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So this is where it all started. Recorded back in 1996, it took another two years for this album to see the light of day. Surprisingly enough Tom Englund is the only member left from the original line-up here. However the line-up is very impressive, particularly drummer Patrick Carlsson (who would record with Evergrey right up until Recreation Day). His drum work is particularly impressive, especially his fills which are tastefully inventive – something that we would see increase in Solitude… and finally peak in the immense In Search Of Truth. The guitars here are rawer than we would see on future releases, with Dan Bronell and Tom Englund both tearing things up. The riffage and the harmonies are fantastic, although it wouldn't be until Henrik Danhage joined the fold that we would see the perfection of Evergrey's trademark harmonies. Listen to the first solo in "December 26th" or the solo from "Shadowed" both really cool solos and good examples of Dan's ability and style. Of course Tom's guitar solos are as awesome as ever - listen to "Trust and Betrayal" for a good example of his trademark style. The keyboards are not as prominent as they would be on subsequent releases, although they're handled tastefully and really add to the atmosphere. The voice-overs are featured which is something Evergrey have been lacking as of late. To round out my thoughts on the band members' performances, worth mentioning is Daniel Nojd's bass-work which is pretty sweet following the drums for the best part of the album – of course audible due to excellent production.

Evergrey pretty much hit the nail on the head from square one, featuring everything that would later catapult them to the top of the Progressive Metal genre. Compared to the rest of their releases this is probably their most riff-heavy, featuring some damn cool stuff 0 take a look at the blistering opener "Blackened Dawn"; the guitar work and riffs are immense. As always Evergrey deliver fantastic ballads, in the form of the short "As Light is Our Darkness" and the immense "For Every Tear That Falls" which is one of the best ballads I've heard, period. Some of my favorite tracks are the super-cool "Dark Discovery", featuring some lovely keys accentuating the crunchy riffs and Tom's superb vocal work. "Trust and Betrayal" as well as "Shadowed" are both brilliant Evergrey gems that make me happy as a fan. Despite the awesome releases that would follow, that fact remains that The Dark Discovery is a superb release and should never be overlooked amongst the Evergrey back catalogue. If you've yet to check Evergrey out this is a good place to start. Overall a very good release - particularly for a debut, something I can recommend to not just Evergrey fans but all Progressive Metal fans.