“Bridge” is the first of two albums that will be released this year by Everon. Just like Ayreon they divide their heavier and their softer music on two different CD’s. That’s the only thing they have in common with Ayreon. Everon are four musicians that know each other very well and form a unity that has grown during their career. Especially Oliver’s vocals have improved a lot from CD to CD. His vocals are very well integrated in the music. On earlier CD’s I had the feeling that the vocals were written afterwards and didn’t always fit into the music.
“Bridge” is the heavier of the two albums but it also has softer moments. They switch from soft to heavy and back all the time. This gives a lot of variation to the album.

The first song, “Bridge – The Theme” is a short number to introduce the bridge theme, which is also used in the final track of the album, the title track. Although it’s not a concept album, it could have been used a few times during the CD.
“Across The Land” is the first example of the improved vocals of Oliver. It’s a very impressive song, that stays in you mind after a few times. It’s a bit complex and yet stays catchy.
“Juliet” is a special adaptation of the Shakespeare story. It starts as “Somewhere down the Crazy River “ by Robbie Robertson and ends with the Grunt vocals of Gunther Theys of Ancient Rites. It’s really a song that changes during 5 minutes from a romantic style to a heavy ending. It’s certainly a very strange, violent change to the original plot of the story. Without any doubt the best song of the CD. (but it needs more time to get into then the other songs)
“Travelling Shoes” is the “For Absent Friends” (Genesis) of this CD, a short well-sung number with a classical guitar. It’s used as an intro for “Driven”, the next song. In “Driven” the switching between heavy and soft is sometimes a bit too sudden, but the heavy part contains some beautiful material. Especially the piece with the lyrics “God knows…” is a marvellous piece of music on a “Kashmir” (Led Zeppelin) kind of rhythm.
“If You Were Still Mine” is a lot easier to get to know. An almost ballad with a lot of piano and a splendid slow guitar solo.
“Ten Years Late” is just a heavy rocksong without anything special. As on earlier CD’s Oliver’s voice makes me think of Michael Sadler of Saga from time to time. This is one of the songs in which I hear this again.
In “Not This Time” you can really feel the pain the victims of some crimes (I suppose the lyrics are about rape victims) feel during the rest of their the lives. A calm song with some piano pieces that burst open into some harder dramatic guitar parts. Oliver sings with a very low voice from time to time, again a change in his style, that only helps the variation on this album.
”Puppet Show” is a very heavy instrumental. “Carousel” is a premiere of a not Oliver song on an Everon album., a heavy song with a catchy chorus.
”Harbour” is a quiet song that has some hit potential, if it could get some airplay.
The last track, the title song “Bridge”, starts with a beautiful piece of piano and guitar. It also contains the theme of the first song.

There’s a special message to Billy Joel in the booklet, but I won’t reveal what it says. Buy the album and you know what’s in it and while you read the message listen to this superb Everon album.
Everon has become more Progmetal (but still with a large P and a medium M) then before. But don’t get frightened by this statement, there is variation enough on this album. If you really only like softer progressive music, then you should wait for their next CD “Flesh”.

Reviewed by : Danny 'Camil' Focke

Non commercial website in order to promote progressive rock to a broader audience in Flanders but also in the entire world. No part from this website may be used in any other publication whether in print or on the world wide web without the editor's consent - all material is exclusive to prog-nose and copyright protected.

Last updated: 23 september 2002 .
All rights reserved. Copyright © Prog-Nose 30/05/2001.