And so
Pyramaze blast onto the scene with their impressive debut... Easily the best Heavy-Power Metal debut I have heard in a long time. This one equals the latest
Edguy as well as several other well known bands in terms of high quality music.
Danes Michael Kammeyer (guitar), Nils Kvist (Bass) and Morten Gade (Drums) have teamed up with Americans Jonah Weingarten (Keyboard) and Lance King (Vocals) and this makes for a very interesting cocktail. Lance King, who used to sing in
Balance of Power gives a completely brilliant and heartfelt performance and lifts some songs right off the ground. The detailed drum work is another very strong point of the band and some of the best I have heard in this genre for a long time. Morten Gade plays with a vigour like a viking on a vengeance cruise.
The sound is thick and powerful, yet very clear and sometimes during the album I was reminded of Germany's Lanfear, another outstanding Power Metal band that should be checked out. This was especially due to the wall of sound, Lance's voice in some parts and certain moments during
Sleepy hollow,
Forsaken kingdom and
The journey. But let me stress that they are not the same musically.
Pyramaze's guitar riffing is fast and very Iced Earth-like, but the music is not as dark. The music has a good atmosphere that is carried through the album. The songs are very well composed and each song has many changes and other things to keep your attention and add to the longevity.
Not everything is glorius and flawless though. The production is a little too polished. Lance King's vocals are sometimes layered several times on top of each other and this started to annoy me. It happens in almost every chorus and doesn't work as well as it should, maybe because each voice stands too much apart in the sound. Especially when listening with headphones this becomes apparant. One Lance King is all I need... Also, the use of harpsichord doesn't work at all. It has a very electric sound to it and I feel it destroys more than it gives the music. Luckily it doesn't turn up very frequently.
Well, back to the good things, the songs...
The first notes of
Sleepy hollow captured me at once. A tension building guitar melody is broken by a deeply spoken voice before Lance King's highpitched wail pierces the air and the song is off. A heavy and fast song with some nice guitar details that will show themselves after several listens.
The album has a couple of completely brilliant songs. I'm talking about
Forsaken kingdom and
The journey. Looking beyond the distracting harpsichord in the first part of
Forsaken kingdom, this song has a spellbinding chorus and will no doubt stay in your mind for a long time. I love the way this song builds up the tension. The same goes for
The journey which has a very impressive beginning. This song is also the one place where the layered vocals actually work.
The title track is a heavy beast and another highlight. A complex song that takes a few listens, but then really starts to open up. One song that doesn't do it for me is the power ballad
Until we fade. Again there is just something about the layered vocals that puts me off and the song is not that memorable.
Legend gets the album back on track with a strong opening and the song travels a great path through a chorus that will make you try to sing along with King by going
"UnicoOoOoOoOoOorn", of course you will fail miserably... Definitely another highlight.
Mighty abyss is a long track that starts out with just guitar and the soothing sounds of the ocean. Slowly the song builds in speed and tension and the highlight comes with an all out instrumental-fest in the last part of the song, making up for the somewhat static chorus.
The nature of triumph is a short atmosphere building intro to the album closer
The power of imagination. A powerful track indeed with equal amounts of speed, Iced Earth, heaviness and god-like singing. A fitting end to a great album.
Overall
Pyramaze's debut is highly enjoyable and recommended listening to all Heavy & Power Metal fans. The music is complex yet catchy and after many listens you will still find new things to enjoy. There is something pleasing about knowing that this kind of music is still being created in Denmark and without a doubt
Pyramaze is the most exciting band to come out of this country in recent times.
Pyramaze is not just a rehash of things done before, the band stands out and are clearly on their way to finding their sound. A few sharp edges still need to be polished, but I expect this band to go far.
Written by
Steen Thursday, June 3, 2004
Show all reviews by SteenRatingsSteen: 7.5/10Members: 8.5/10 - Average of 1 ratings.
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 | ProfessorShred
Rating: 8.5/10
Wow I loved this album from the very 1st time I listened to it. All the musicians are very... · Read more · |
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