In July I saw Evergrey at the Czech festival Masters Of Rock and a few weeks later word got out that bassist Michael Håkansson left the band. That Fredrik Larsson is the new one, wasn't a surprise for me, but I was curious to see the new line-up live. On the current tour the Swedish play only two shows in Germany and Bochum was one of the last ones of this mini tour. I missed the support talking to some of the Swedish, but have to confess that from the little I heard, I don't regret missing them.
Finally Evergrey entered the stage with Blinded. The fans started singing along from the first note. A mixture of old and new tracks they had and songs like Mark Of The Triangle, Obedience and Monday Morning Apocalypse were the right choice. The new songs fit well in and even they are heavier, more modern sounding they blend in. After In Remembrance it was time to slow down a little with Till Dagmar - a keyboard instrumental. At the beginning of I'm Sorry Tom asked the audience, if they know the words and the whole band was floored then the fans started singing the first lines of the Dilba cover version. Tom sat down at the drum raiser in astonishment, but joined in a moment later. A magic moment - not just for the band! Afterwards Tom announced that they would play a song, they didn't play very often and probably never played in Germany. A fan shouted out loud - The Great Deceiver - another surprise for the Swedish, coz that was the track next on the schedule. Solitude Within they play more often and with More Then Ever the set was over. But the fans didn't want to let them go. When The Walls Go Down led into the encores. Last, but not least they played The Masterplan. Great show!
A new line-up always means changes. Bassist Fredrik Larsson need more stage experience it seems, but he did a good job. It ain't easy to replace Michael Håkansson, coz he was always in motion, head banging, rocking and produced an extremely heavy sound. Fredrik didn't sound that heavy, but is a suitable replacement. It was obvious that the band enjoyed being on stage, especially guitarist Henrik Danhage was in an extremely good mood, even if just about 350 people came to see them.
Unfortunately in Germany they are still underrated, so one can just hope that the Germans will wake up and recognize the band with their next album.... And that they can play more shows in future.
Fans of the Swedish should mark Bang-your-Head festival in their calendars, coz that's the next chance to see them live - as far as it concerns Germany. If you missed them, shame on you! Get the DVD - if you don't have it yet - and get an idea about Evergrey live!
First they showed some stuff from the DVD in the bistro at the huge screen, but then it was time for some live music. As the acoustic set took place in the disco the band had set up the "stage" a little differently. Drummer Jonas Ekdahl on the far left, then bassist Michael Hakansson, Tom S. Englund in the middle - this time without a guitar, but always with a beer - then guitarist Henrik Denhage and on the far right keyboarder Richard Zander. A good chance to watch them closely. They started with As I Lie Here Bleeding followed by Misled. The acoustic versions are sounding different, but great. Here Tom's unique voice put the listener under a spell. The songs are more intense in the acoustic version and The Shocking Truth was amazing. The cover version I'm Sorry was touchung. The band was relaxed and seemed to enjoy this acoustic set as much as the fans did. They had a few beer and lots of fun - especially when Tom tried to get Henrik's microphone closer to the guitar and almost thrashed it. 
Some communication in Swedish between the songs, coz they haven't rehearsed the acoustic versions often, but it didn't sound like that! Whenever the band gave the impression that they want to stop playing the fans got even louder and didn't let them go. After Blinded and Waking Up Blind Tom took the chance to escape to say hi to someone who was on the gallery above them. The band continued with Recreation Day and Tom decided to keep staying at the gallery. But after Words Mean Nothing it was over. Too soon! This was just planned as an appitizer and to get some attention for the coming DVD release, but hopefully this won't be the last time they play acoustic! The fans were happy and afterwards had the chance to hang out with the Swedish in the bar / bistro.
An interesting band and they have the potential and the right sound to step on and level with bands like 
The kicked off the show with Blinded and More Then Ever. Singer / guitarist Tom Englund and his mates had a lot of fun on stage and the great, powerful sound made it easy to enjoy the set. For some it was a surprise to hear Nosferatu and Solitude Within again live. Very intense was the In Search Of The Truth part including Misled, Rulers Of The Mind and Marked By The Triangle. Still my favorite album and so I especially enjoyed them. 
But with A Touch Of Blessing they played the best song of The Inner Circle, but it wasn't the only one. To give the band and the fans a break they played I'm Sorry, the cover version of a