MaYaN's 'Dhyana' - Album Review

While the Dutch symphonic/death/progressive metal collective MaYaN, who were formed back in 2010 by former After Forever bandmates Mark Jansen and Jack Driessen, initially seemed nothing more than a spin-off from the symphonic metal genre-leading band Epica, the project has long since truly taken on a life of its own and stepped out from behind Epica's shadow. It did not help that the early MaYaN line-ups contained so many of the same musicians as Epica, but the current incarnation of the ten-piece only shares two members with Epica - helping to allow MaYaN to finally carve out their own identity. While the aforementioned Jansen, who handles MaYaN's harsh vocals, along with drummer Ariën van Weesenbeek split their time between MaYaN and Epica, the rest of the expansive ranks of MaYaN are now almost-exclusive to the band. While MaYaN has often seemed like a side project, with the release of the band's third studio album Dhyana last month the band now seem to be establishing themselves as a powerful and creative force in their own right. While previous MaYaN albums have basically been the result of collaborations between Jansen, keyboardist Driessen, and guitarist Frank Schiphorst; Dhyana sees the band taking a more collaborative approach. The band's core three have again been responsible for much of the music, but the lyrics - which have traditionally been Jansen's domain - this time around feature contributions from new members Marcela Bovio (Stream of Passion) and Adam Denlinger, among others. This shake up in the songwriting department has allowed MaYaN to create an album that is packed with diversity - but is also full of hooks. Those familiar with Bovio's previous work will know of her ability to craft enchanting vocal melodies, and those skills mixed with the band's heavy progressive metal backing creates some of the album's best moments. There are no fewer than six lead singers credited throughout. Returning vocalists Jansen, soprano Laura Macrì, and the powerhouse German Henning Basse; are joined by Bovio (who did in fact contribute some additional vocals to the band's 2014 outing Antagonise on a session basis), Denlinger, and the veteran growler George Oosthoek (Orphanage). With two male harsh vocalists, two male clean vocalists, and two very different female vocalists; MaYaN's vocal attack is extremely diverse, with multiple styles and vibes present in each of the album's eleven songs. As well as welcoming Bovio, Denlinger, and Oosthoek into the MaYaN fold on Dhyana, the album also marks the debut in the studio of bassist Roel Käller and guitarist Merel Bechtold (Purest of Pain; Delain) - although she sadly only contributed her considerable talents to one of the songs here, presumably due to her heavy touring schedule with her other bands. As with the band's last album, Joost van den Broek handled the production here which ensures the album sounds clear and powerful, while allowing the The City Of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra who are featured throughout to really shine - accentuating the band's heavy metal sound with pure symphonic beauty.

Instead of launching with the symphonic intro piece typical of albums of this type, Dhyana gets off to a bang with the epic The Rhythm of Freedom. Dramatic strings and choral vocals still open the album, but this does not last long before a massive blast beat from van Weesenbeek and a tremolo-picked riff from Schiphorst get the song proper underway. This symphonic black metal-esque opening sets the tone for the piece, as harsh vocals dominate the early parts of the song. Jansen and Oosthoek team up well to deliver the growls, while Basse unleashes his rich, deep cleans to add injections of melody here and there. Sadly Basse has recently stepped down from his duties as a full-time member of MaYaN, but still found time to contribute plenty of strong vocal lines to this album. Despite Basse's heroics in this song however, this is a number that belongs to the harsh vocalists. On the whole this album feels more melodic and somewhat more accessible than the band's previous works, but this song goes for the throat right away with black metal aesthetics, devastating growls, and a furious shredded guitar and keyboard duel that shows off the band members' instrumental prowess. Tornado of Thoughts (I Don't Think, Therefore I Am) is less full on, and is based around a simple, bombastic guitar pattern that is made all the more powerful by van Weesenbeek's fast footwork. Harsh vocals dominate early on again, but the band's two female singers add some choral stabs throughout for injections of gothic melody, while Denlinger handles the power metal-esque chorus. MaYaN seems to be a band where everything goes. Anything that can be shoehorned into the band's sound will be included, and this keeps the listener guessing at every turn. While this song on the whole is more accessible than the opening, there is still a crushingly heavy slow section that sounds like something Paradise Lost might have come up with in the early stages of their career. The shift from orchestral bombast to downtuned anvil-heavy riffing provides a great change of pace that shakes up the entire song. Lead single Saints Don't Die is probably the closest thing here to Jansen's work with Epica. Macrì provides the soaring classical vocals during the song's slow-burning intro, while Basse's powerful delivery makes up much of the verses. If Simone Simons was singing Basse's parts, this song could easily pass as an Epica tune, but the deeper male vocals give the song a different feeling, while Oosthoek's deeper growls adding more weight. The musical arrangements here are far less chaotic and complex, which allows the band's many vocalists to shine. The shorter title track follows, and it is a drastic change of pace from the album up until this point. It is an entirely acoustic song that features the vocal talents of Macrì and Bovio - the former contributing the operatic vocals and the latter delivering the enchanting vocal style she has become known for. The acoustic and string backing really suits the mood, and helps provide a little break from the pummelling metal that the album has been filled with so far.

Rebirth from Despair returns to the album's traditional sound, but with the heavier overtones of the opening song back in full force. Harsh vocal dominate the song, with dark gothic strings really adding to the unsettling atmosphere. Macrì does her part here too, with lots of soprano screeches mixed into the background which really help to compliment the growls happening upfront. The song's chorus is a bit more overly melodic however, with Bovio delivering the hooky melodies with the class and control that defines her style. The band's progressive tendencies are on show here too, with a more mellow breakdown taking pace about half way through which allows Käller to showcase some fluid, melodic bass playing. This does not last for long however, and before long the break-neck metal assault is back! The Power Process opens with a fairly jaunty orchestral riff, before a slow-burning bass-heavy verse takes over with Bovio's vocals really shining against the fairly minimalist backdrop. This minimalism does not set the tone for the whole song however, with moments of explosive symphonic metal fitting in around these more paired-back moments. Despite some harsh vocals here and there, this is a song that belongs to both Bovio and Macrì who constantly trade vocal lines throughout, their distinct vocal styles complimenting each other really well and adding something different to the proceedings in the process. The Illusory Self is the album's longest song at over nine minutes in length, and this is the only song on the album to feature Bechtold who contributes the acoustic guitars here. Given the song's length, it is unsurprising that there is a lot going on here - with all of the band's signature tropes on display. An early highlight is a gorgeous duet between Macrì and Denlinger. The two might be unconventional singing partners, but their voices mix together really nicely which creates a combination that soars above the simple drum pattern and slow-paced acoustic guitar lines. In fact Macrì shines throughout the whole piece, her classically-trained voice adding a real touch of class to the weighty and riff-heavy piece. There is also lots great guitar work here from Schiphorst. While he spends most of time throughout the album laying down tough rhythms and abrasive palm-muted runs, there are also lots of flashes of genius throughout. This song has lots of little lead breaks and progressive turns that allow for his guitar work to take a turn from the norm and come up with something a little more creative. Satori is similar to the album's title track, but is piano-based rather than revolving around acoustic guitars. Driessen provides the main musical backing, while Macrì lays down a dramatic operatic vocal performance atop the dancing strings. She is clearly a true classical singer, unlike many of the pseudo-operatic singers that fill many symphonic metal bands. Her voice may be somewhat hard on the ears for the uninitiated, but she is a big part of the MaYaN sound and this song allows her to fully showcase he talents.

Maya (The Veil of Delusion) ramps up the heaviness again with a rolling drum beat that occasionally strays into black metal blast beat territory again. Macrì's operatics return again here, but with a much heavier backing than previously, but Jansen and Oosthoek team up for the vast majority of the song - trading growled lines with their subtly different styles. As a result of this reliance on harsh vocals, this is probably one of the album's heaviest pieces. There is little respite here, with van Weesenbeek getting an almost-continuous workout behind the drums. Songs like this make MaYaN hard to pigeon hole, and shows them to be more than your average symphonic metal band. There are many songs that are likely to appeal to more of an extreme metal audience than would usually listen to bands like Epica, but then the more melodic moments might prove difficult for those fans. This combination and diversity makes for an acquired taste, but one that is worth getting used to. The Flaming Rage of God features Driessen's keyboards much more prominently than the majority of the songs. While his synths are obviously behind some of the orchestrations, the song features a prominent piano line backing up the main guitar rhythms which really helps to add an extra dimension to the piece. There is also a keyboard solo, but this is contributed by producer van den Broek. It adds a lot to the song however, and injects a spark of melody into what would otherwise be a fairly hectic instrumental section. There is no real dominating vocal force here either which gives the song a diverse sound without ever establishing a true character. Set Me Free is the album's closing piece, and slows the pace down to a bit of a mid-paced grind. Basse is the main vocal force here, and this is a great way to sign off his 'official' years spent with MaYaN. I hope he still continues to contribute to the band's albums and shows when he is able to however, as his rich clean vocals really suit MaYaN's style. Others contribute here of course, but for me this is Basse's song. The chorus sees his voice soar above the harsh vocal backing and the little hint of menace in the vocals really suits the song's somewhat slower pace. That is not to say that there are not moments of speed however, with blast beats once again surfacing during a limited portion of the song to turn things on their head for a brief period. It is a great way to a close out a diverse and bombastic album, and the simpler grind of the piece helps to emphasise the bands power right to the end. Overall, Dhyana is another really strong album from MaYaN that probably contains some of the band's best work yet. It is probably somewhat more accessible than the band's previous work, but in a way that does not compromise the band's core sound and style.

The album was released on 21st September 2018 via Nuclear Blast Records. Below is the band's promotional video for Saints Don't Die.