- Country: Sweden
- Style: Progressive metal
- Label: Napalm Records
- Release date: 5 June 2026
Tom S. Englund and Vikram Shankar produced Architects Of A New Weave together, and the pairing shows in the details. Evergrey’s fifteenth album was tracked across several studios in Sweden and at Black Bear Audio in the US, mixed in the UK and mastered by Adam “Nolly” Getgood, a name that usually guarantees modern, punchy low end. That’s exactly what you get: riffs with real weight, kick drums that punch instead of click, and enough air left in the master for the keyboards to breathe.
Structurally, the album front-loads its most direct material. The title track grew out of a Rikard Zander keyboard riff and was deliberately hammered into a short, sing-along headbanger, and it works: a tight chorus with Englund’s voice sitting right on top. Simen Sandnes’ drumming is busy but tasteful, and bassist Johan Niemann locks the low end in with him on the heavier grooves.
The emotional core is still Englund himself. His lyrics on “The World Is On Fire” turn personal guilt into something global, and his voice has lost none of its wounded authority. On “A Burning Flame”, Dark Tranquillity’s Mikael Stanne adds a harsh counterpoint that gives the record a welcome jolt of Gothenburg grit.
The record also introduces guitarist Stephen Platt of Scar Symmetry, who toured with the band through 2025 before joining officially. His lead work fits the band’s melodic style seamlessly.
The downside is familiarity. Evergrey’s blend of melancholy and bombast is so well-honed that some mid-album songs follow a template fans will recognise instantly. Still, as a demonstration of how to make progressive metal sound big, modern and emotionally direct, this is hard to fault.
Best tracks:
Architects Of The New Weave
The World Is On Fire
Leaving The Emptiness
A Burning Flame (feat. Mikael Stanne)
Author’s rating: 8/10
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