North is their seventh studio album from 2008. Everon needed 6 years to
release this album
and to tell the truth is not better then the predecesors, but not weak
either. Something worth
mentioning is that Everon release albums with a constant quality, I mean
every single album
is good and has something to offer, one of those bands that realy knows
to make the listner
stays with ears opened all the time. This band don't have highs and
lows, Everon has only
highs from the beggining, well of course their albums never reaches the
masterpiece status
in my opinion, but for sure all are good and worth investigated by
everybody intrested in good
music. North is again well made with tipycal Everon sound, nice vocal
parts made by Oliver
Philipps , I think the cherry on the cake in this band, great vocalist,
nice passages close to
neo prog in places not far from Galleon , but aswell with some heavier
sections like Enchant
for ex. They are more up tempo and full of energy band then many of
their field. Not a weak
piece here, but not one is outstanding, only pleasent. So, I don't think
North is their best
album, to me the best and the most pleasent of all is Venus from 1997, I
don't know realy why
but to me is thier top of their career, anyway each album I've rated so
far from Everon
catalogue is 3 stars, nothing more nothing less. Great band that for
sure needs a wider
recognition by prog listners, neo or hevy prog alike. 3 stars, a good
album but totaly non
essential.

===========================================================

Unbelievabe and insanely surprising catchy music and hooks that sneak up
on you with a few listens.....and then it hits
you....the emotion, the detail, the layers, and the production of this
music is utterly fantastic! I think many who come
upon Everon in general will never have heard of them before, let alone
listened. So, if you are like myself and stumbled
across this band, let me give you a few words about this body of work.

How Everon is not a top internationally recognized Band, up there
with Rush and Saga, is beyond me. Trust me....you
have just found an treasure trove of amazing music! If you are a Rush
fan, then you have just found heaven!

Everon truly surprised
me......I listened to a few tracks from a few albums and was absolutely
not sure about it at first.
But there was enough interesting elements of the production and the
music to make me keep listening here and there for
a few days, even though I was not sure and it was not clicking for me.
It didn't at first seem to have the edge, or the
technical chops that I usually crave. But, here and there it was
interesting enough. Actually, Reviews on this site led
me to listen to Fantasma first and foremost, which in the end is not my
favorite album, though it contains some excellent
songs. But anyways, it was a few days later that all of a sudden one
morning it hit me. I was singing these songs in my
head! And not just one or two....but there are a couple dozen
unbelievably catchy hooks and choruses and elements
that just stick themselves in your head. And then it started to get
good to me...and l listened more intently, and realized
the emotion and detail in these tracks. And then I knew......I had
found a top band and a body of work that is for the
ages~!!!

One of the things about Everon is that each track is
a very well constructed self contained song. And most of these
songs build up with an emotional intensity that just grabs you by the
end and won't let you go. So if you just quickly
listen to the tracks, you are likely to hear some simple, slower, piano
based ballad type material, especially up front, that
does not seem to be at all prog or even rock, but more Pop, and
certainly not what is likely to excite you at first. But
what you need to do is TRUST that this music is so well constructed, and
that these intros and interludes are all part of a
emotional package that will build and lead you exactly where you want to
go, and that these slower, simpler sections
actually balance and compliment the overall song in a beautiful and
perfectly wonderful way.

My advice: Keep Listening, give it
several spins, and TRUST. This is very complex, detailed, and well
constructed music,
and this is an example of songs you can listen to over and over and over
again and continue to realize new elements and
hooks and details that are deeply buried into these tracks. Much in
the way that I have enjoyed Rush over the
years....there are endless hooks and layers to discover.

If you
are just starting with Everon, and or if you are a Rush fan or Saga fan,
then I suggest you listen to Venus first and
foremost. This is a complete album that flows perfectly in every sense
of the word, and is most like a Rush album (circa
Presto, maybe Hold Your Fire). This is not necessarily Everons best
album, but for a Rush or Saga music fan, Venus will
give you comfort and grab your interest the easiest. But if you want to
jump in and trust me to the best of Everon, I
suggest Bridge and North. These two albums will ultimately rock your
world, and have Everons most emotional and
intense and catchy pieces.

North is a spectacular production,
on which 80% of the songs are eventually hook grabbers. In other words,
they will
grab your imagination after several listens. I immediately was grabbed
by Brief Encounter, even though I didn't fully get
it until several listens and looking up the lyrics. Which is another
thing, Everons lyrics are insanely good and smart! But
it was the subtle elements in Brief Encounter, such as the tasty and
judicious use of goth vocal elements, truly thick and
tasty guitars, and a hook of a chorus that will sneak up on you and grab
you in time.....this is a great song. Hands, the
opener, is easily catchy and a great song. But songs like From Where I
Stand and North at first was blah to me. So
simple and pop-like that it didn't interest me. I didn't get it, until
all of a sudden to my surprise, it grabbed me, and I
listened a few more times and said to myself....how the hell did I miss
this! This is a truly fantastic song, and I cannot get
it out of my head! And then you go back and catch all of the detail and
song structure, and wow....awesome. North,
Wasn't it good, Running....all similar experiences for me.

But you
cannot just look at Everon as one album or another. It is a body of
work. Songs on Bridge, Flesh, Venus, and
Fantasma, all fit a certain style and production quality to be heard as
almost one big album. And taken together, it adds
up to over 4 hours of utterly catchy and deep detailed music that will
satisfy your brain for months and years to come.

Top things
about Everon: The Lyrics are exellent and smart! The vocals are
fantastic. One review on this site complains
about a german accent. I don't hear it, even a little bit, and really
do not agree at all. The vocals are fantastic, fraught
with emotion and intensity, and sheer smooth excellence. Perfect for
this music. And the occasional goth elements may
at first be off-putting to the casual listener, until you listen more
carefully and realize that they are simply creative
elements which enhance the overall detail here. Then you love it!
The Guitars...WOW....this is where Rush fans are
likely to be in love. Very thick and detailed multi layers of guitars,
with excellent and tasty leads and soundscapes. The
drums and percussion are outstanding. I notice the Neil Peart is a
friend on Everons MySpace page, and rightfully so.
Clearly hear Peart influences on the percussion of Everons music abound.
And finally, it is the overall production details,
layers, and song structure. I love music that must be absorbed as
peeling layers from an onion, and this may be the
best example of this I have experienced since Rush or Saga. It stands
on its own, in its own style, without being a clone
of anything. But has the same depth and creativity and production
quality of either of those artists.

I have now purchased all of
Everons CD's. Venus through North are fantastic, and as I said, might
have come from the
same "album" at first listen. Wonderful to mix and match in a
playlist. My playlist puts together my ultimate Everon
tunes in a great order, and its 3 and a half hours of mind blowing
catchy music! Paradoxes and Flood are different
albums, more like early Rush albums, where the technical and musical
elements are all there (great production quality
too), but the music is not as well constructed or mature.
Still....the Rush fan will LOVE these two CD's, but they will not
grab you by the gut in the same way. I think this has more to do with
the vocal performance being more crowded, and
not as maturely delivered. But the musical chops are still excellent,
so I still love them greatly.

I guess you can tell I am a great
Everon Fan now. Cannot wait for more releases from this pitifully
underrated band.

Top Everon songs in my playlist: Brief
Encounter, From where I stand, Hands, North, Juliet, Not this time,
Wasn't it Good,
Driven, If you were still mine, Running, Back in sight, until the day
breaks, perfect remedy, Bridge Theme and across the
land, black river, reply, What do we know, harbour, ten years later,
carousel, and the rest of the Venus album (there's
not a bad song on Venus. In fact that album is best taken as a whole
end to end listen).

==========================================================

This album was my introduction to German band Everon. I had read
reviews of their albums before
listening. The overwhelming consensus was that everyone has a hard time
labeling their style of
progressive music...Were they neo prog? Were they heavy prog? Were they
symphonic? Metal? No one
seemed to know. After getting familiar with most of their albums now, I
can see how labeling this
band into a specific genre is impossible. When listening to North, my
first thought was Enchant
but that wasn't entirely accurate...then I thought of Rush...then
Sylvan...and on the 8th
instrumental track, my first thought was Neal Morse with the piano
sections. So it's evident that
Everon has created their own brand of progressive rock that lands all
across the board. This is one
of the main reasons why their music does not grow stale. Then there is
the actual music itself...

Oliver Philipps is the mastermind behind
Everon. He is the vocals, keys, guitar and composition of
the music. Some reviewers have given less than favorable reviews based
on his German accent. I
completely disagree. From first listen I felt his German accent only
adds to the emotion in his
voice and seems to fit his style of music perfectly. He is able to tone
his voice down when needed
but can also belt it out with power too. He has amazing range and the
vocals were the first that
stuck out.

The rest of the music is also outstanding. The
keyboards are very present but the heavy guitar
parts are the most noticeable. The songs are well constructed and have
the staying power that only
helps certain sections build on repeated listens. I have probably
listened to this album 30 times
and I am not tiring on it at all. North was my #1 pick for 2008 album
of the year and have enjoyed
their back catalog just as much. Not sure why Everon is not as well
known in the progressive rock
world, but I hope more proggers start taking notice because this is high
quality music! 5 stars
and one of my favorite albums in the last 10 years! Well done!

=========================================================

Hard to believe it's been six years since their last album.I know it
sounds cliche but this is a more mature
effort this time around.For me that's not a good thing.Haha.This isn't
as emotional or powerful as my two
favourites from them "Fantasma" and "Bridge".The cover art though is A+
along with the pictures in the
liner notes.
"Hands" is such a cool song lyrically and instrumentally.My
favourite.Maybe not surprisingly it's the most
powerful song on here as well.The best part of the album for me is when
it kicks in with sheer force early
before settling down quickly.Those emotional vocals come in and it all
sounds so good.More heaviness
before 3 1/2 minutes to end it. "A Brief Encounter" opens with drums and
a relaxed guitar solo before
vocals and piano take over.It does become fairly powerful as the drums
return.Nice guitar solo 4 1/2
minutes in. "From Where I Stand" features piano and guest cello before
vocals and drums take over.It
does become more passionate as the contrast continues.A guitar solo
after 4 minutes. "Test Of Time"
opens with cello then the song kicks into gear before a minute.More
powerful 2 minutes in as the contrast
continues.The guitar lights it up 4 minutes in. "North" opens with the
sound of water as piano comes
in.Vocals and drums join in.Again they contrast the heavier and lighter
passages well.Water sounds to end
it. "South Of London" is different,almost experimental with some
processed vocals.Good tune. "Wasn't It
Good" puts the focus squarely on the vocals and lyrics.Cello before 4
minutes.Lots of piano in this
one. "Woodworks" is the only instrumental and one of my favourites on
here.The sounds of a chainsaw
can be heard in the intro and outro and inbetween.This is uptempo with
prominant piano and some good
guitar 2 minutes in. "Islanders" features a guest female
vocalist(Judith) who does a fantastic job on this
song.This is another highlight for me. I'm not a fan of the intro on
"Running" but it changes to a better
sound.The contrast continues though.
Good album but not one of my favourites from them.

=========================================================

After you listen to Everon you won't be able to know why they are so
unknown, even in the prog
world. Everon is not only a typical progressive band. It's impossible to
tell which is their style:
sometimes it's neoprog, but then you can hear a lot of classical
progressive rock influences with
plenty of heavy metal riffs. The best part of this, is that Everon is
not another Dream Theater rip
off; it's unique, both melancholic and dynamic. North is their latest
album, and after a long hiatus
they came back with the same old power and a new freshness.

The CD
begins with Hands a powerful and bombastic song with a great chorus
leaded by Phillip's
magnificent voice and feeling. From the beginning you can hear the
Everon's trademark sound: heavy
riffs yet a very melodic atmosphere and an outstanding feeling.

One
of the highlights of the album is, without a doubt, Brief encounter. A
dramatic song filled
with a gorgeous orchestration.

From where I stand and Test of time
both begin with a cello, but the first one is a symphonic
ballad and the second is an step forward on Everon's evolution to a
lighter sound. Maybe From where
I stand is a more complex song, more mature and intimate, but Test of
time is far from being bad.

North has a great atmosphere,
sometimes sad and full of uncertainty. A perfect mixture of
feelings, which take place in one of the best songs on the album.

While
North was kind of typical for Everon, South of London is very different
from the whole
album. The sound is modern and it incorporates some electronic elements.
Some say it's popy, and
it's usual the eternal complaining from die hard prog fans, but the song
itself is great.

Wasn't it good is another intimate song,
probably the most emotive track on North. The orchestra
is another highlight in this song.

Woodworks is joyful
instrumental track that leads to Islanders, which is, in my opinion, the
weakest track on the album, but again it's very good. Judith's voice
fits perfectly the song. North
closes with Running, probably the most progressive song we hear in this

Defining
Everon is difficult, but maybe the word brilliant could describe best
their music and,
obviously North which is one of the best CDs of 2008.

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Последна редакция от MetalArea - 01.03.2010, 18:39