection of bonus tracks are likely in future. “There is so much additional material for each album that we could theoretically re-release it on an extra DVD. Whatever we manage to do – premium reissues are certainly a possibility.”