Everon - North

The new cd 'North' by Everon has quickly become a daily habit. Its been a while since I've discovered a new (to me) band that made a big impression on me. One thing I really like about this cd is that the music if fairly uplifting and hopeful. It had its dark moments, but as someone who loves Fates Warning and Pain of Salvation, Everon is a nice shift from the melancholy and intensity of bands like that.

What got me the most excited about this band though were the lyrics. I don't often pay that much attention to lyrics... or at least I pay more attention to the music. Put another way, I can listen to a song I think has good music and bad lyrics, but not a song that has bad music and good lyrics. I think Everon's lyrics are some of the most poetic I've read. Here are some samples:

(from the song 'Wasn't It Good')

"Nostalgia is a dangerous poison
If mixed with bitterness and grief
Makes the past look so much brighter
Forms illusions of relief
Makes what's lost still seem an option
Though it failed the test of time
Pretends the years have done no damage
That we're still in our prime"

(from the song 'Running')

Still lies the ocean deep
Such grace never met the eye
A whole world in peaceful sleep
Under a star covered sky

I find in the first example an expression of something a lot of people might feel but not know how to say, and it is said without either being too simple or too mired in metaphor. In the second example I think we have just a beautiful image painted in words. Oliver Philipps has great skill with the English language even though its not his native tongue. Reading these lyrics has given me a little kick to put more effort and thought into my own. I usually only write lyrics when very inspired. Unlike music, which I can sit and write anytime, lyrics come on their own time. But I'll be more aware I think of finding the best way to say what I want to say.

So go get this cd. Its a complete vision and I don't think I'll get tired of listening to it.