Evergrey came close to split

Evergrey were close to splitting before the return of guitarist Henrik Danhage and drummer Jonas Ekdahl, frontman Tom S Englund has revealed.

The pair left amicably in 2010 alongside bassist Jari Kainulainen – and afterwards Englund began to suffer a loss of inspiration.

That changed when he needed a couple of stand-in musicians for some tour dates, leading to the return of Danhage and Ekdahl and the creation of ninth album Hymns For The Broken.

Englund says: “We needed a drummer for a few shows, so I called Jonas to see if he was available. We also needed a second guitarist, so I asked Henrik and he was fine with it.

“While we were doing those shows, we released we were having a lot of fun with the music again.

“The guys coming back saved Evergrey. I wasn’t set on doing an album. I’m amazed – the band sounds hungry, the album sounds awesome, and I can say there’s not a weak song on it.”

The follow-up to 2011’s Glorious Collision is released on September 26. Metal Hammer premiered the video for lead track King Of Errors earlier this month.

Hymns For The Broken tracklist

The Awakening
King Of Errors
A New Dawn
Wake A Change
Archaic Rage
Barricades
Black Undertow
The Fire
Hymns For The Broken
Missing You
A Grand Collapse
The Aftermath

Not only is one-time online news editor Martin an established rock journalist and drummer, but he’s also penned several books on music history, including SAHB Story: The Tale of the Sensational Alex Harvey Band, a band he once managed, and the best-selling Apollo Memories about the history of the legendary and infamous Glasgow Apollo. Martin has written for Classic Rock and Prog and at one time had written more articles for Louder than anyone else (we think he's second now). He’s appeared on TV and when not delving intro all things music, can be found travelling along the UK’s vast canal network.