Review: Constancia – IV Evermore

Pride & Joy Music (August 30^th, 2024)

Reviewer: Jason Hopper

The band Constancia certainly takes its time when constructing albums. Since 2009, the band released three albums, with each album coming out every six years. The band decided to buck that trend by releasing their new album ‘IV Evermore‘ just three years after their last one.  Having never heard the band’s previous efforts, but recently finding out that the band features the excellent guitarist Janne Stark as well as the sublime vocals of Pete Godfrey, I decided to jump in feet first.

With the opening melody of ‘Evermore’, I knew I had made the right choice. I was reminded of the band Unruly Child, with this song fitting in nicely to the feel of that band’s debut album.  Pete sounds in great form, with his smooth vibrato making the one word chorus work with the way he carries the notes of the three syllable word. Track 2 is first single ‘Feel My Heartbeat’ and is very representative of the feel and quality of the album.

With that said, the album falters slightly with the very next track. ‘Higher’ is a track that had the potential to be one of the strongest on the album, but two aspects of it I found to be distracting.  First, the progressive elements of the track detract from the overall groove. The song ramps up but then falls back several times, diminishing its impact. Second, the song is about a rocket ship taking off and propelling through space. When the melody slows, you get voiceovers from the spaceship, mission control, and a news outlet. This is a distraction and something I never liked inserted throughout songs.

The album gets back on track with a pair of high energy rockers. ‘My Redemption’ and ‘Call My Name’ are both solidly constructed songs with dynamic aspects that keep the listener engaged and a great sing-along chorus that drips melody.

Other standout tracks include the intense ‘Live Life on the Run’ with Mikael Rosengren’s keyboards adding a great atmospheric feel to the chorus just as the melody slows. The final two tracks are some of the best on the album due to their lyrical content and structuring. ‘Stand Up’ is all about recovering from a bad breakup and pulling yourself out of a funk. The various changes in rhythm from the verses, which is slower, to the bridge build-up, and the impactful chorus adds some progressive elements that are utilized in the right way without sacrificing melody. ‘Tears I Cry’ opens with 80’s synth-like keys in what one would believe would be a ballad. By the chorus, it erupts into a mid-tempo rocker about people dealing with an unspecified tragedy. The arrangement here is perfect, with the keys adding just the right amount of atmosphere. Janne’s solo and outro here are standouts amongst the many great riffs he provides on the album.

That right there I feel is the “Secret Sauce”. Janne Stark’s handling of both the guitar AND bass elevates the entire project. His bass lines in this outing are prominent and create a tremendous bottom end. He also mixed and mastered the album, which explains why the bass is pushed more to the front to great effect.

Can’t compare it to what came before but this surely must be a standout album for them. Some great melodies and grooves combined with exceptional vocals and a thick production make for a great sounding album. There’s no way this won’t make it into people’s list of top albums of the year. All melodic hard rock fans need to add this to their collection.

Tracklist:

1. Evermore
2. Higher
3. My Redemption
4. Call My Name
5. Build This House
6. Live Life on the Run
7. You Don’t Know Love
8. Rise
9. I Can’t Believe (That This is Love)
10. Stand Up
11. Tears I Cry