Back in the beginning of this year, I started listening to Pyramaze, a progressive metal group in the vein of power/epic metal. I got hooked on their particular musical style and fantasy-based lyrics, so I bought their “Melancholy Beast” album in the beginning of February. That album was impressive, to say the least. Then I heard their new album, “Legend of the Bone Carver”, was due on Feb 21st. From what I had heard, it was supposed to be better than MB, so I got excited at the idea of acquiring it. I didn’t get a chance to get it until last night as an iTunes download. I took the time to listen to it from beginning to end, and I thought it’d be good to write my first impressions of the songs as I listen. From what I gather, reading up on other reviews, it’s a concept album that tells an intriguing story of a boy who’s destiny is to fight a particular evil ravaging the world. Track-by track, here are my first impressions:

Era of Chaos: Good spoken intro, nicely done. I dare say the singer has a handsome speaking voice.

The Birth: Another good intro to what you can probably expect from the album. A solid, mid-tempo jam. Brilliant choruses to be had here!

What Lies Beyond: Started nodding my head thru the first few seconds… forty seconds into it, my jaw dropped and I was saying “Hell yes!!”. What a blazing rocker! “It cannot be undone!”
(Second impression: the middle interlude sends chills down my spine!! I can’t stop listening to this song!)

Ancient Words Within: Another mid-tempo prog-metal offering. Meaty riffs (especially halfway into the track) and some wonderful accentuating keyboard work. Man, can this guy sing!

Souls in Pain: Their feature track (would be called hit single in another era). The bell tolling through the silence in certain parts really makes it hit home. A very radio-friendly song, even with the tempo changes.

She Who Summoned Me: A beautiful, not-quite-formulaic ballad done as a duet between the singer (the hero’s role) and a female singer (as the summoner). All the sounds between the guitars and keyboards are wonderfully arranged and very uplifting. The ending lets you down nicely.

The Bone Carver: Starts out as a straightaway jam, then goes into a gallop rhythm for the verses, then picks it up in the choruses. This is another awesome jam any musician would appreciate!

Bring Back Life: One of the quirkier tracks in the album. It switches off between two different rhythms and keep you guessing. The slow middle is interesting, if not a little formulaic. It picks back up and keeps jamming until the end.

Blood Red Skies: The beginning features some doom drumming with a spoken word intro and female singing. Then just his speaking the story with moody synth string work, then the drums pick up again. An interesting way to tell a part of the story. “Let the war begin!”

Tears of Hate: Wow! They pulled out all the stops for this last track. No quarter given here! a very epic-sounding, pure power metal song with a slow, spoken word middle and mid-tempo outro to help bring closure to their story.

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I get the feeling, after listening to this album, that their last offering was just their way of noodling around and seeing what they could do. This time, they seemed to know exactly what they’re capable of, and decided to pull no punches. No fooling around this time!

After listening to the whole album, I went back to “What Lies Beyond” and cranked it up a notch! Again… wow!!

This entry was posted on Friday, March 24th, 2006 at 10:17 am and is filed under Music, Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.