In Search of Truth

In Search of Truth is the third studio album and first concept album by Swedish progressive metal band Evergrey. Released on November 13, 2001 through Inside Out Music, it is the first album to feature guitarist Henrik Danhage and bassplayer Michael Håkansson as well as the only one to feature keyboardist Sven Karlsson. [3]

In Search of Truth
Studio album by
Evergrey
Released13 November 2001
RecordedJanuary – April 2001
StudioLos Angered Recordings, Gothenburg, Sweden
GenreProgressive metal, power metal
Length47:50
LabelInside Out Music
ProducerAndy LaRocque and Tom S. Englund. Assisted By: Kristian "Rizza" Isaksson
Evergrey chronology
Solitude, Dominance, Tragedy
(1999)		 In Search of Truth
(2001)		 Recreation Day
(2003)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[1]
Sputnikmusic[2]

Recording and Concept

The album was recorded at Los Angered Studios in Gothenburg, Sweden from January to April 2001. Production was handled by Andy LaRocque who had previously produced all earlier Evergrey albums. [4] LaRocque also contributed musically; playing slide guitar. It is the last album he produced for the band, although the engineered the following album Recreation Day.[5]

The song Dark Waters features The Mercury Choir on vocals, who also preformed on the previous album Solitude, Dominance, Tragedy. [6] As with most Evergrey albums, female vocals were contributed by Carina Englund (née Kjellberg).[7] Although the album doesn't have a title track, the lyric in search of the shocking truth is featured in the song Watching the Skies.[8]

The album is a concept album dealing with alien abductions, primarily based on and inspired by the allegedly factual account of alien abduction victim Whitley Strieber's book Communion. Speaking of the influence of the book, frontman Tom S. Englund mused:

"That book really affected me deeply and I think it's very sincere and honest book and no matter what you think about it serves as an introduction. This man believes he has been experiencing something in that way and that it's the most important thing that you got to think about. You know that he believes this all happened to him. So you gotta respect his ideas and cause for that. On this album I tend to reflect more on the personal level of him and try to reflect more on the emotional side of the character - his fears, sadness and all that." [9]

The album cover was created by swedish graphic designer Mattias Norén. [10]

Reception

The album received favourable reviews. AllMusic stated that "the overall picture is that of a very well-crafted concept album that certainly should please fans of progressive metal" and noted of the concept: "rather than addressing the subject in a cheesy sort of universal mode, though, it is the story of one man's struggle to understand what is happening to him. The lyrics, and the strong delivery by vocalist Tom S. Englund, convey the confusion, fear, and sense of helplessness splendidly."[1]

Metal Storm praised it as "full of fresh ideas and perfect in their complexity" and "undoubtedly the best prog album of the year".[11] Sputnikmusic gave it a perfect 10/10 score, saying that "odd time signatures and extremely technical riffs bounce off of haunting keyboard lines and severely dark stylings in perfect harmony, creating a sound that has yet to be matched."[12]

The album debuted on the Swedish Albums Chart at No. 59 and stayed on the chart for 11 weeks. [13]

Since the album's release, it has been critically acclaimed and is generally considered to be the band's magnum opus as well as one of the best progressive metal albums ever made. [14] Loudwire placed the album at #20 on its list "Top 25 Progressive Metal Albums of All Time."[15] To celebrate its 10th anniversary, the album was played in its entirety at the ProgPower USA Festival in Atlanta, Georgia on September 15 2011. Speaking of the event, frontman Tom Englund said: "Glenn (Harveston, ProgPower USA festival promoter) asked me for a special show,….what else is new as he always does… hrmpff. So to pay tribute to one of our most loved albums, we decided to celebrate the tenth anniversary of 'In Search Of Truth' by playing the whole damned thing. This will be an exclusive for Atlanta and the ProgPower USA show alone." [16]

A remastered version of the album, titled In Search of Truth: Remasters Edition, was released in 2019 featuring live versions of the songs Rulers of the Mind and Mark of the Triangle and Misled that had previously been released on the live album A Night to Remember in 2005. The original recordings were remastered by Jacob Hansen, who produced the band's 2014 album Hymns for the Broken. [17]

Track listing

All lyrics are written by Tom S. Englund; all music is composed by Evergrey.

No.TitleLength
1."The Masterplan"4:46
2."Rulers of the Mind"5:57
3."Watching the Skies"6:16
4."State of Paralysis"2:13
5."The Encounter"4:38
6."Mark of the Triangle"6:22
7."Dark Waters"6:00
8."Different Worlds"5:30
9."Misled"6:00
Remasters edition
No.TitleLength
10."Rulers of the Mind (live)"5:16
11."Mark of the Triangle (live)"6:45
12."Misled (live)"7:21

Personnel

Charts
Chart (2001) Peak
position
Swedish Albums Chart[18] 59
gollark: Again, popular ≠ good.
gollark: > That's like saying: Rules are bad and should be disregarded. Ethics are an important thing.You have not actually justified this, so it's basically circular.> We use ethics the entire time, disregarding ethics would mean disregarding schools of thoughtPopular/widely used things are not necessarily good.
gollark: I mean, I agree with the sentiment, but your reasoning is terrible.
gollark: So you won't mind if I orbital-laser-strike you for no reason.
gollark: That might very well kill the prions, but unfortunately it will also kill whoever they happen to be in.

References
  1. Hill, Gary. "Evergrey In Search of Truth". Allmusic. Retrieved 1 July 2013.
  2. https://www.sputnikmusic.com/review/8953/Evergrey-In-Search-Of-Truth/
  3. Encyclopaedia Metallum: In Search of Truth
  4. https://www.discogs.com/Evergrey-In-Search-Of-Truth/release/4811327
  5. https://www.discogs.com/Evergrey-Recreation-Day/release/6095827
  6. https://www.discogs.com/artist/555240-The-Mercury-Choir
  7. https://www.metal-archives.com/artists/Carina_Englund/44806#
  8. https://www.metalkingdom.net/lyrics-song/Evergrey-Watching-the-Skies-11283
  9. "Evergrey – In Search of the Truth with Thomas Englund". Metal-Rules.com. Retrieved 7 February 2012.
  10. https://www.discogs.com/artist/1832296-Mattias-Norén
  11. http://www.metalstorm.net/pub/review.php?review_id=189
  12. https://www.sputnikmusic.com/review/8953/Evergrey-In-Search-Of-Truth/
  13. https://www.sverigetopplistan.se/search?query=evergrey
  14. https://rateyourmusic.com/list/Tymell/the-top-50-highest-rated-progressive-metal-albums-of-all-time/
  15. https://loudwire.com/top-progressive-metal-albums-all-time/
  16. https://www.blabbermouth.net/news/evergrey-to-perform-entire-in-search-of-truth-album-at-progpower-usa-xii-festival/
  17. https://shop.afm-records.de/new/1510/evergrey-in-search-of-truth-remasters-edition-digipak-cd
  18. https://www.sverigetopplistan.se/search?query=evergrey
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