NORTH

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).

Enjoy!