"We had bigger visions, and we still have bigger visions... but we're getting there, little by little."

Evergrey frontman Tom Englund reveals the facts about the Swedish metal band's seventh studio album, "Torn", released in September 2008 via SPV...

Vassil Varbanov: Last time we spoke was before your first ever concert in Bulgaria. Today you have a new record called "Torn". How does it feel?

Tom Englund: It feels great! Finally! We've been waiting so long for this album to come out. Meanwhile we were negotiating with different record labels, etc., so it's great to finally see what the fans thing about it.

V. V.: You signed a deal with SPV not only for your new album, but also for your entire back catalogue. What exactly does this mean?

T. E.: It really doesn't mean anything. It means that we have bigger control on everything - if we decide to re-release any albums, we can do that on one and the same label. Of course, we have to make sure it will be worth for the fans, not just add one song and say it's a new album. We'll have to add stuff that will make it interesting for the audience to buy.

V. V.: Having in mind you're the only original member left in the band, was your vision of Evergrey in the beginning adequate to what's happening with the group today?

T. E.: No. We had bigger visions, and we still have bigger visions... but we're getting there, little by little.

V. V.: You have a new bass player now - Jari Kainulainen (ex-Stratovarius). You're Swedish, he's Finnish... Are there any jokes going on between you guys?

T. E.: Yes... but at the same time I'm half-Finnish myself, so I wouldn't give too much credit to the Swedish guys either. I think he had a bit of a more easy time now, as I'm half-Finnish... He's a Finnish guy who lives in Norway, so he's sort of mega-Scandinavian.

V. V.: The first single off your new album is "Fail", but you'll have a video for another song off "Torn" called "Broken Wings". Why haven't you shot a video for "Fail"?

T. E.: "Fail" was just a song that we released on the Internet before the album came out. It was perfect to represent everything about Evergrey - it wasn't too hard, it wasn't too commercial... It's a nice moody feeling song that represents the album as a whole. Now we're having this video for "Broken Wings", so I think we're setting the boundaries for ourselves in different ways.

V. V.: What about "Broken Wings"? What is it about?

T. E.: It's a straightforward Evergrey song. If you've seen the cover of the CD - that is very much representative of the feeling in this song. It's about a young person who's had so much crap in her young life, that she's had enough. She can't take the pressure and the pain and the darkness in her everyday life anymore.

V. V.: The female vocals on this song are by a lady called Carina Englund.

T. E.: Yes, she's my wife.

V. V.: So what's next for Evergey?

T. E.: We're looking for doing different types of shows - some in Poland, some in Russia, some in Romania, some in Greece... and hopefully some in Bulgaria before the year ends. Next year we start touring for real - America, Europe, everywhere... Besides, we'll be opening for Whitesnake here in Sweden.

Copyright: Tangra Mega Rock