Album Review: Evergrey - Architects Of A New Weave (Napalm Records, 2026)
- May 27
- 6 min read
Written: 27th May 2026
More than thirty years after their formation, Sweden’s Evergrey have nothing left to prove but are pleasingly intent on showing that they still have much to offer. Two years after the excellent Theories of Emptiness (review here), they return with their fifteenth album, Architects of a New Weave, with new guitarist Stephen Platt replacing long-time member Henrik Danhage. The band comment, "We played a lot of shows with Stephen already, he’s an incredibly lovely human being on top of being a brilliant guitar player, we couldn’t be happier to have him join us for real!"
Architects of a New Weave opens with a short but immediately immersive, spoken word track that serves as a manifesto about unity and creation, framing the album’s core idea. In the threads of time / Where chaos meets order / We rise as architects / Hands bold, heart unbound. It sets the scene brilliantly before segueing directly into The Shadow Self, a song that deals with accepting, rather than denying hidden pain and contradictions within oneself. It begins with crunching riffs, gripping bass from Johan Niemann and an unmistakable and unrestrained Tom Englund delivering his first vocals. It’s hard to believe when your life keeps on changing / I thought I was healing / I’m hating this pleasing / ’Cause my cuts are just deepening / I think I’ll stop listening until your words start helping. The Shadow Self continues in a similar vein to much of the music from Theories of Emptiness. The chorus, like many on the album, is memorable; Evergrey have become masters of combining their progressive metal roots with wonderful melodies that start to dig under the skin from the first listen.
Near title track Architects of the New Weave extrapolates this further and Englund has no qualms in stating that it is a track that is a no-nonsense fists-in-the-air melodic rocker. “This is a no-brainer, sing-along friendly, straight-up great metal song! It came ignited from Rikard Zander's killer keyboard riff. When crafting that chorus keyboard line, Rainbow In The Dark was blasting in my head – pure epic inspiration... classic old-school style. We can't wait to let this rip live!” Serving as an antidote to the themes of The Shadow Self, Architects of the New Weave moves from internal conflict and fragmentation toward empowerment. There is a feeling of release and positivity within both the music and the lyrics - once again, the chorus is utterly irresistible. It has the feel of a band full of confidence, and that shines through in the soaring guitar solos and the well constructed drumming of Simen Sandnes.
The World Is On Fire – one of the singles already released – is a dramatic and powerful track that sets a personal and emotional crisis against a collapsing world. If these heavens could speak / And angels were real, would they try / To save me from crashing / Or paint the sky black with my lies? One of the best songs on the album, it is a wonderful example of Evergrey’s current direction which blends their progressive metal roots with a more atmospheric, anthemic ideal. It contains a stupendous solo that rivals anything else here and the heavier guitars towards the conclusion add real weight.
Heaven is an infectious fast-paced track with a defiant chorus and radiant guitar solo. As a signal to awaken our inner strengths, an intense, galvanising purpose within the riffs t encourage a sense of fearlessness and reinvigoration. The Script opens with darker, foreboding keyboards and adopts a slower, more considered tempo that allows Englund to draw out his words. Brilliantly positioned on the album after the effervescent Heaven, it brings a different tone and timbre that builds steadily with some truly colossal riffs, thunderous drumming and towering synths from Rikard Zander. Lyrically, it questions whether we can break cycles, heal past wounds and rewrite our own personal stories. I wish I knew how to get out of here / Instead, I got this ache and a hate that I’ll never use / How do you shape a heart from a fist? / How do you shake the fear from a life when you find out?
Evergrey have clearly put much time into the running order of Architects of a New Weave and Leaving The Emptiness (like Architects of the New Weave following The Shadow Self) is the perfect retort to the questioning nature of The Script. It is also a rebuff to anyone who thinks we cannot take control of our own destiny and transform our lives with new purpose and meaning. We’re leaving the emptiness behind / We’re running away / Believing the change could save our lives / We’re running to hide the pain. A contender for the most uplifting and exultant track Evergrey have ever written, it is easy to imagine each member of the band with a huge smile on their face while recording this one. It has a pure melodic metal energy that will bring that same sense of joy to listeners. The surging guitar solo and the unfiltered sense of exuberance make it – like the equally verdant Heaven - a perfect song for a summer drive, reminiscent of classic eighties tracks albeit more in attitude and verve than sound. Speaking about Leaving The Emptiness, Tom Englund comments, “It is a high-energy firecracker that makes you want to jump - we know, because we just played it in Brazil twice and people were more in the air than on the ground. The tension between the euphoric, major-key drive and the weight of the lyrics is completely intentional - we want you to feel joy and ache at the same time, because that’s what it actually feels like to face your demons and come out the other side.”
Longing begins in more introspective fashion but shimmering keyboards and rhythms induce foot-tapping and head-nodding. This adds further authority to Englund’s statement that, while the music on many tracks feels resolutely energised, the lyrics tell a far more uncertain and searching story, reflecting the unpredictable nature of human existence. Another highlight of the album is A Burning Flame, which features Mikael Stanne of Dark Tranquillity who combines delightfully with Tom Englund on another track that pulses with motivational vigour and delivers yet another catchy chorus. Following a searing solo, there is a short but interesting keyboard passage that brings something quite different to the track, briefly reminding me of something from an eighties Tangerine Dream soundtrack. Then, after a key change, we are off and running with a final, triumphant chorus.
At six minutes, Call Off Your Lions is the longest track and while still crammed full of melody, it does, at times, allow Evergrey to explore some heavier passages. Johan Niemann’s bass is colossal and his formidable partnership with Simen Sandnes continues on the urgent and propulsive Chains of Shame, demonstrating just what an excellent player he is.
Slowing the tempo but ramping up the majesty, Architects of a New Weave ends with The Prophecy. Cinematic and epic in feel, it finds Englund celebrating a sense of freedom - fearless and fully at peace with his own identity. No longer lost for days, I’ve found ways to climb / The leaps that I made, makes me stronger every time / And the scars that I used to hide now tell a tale of light / Embracing fire, and let the bells of might chime. Towering and epic in nature, it brings a powerful weight - both lyrically and musically - that anchors the song, its slower, more deliberate pacing set against the album’s fierier moments. The dynamic pull between restraint and surge gives the music a real sense of scale, while the lyrics frame past wounds not as something to escape but as something that can be a source of power. It is a fitting and powerful conclusion to an album that unfolds as a genuine journey, drawing its threads together with clarity and intent.
Architects Of A New Weave is Evergrey’s most melodic and magnificently anthemic collection of songs to date. No doubt some long-time fans will say that this lacks the sharper bite of much earlier releases but who among us is the same person we were thirty or even ten years ago? To me, it feels like a natural progression – one that follows the path laid out across their last few albums and pushes it further. It hits with direct, hook-led impact from the outset, yet proves just as compelling on repeated listens. There is even a sense, if not in style then in intent, of records like Born in the USA or Hysteria, where almost every song – with only a couple of exceptions - could be released as a single. Picking which songs to play live is going to be a real challenge! Lyrically, the album is extremely rewarding and charts a path from all-consuming doubt to placing us as architects who shape what comes next. With Stephen Platt fitting seamlessly into the line-up, the band are moving forward with assurance. Evergrey have never made a bad album and they are not about to start now. Unwavering. Distinctive. Glorious.
Architects of a New Weave is released on 5th June 2026.
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