Pythia's 'The Solace of Ancient Earth' - Album Review

There are not too many symphonic metal bands from the UK, and there are fewer that have made a bit of a name for themselves outside of their local scenes. One such band that has seen some success is Pythia - a London-based six-piece band that have been around since 2007. Part of me wants to call the band 'up and coming', but it seems wrong to call a band that have been around for twelve years now up and coming! They were one of those bands that I thought might have broken through into the wider metal world at one point, but sadly that has just not been the case for Pythia. Many smaller bands seem to suffer with momentum issues, probably due to trying to fit the music around their day jobs, but Pythia seem to have suffered more than most - with long gaps often occurring between releases and a fluctuating line-up. Despite this, the band has managed to maintain a pretty consistent quality between albums. 2009's debut Beyond the Veiled Embrace was a strong offering at a time when symphonic metal really was the flavour of the month. Since then the genre's star has somewhat faded, save for some of the big-name acts still maintaining strong profiles, but that has not stopped Pythia from releasing enjoyable albums. 2012's The Serpent's Curse and 2014's Shadows of a Broken Past were also extremely enjoyable releases - but sadly the band somewhat fell apart not too long after the release of the latter due to the departure of frontwoman Emily Alice Ovenden. Considering that this departure left guitarist Ross White and drummer Marc Dyos the only original members of the band left, many wondered whether or not the band would carry on. They ultimately chose to continue, and announced the addition of vocalist Sophie Dormer in 2015. Since then the band has been making sporadic live appearances, and working on their fourth album - which was finally released last month under the name The Solace of Ancient Earth. The Solace of Ancient Earth marks the debut in the studio with Pythia of Dormer, as well as guitarist Jamie Hunt (Biomechanical; One Machine) and bassist Ash Porter who have both joined the band in recent years - making the 2019 iteration of Pythia quite different from the one which wrote and recorded Shadows of a Broken Past. Despite this line-up overhaul, the band's sound is still very much intact. The band are a symphonic metal act, which means that Marcus Matusiak's keyboards are a big part of their sound adding gothic drama and sweeping orchestral arrangements, but Pythia are often more guitar-focused than many of their peers. All too often in symphonic metal the guitars are purely there to grind out heavy rhythms, but that is not always the case with Pythia. White and Hunt trade plenty of memorable riffs and leads throughout the album, with plenty of shredded solos thrown in for good measure when the song demands it!

An Earthen Lament opens the album in fine fashion, with a chugging guitar rhythm and a slow, mournful keyboard melody creating a slow-burning build up. Porter's beefy bass then takes over, and briefly dominates, before a chugging verse introduces Dormer to the band's fanbase. Symphonic metal albums often get underway with an orchestral intro, but this album goes for a high-energy approach - with the pace barely letting up once the song gets going properly. The guitars have a satisfying crunch throughout, and are the perfect backing for Dormer's vocals. Her more natural voice is a little lower than your average symphonic metal female vocalist, which is clear from her verse delivery, but she pushes herself to go higher during the choruses - which are clearly influenced by early Nightwish with Dyos' fast double bass drumming keeping everything ticking along nicely. There is a fantastic instrumental section part way through the piece too, with Matusiak showing off with a lengthy keyboard solo, before the guitarists take over with some shredded soloing of their own. Spirits of the Trees, which the band shot a music video for, has more of a mid-paced crunch throughout - with the two guitarists and bassist laying down a strong groove for the verse, with Dyos adding to the slower feel with a more percussive approach to his drum kit. The verses are extremely simple, which help the vocal melodies to shine, and also helps to create a nice contrast with the slightly more bombastic choruses that see the pace upped somewhat, and Dormer reaching some higher notes. I particularly like the bridge section that occurs just before the song's guitar and keyboard dual, as it includes a few little guitar licks that stand out and help the song to have an identity of its own. As I said earlier, Pythia certainly make better use of their guitarists' skills than many other symphonic metal acts, and these little flourishes are a good example of this. Ancient Soul is more of an explosive piece, with some fast drumming from Dyos from the off and some excellent twin guitar leads that add a lot of melody early on. I like it that the band are not afraid to play at fast tempos a lot of the time. Many of the less-interesting symphonic metal acts often are extremely one-paced and happy to chug along at a mid-pace most of the time, but Pythia certainly like to emphasise the 'metal' element of their sound. This song is one of the heaviest here, with lots of pseudo-thrashy riffing, pinch harmonics, and double bass drumming - and it makes a slower section that is dominated by a synth lead all the more powerful as a result. There is even the occasional nod to extreme metal here and there too, with some short bursts of tremolo picking that come out nowhere to add an edge to the piece.

Black Wings is more of a mid-paced piece - but it has a real weight to it thanks to White and Hunt teaming up for some muscular guitar riffs, as Dormer adds some wordless, Siren-esque vocals early on. The verses maintain this feel, with the keyboards taking a backseat to allow the heaviness to really shine through. The lower end of Dormer's voice is used to great effect here, and her delivery really fits in well with the methodical crunch of the guitars. The riffing throughout the song is extremely memorable, and really helps to establish a powerful groove throughout - which is nicely rounded out by Porter's bass, which is nice and present in the mix. The choruses see things speed up somewhat, and also feature some of the highest notes hit by Dormer on the entire album. She has quite a range, and is the perfect fit for the band following the departure of their former frontwoman. The song is a catchy one, and Dormer's melodies are a big part of what makes it so. Your Dark Reign has strong gothic overtones, with Matusiak's keyboards providing an eerie murkiness early on, and a tortured guitar lead only adds to the vibe. Things lighten up somewhat when Dormer starts singing, but you feel that the darkness is never too far away - despite a tinkling melody that sits just under her voice. The darkness does return, and it is a big part of the choruses here. The keyboards add some real drama, with symphonic stabs that recall the gothic nature of the song's intro section. This, coupled with some fast stop-start drumming from Dyos, make the chorus really stand out from the crowd - giving it a vibe quite unlike anything else present on the album. Dawn Will Come is one of the slower songs on the album, and opens with a soaring, but mournful guitar lead that sets the tone perfectly for the rest of the song. The slower nature of the piece allows Dormer to open up a little more vocally, with her lower vocals fitting into the more 'gothic ballad' vibes being created. There are faster moments, but these tend to be short-lived and a much more powerful as a result. They are short bursts of energy within a more mournful setting - but for me it is the slower portions that are more interesting, simply as there are not too many examples present on the album. I like the slower side to Pythia, and it is a nice contrast to their usual 'in your face' metal style that helps them to stand out from much of the symphonic metal crowd. Hold of Winter ups the pace once again, and opens with some of the fastest beats found on the album! The opening section features some blast beats, and some nasty guitar riffs to match, giving the illusion of extreme metal - but this soon gives way to allow the band's usual sound to take over. Despite this, the song has a sense of urgency quite unlike anything else on the album, with the blast beats resurfacing during the choruses for Dormer to effortlessly warble over. These sections, coupled with the overall speed of the piece, ensure that this is one of the heaviest songs on the album - and a furious, shredded guitar solo that surfaces towards the end only reinforces this.

Ghost in the Woods has a strong, mid-paced crunch feel to it, with White and Hunt teaming up to lay down a tough rhythm with the occasional flurry of notes to keep things interesting. Early on the guitars often drop out to leave Dormer singing with just the keyboards to back her up, only to come crashing back in at the end of each vocal line for added power. I like this stop-start nature, as it helps the faster chorus to hit much harder with its relentless double bass drumming and high-pitched vocals. The contrast works well - but I think my favourite part of the song is the lengthy guitar solo. It is not as fast as some of the efforts here, instead focusing a little more on melodic phrasing, with the occasional burst of speed when necessary. Crumble to Dust opens with some gentle piano melodies and a melancholic guitar leads. You would be forgiven for thinking that the song was going to be a ballad, especially when Dormer starts singing - but this feeling is short-lived and Dyos' drums soon come crashing in and some of the most explosive guitar leads on the album take over. This is almost DragonForce level of extreme fretboard pyrotechnics, and they really come out nowhere and impress. After this show of excess, which also resurfaces occasionally throughout, the song mostly moves along at a fast pace - with the odd break to allow for a more mid-paced groove to take over. The energy that the song creates throughout is excellent, and it really helps to add a real burst of juice at a point where some albums start to flag. The longest has been left to last, and the near-eight minute closing piece Soul to the Sea has a somewhat more progressive feel throughout. It opens with a bass riff from Porter, before a keyboard melody joins the fray and the song slowly builds up around them. This is a song that is going for something 'epic' than most of the other cuts here, and as a result the speed is mostly reigned in to allow a more dramatic mid-pace vibe to be created. The guitars and bass chug away throughout the song, with the keyboards adding to the big overall atmosphere. It is the choruses where the song really comes alive however, and they feature some of the most operatic vocals from Dormer on the album. Operatic vocals are less-common in symphonic metal than they used to be, so it is nice to see them used sparingly here. They can grate after a while, so it was a wise choice by the band to only deploy them when it was necessary. Due to the song's length, there are plenty of opportunities for everyone involved to show off a little too. There are a couple of strong guitar solos here, and towards the end Matusiak gets to show off a little of piano skills with a nice classically-inspired section. The song is a great way to close out the album, and it one of the most ambitious pieces the band has attempted yet. Overall, The Solace of Ancient Earth is a strong comeback album from Pythia after a major line-up overhaul and a five year break from releasing anything new. It showcases the band's new members perfectly, and hones their trademark sound further than previously - showing touches of extreme metal and prog melded well within the band's core sound.

The album was released on 17th May 2019 via Golden Axe Records. Below is the band's promotional video for Spirits of the Trees.