Archetype is a relatively new band hailing from America, and they are one of those cool discoveries that doesn't come along too often.
Chris Matyus (Guitars),
Greg Wagner (Vocals),
Keith Zeigler (Drums) and
Jamie Still (Bass) have created a unique debut album with Dawning. The music is best described as a mix of Power and Progressive Metal with a fine pinch of emotionfilled agression.
Imagine the music of Iced Earth. Now add an ounce of complexity, speed and agression and finally add 2 tons of riffs and solos and you will have a little idea of the musical direction of
Archetype. Still, the music is not really comparable to any band I know. In short, The music is cool as hell! Complex and technical, but still very melodic. Always powerful and sometimes even enchanting with the myriad of changes that go through the songs. After listening more and more to the album the songs begin to open up and show their true strength.
All musicians are fantastic on their chosen instrument.
Chris Matyus (Guitar) throws riffs and solos around with the speed of lightning, as if breeds them from an unlimited supply. It keeps the listener on the edge, never knowing what's going to happen next.
Keith Zeigler (Drums) is very inventive in his way of playing. When I can concentrate on the drums for a whole album and not be bored, then I know something exceptional is going on. Keith has a tightness and a precision that is perplexing. All the little touches, like the cymbal ending to
Final Day that makes me remember the cool drum solo the song started out with, are very... cool.
Jamie Still on the bass is luckily not forgotten in the production. The sound on Dawning has the bass just at the right volume. There are cool bass lines in most of the songs and many small touches that makes you go "Ahh cool..." These appear throughout the album and suddenly show themselves after several listens.
Basically all the instruments play an equal part in making the music extremely entertaining.
The voice of
Greg Wagner has a lot to live up to, to be able to enchance the powerful and dynamic music in a good way. That he succeeds in just that, is a huge compliment. He has a tone in his voice that is unique and is capable of sounding like Matt Barlow (Iced Earth) when he wants, but that is not too often. He commands a huge range and fits the music perfect. Somehow he is capable of singing everything, whether the music demands power, melody, drama or atmosphere and he delivers with a lot of emotion in his voice. A couple of times when he really lets go, it sends shivers down the spine.
I will just comment on a few of my favourite songs and leave the rest for yourself to discover.
The opener
Final day grabs you by the throat and doesn't let go. Right from the immensely cool opening drums to the galloping bass line through the furious guitar riffs and solos this song is one hell of a ride. Right when Greg starts singing the song gains an almost epic edge. Definitely a favourite.
The slower and tension filled
Hands of time has a great vibe and Greg shows how much power his voice commands with the opening lines of the song.
The changing guitar riffs and solos in a song like
Dawning are sooo cool. The always changing instruments give the song a sense of wonder, and not knowing what to expect next. Once the song picks up speed, it has such an excellent drive that it's almost impossible not to stand up and throw your head around. Again Greg expands his voice in a new cool way.
Finishing off the album is the 12:38 minute epic masterstroke
Years ago. Setting the mood with an instrumental intro on acoustic guitar works perfect. Greg Wagner's smoooth vocals enter the sound slowly, along with a cool bass line, before the song takes a turn and crashes into a heavy riff. There is a sadness to parts of this song that are beautifully conveyed through Greg's voice. The ending part of the song is the highlight and a true goosebump moment.
Other favourites include
Inside your dreams with it's huge chorus and excellent guitar playing, the strangely beautiful
Arisen and
Visionary, which has an excellent start where the drums and bass play together with perfection, while a little guitar melody is on top with Greg's voice. It's all these layers that make the music so interesting.
The album has room for two instrumentals surrounding
Years ago, which I find good and very fitting for the concept.
The lyrical side of the album is quite mystical and spiritual. The way I see it, there is a concept behind the lyrics, dealing with the journey of a person to seek out his meaning in life. I still need to read them some more times before fully understanding the concept, but reading the lyrics definitely enhances the experience of the songs.
There are no bad songs on Dawning. The songwriting is consistent and of high standard, but the album can be alot to take in and almost seems too complex at times. It definitely needs time to develop. With some development in the songwriting department this 'problem' should be eliminated. What I mean is, that sometimes I miss some more coherence in some of the songs. No doubt this is an incredibly talented bunch of musicians and I'm looking forward to seeing how they develop with their next album. It has the potential to be out of this world.
Overall the music has a fantastic drive. The cool way all the instruments work together creates a special and very complex sound. Hard and heavy guitar riffs and solos burst forth with amazing speed and clarity.
So, to conclude, what you will discover here is music of an extremely high standard. Agressive riffs and solos interweave with tight and inventive drumming, cool bass lines and a singer with an ominous voice of distinct power and expression.
Grading is always a hard thing, but here we go... I think the review pretty much speaks for itself. If you haven't heard
Archetype yet, I hope that I've tickled your interest. This is a band to look out for in the future.
Written by
Steen Sunday, March 2, 2003
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