Pyramaze's 'Epitaph' - Album Review

If there is a progressive/power metal band out there that is perhaps the best deserving of the 'Best Band That You Have Never Heard Of' award - then Denmark's Pyramaze are probably that band. While the band certainly have their fans, and their five studio albums have all received excellent reviews throughout the years, they are certainly deserving of a much greater dose of attention. I discovered the band in probably 2008 or 2009, when I purchased a copy of their second album, 2006's Legend of the Bone Carver, from a second hand CD stall at a local market. My knowledge of metal, and music in general, at the time was nowhere near as vast as it is now - but there was something about the artwork that drew me in. I knew nothing about the band, but I instantly knew that they were a metal band and that they would probably be right up my street. When I got home and played Legend of the Bone Carver for the first time, I was hooked. I was getting into Iced Earth in a big way at the time, and Legend of the Bone Carver sounded to me like a much brighter and somewhat more progressive version of Iced Earth - but with a big helping of keyboards. This was before I knew about Matt Barlow's brief stint fronting the band between 2007 and 2008! Not too long after I got into the band however, Pyramaze essentially ceased to exist. When the band's founding guitarist and principle songwriter Michael Kammeyer left the band in 2011, I assumed that they would be finished. It indeed seemed that way for a while, but in 2015 the band were reactivated by keyboardist Jonah Weingarten, drummer Morten Gade Sørensen, and guitarist Toke Skjønnemand - with their producer Jacob Hansen joining the band as a second guitarist, alongside new frontman Terje Harøy. This five-piece line-up remains in place today, and the band have released two excellent albums since reforming in 2015. 2015's Disciples of the Sun (which I reviewed here) and 2017's Contingent (which I also reviewed here) are both fantastic albums (particularly the former) and, while Legend of the Bone Carver remains my favourite Pyramaze album due to the impact it had on me many years ago, Pyramaze are arguably the strongest that they have ever been at this point. The strength of their recent work does not seem to have gone unnoticed however, as recently the band signed to AFM Records - which is the home of their newly-released sixth album Epitaph. In my view, Epitaph is the best album that the current iteration of Pyramaze have put together yet. It takes the best elements of both of the previous albums: the soaring melodic hooks of Disciples of the Sun and the cinematic, progressive grandeur of Contingent; to create an album that is easily the band's most ambitious and diverse release to date. There is a lushness and a confidence present throughout this album that helps to set it apart from the band's other recent albums - and it is amazing how much grander, and indeed heavier, everything sounds here. I really liked the band's last couple of albums, but in my opinion Epitaph really sees the current line-up of Pyramaze come into their own - with their core sound finally forged after fusing their previous selves together. As with the band's last two albums, most of the lyrics here were written by Henrik Fevre (Anubis Gate); with some contributions from new contributor Christoffer Stjerne - but Epitaph ends in a real treat with a guest lyricist that brings the band's discography full circle.

With Weingarten being one of the in-demand composers for symphonic album intros these days, it is unsurprising that Epitaph opens in a grand fashion. The album's short instrumental title track is full of lush orchestrations and emotional piano melodies; and it works to really set the tone for what is to come. Epitaph as an album is packed full of different emotions and vibes; and the title track manages to wrap all of this up in a relatively short package - which leads nicely into the opening song proper A Stroke of Magic. One thing that is clear as soon as A Stroke of Magic kicks off with its heavy, mid-paced riff is just how heavy some parts of this album are. This is easily the heaviest and darkest album of the Harøy era yet, but the soaring melodies that the band have made their trademark are still present in a big way. I said this during my review of Contingent, but the real star of the show throughout this album again is Harøy. He has improved in confidence as a frontman with each Pyramaze album - and here he puts in his best performance yet. The song's verses, which feature something of a TesseracT-esque tech metal chug, see him taking a somewhat more aggressive vocal approach than he is known for; but his usual soaring style is unleashed during the cinematic chorus - which is the album's first real big hook. In many ways, A Stroke of Magic is a real microcosm of the album. The heavier riffing that makes this album tick is present in a big way, but the huge orchestrations of Weingarten's keyboards link things back to the band's long-established sound. It is instantly familiar as modern Pyramaze, but with a lot more grit and confidence - and it is only the just the beginning. Steal My Crown opens with some swirling keyboards, which come to dominate parts of the song, but overall it is pacier and more lush sounding than the heavier opening number - with Skjønnemand's pulsing progressive riffing propelling one of his compositional creations forward. Steal My Crown is something of the opposite to A Stroke of Magic, with the melodic sound of Disciples of the Sun really pushed to the fore. Everything here really serves the song's overall melodic quality, with the dancing synths and choppy rhythms all providing a tight backing for Harøy's smooth vocals. The chorus really sounds like something left over from the Disciples of the Sun sessions, and it is great that some of the songs here still exhibit that core melodic focus. Knights in Shining Armour is much pacier, and one of the most 'true' power metal numbers here. Written by Weingarten, the song opens with a great guitar/keyboard lead that morphs into a crunchy verse with a lot of twinkly keyboard melodies which act as a great contrast to the tougher rhythms. In true power metal fashion, melody is key here. Even though the song fits into the heavier mould that the album is pushing overall, there is still a lot of emphasis on hooks here. The chorus sounds like an old-school Stratovarius moment, but forced through a modern, cinematic filter. Sørensen's fast double bass drumming propels the anthemic chorus at speeds that evoke the Finnish band, but the modern production style and Harøy's smooth voice stop it from sounding like a pastiche.

Bird of Prey sounds like another throwback to the Disciples of the Sun sessions. It is a grand-sounding piece, but it is also quite dynamic - with somewhat heavier sections sitting side-by-side with more reflective moments. This approach works really well, with the heavier opening riff setting the tone; before the relatively sparse verses allow for a more reflective moment. The guitars are mixed somewhat into the background during the verses, their presence simply providing a subtle chug while the keyboards and vocals take the centre stage. The choruses see the return of the heavier riff from the opening moments of the song however, and the sound overall grows in stature to allow the band's core cinematic approach to really shine. Choppy guitar leads and thick orchestrations are the perfect backing for Harøy and his subtle vocal harmonies - and the chorus is another great hooky moment. Your Last Call is heavier, and opens with a flurry of drums and riffing before a twin-guitar lead kicks in to provide the song's main hook. This is a song that, like A Stroke of Magic, represents the band's now-established core sound. There is more of the band's heaviness on show here, with tech metal grooves and pulsing synths during the kinetic verses, but the vocal hooks are to die for with another killer chorus and lots of more organic piano melodies throughout to counter the modern synths and grooves. In my opinion it is songs like this that best showcase what Pyramaze are about now; with the band's mix of styles really meshing together perfectly. Particle is a similar, but there is a real focus on vocal melodies this time around. The song is still quite heavy in places, but the grooves really allow Harøy to shine. There are moments here where he sings some almost modern RnB/pop-esque patterns atop some staccato drum patterns - but his smooth delivery works alongside the synths to stop the track sounding like something from a generic modern pop album. I like the fact that the band have the confidence to try something like this however, and the song still has its heavy moments to reassure the listener that the band are still a metal act at heart. The song might not be as grand in scope as many of the others here, but the hooks and slightly strange take on the band's sound makes up for this divergence. Indestructible is very much Pyramaze to their core however, with a lush symphonic metal intro giving way to a chugging, heavy verse that slows the pace down and allows Harøy to lay down one of the best vocals of his Pyramaze career so far. During the verses he actually sounds like Kamelot's Tommy Karevik a little, which is a different vibe for him, but his usual style is employed during the huge choruses - which are the band at their cinematic best. Despite this heavier, more symphonic sound, the song is still extremely hooky. Harøy's emotional verse vocals really draw the listener in, and the explosive chorus hits them with powerful melodies and orchestrations. There is also a great Skjønnemand guitar solo towards the end that is perhaps somewhat slower and bluesier than one might expect, which is a nice twist on the overall symphonic metal genre.

Transcendence features Brittney Slayes (Unleash the Archers) duetting with Harøy, her gritty, yet melodic, vocal delivery meshing well with his smoother croon. I am unfamiliar with Slayes (although Unleash the Archers are a band that I have been meaning to the properly check out for a while), but her contributions enhance the poppy and hooky track - although I get the impression that she might be holding back a little here, as I understand that she can be quite the vocal powerhouse. Despite this however, she still sounds great and really adds another dimension to the memorable song - with her and Harøy's voices meshing together particularly well during the groovy yet frenetic choruses. One of the song's best moments however is the guitar solo, which is one of the fastest and most-explosive of the album. Skjønnemand outdoes himself here with a great flurry of notes that is something of a contrast to the more precise, melodic nature of the rest of the song. Final Hour is heavier and faster, with a great old-school power metal sound again on display - but with a good helping of the band's more cinematic approach grounding the track within the album. The chorus is one of the album's most instantly-memorable moments, with Harøy's soaring vocals really leaping out of the speakers while the keyboards dance away behind him. There is definitely a good helping of the Contingent sound here, but with some of the heaviness of the band's early albums on display too. It is a great mix of old and new, but with an overall forward-looking feeling. World Foregone also sounds like a bit of a throwback to Disciples of the Sun, with a great smoothness to its sound and a big piano presence throughout - which is unsurprising as Weingarten wrote it. It might not be the most explosive number here, but the orchestrations and the more deliberate pace helps it to stand out in another way. It is quite an emotional track with topical lyrical themes; and the content here really allows Harøy to shine. His vocal performance here is another of his best, and he manages to convey the emotional weight of the lyrics perfectly; while still ensuring that there are plenty of hooks for the listener to latch onto. The band saved the best for last however, with the epic The Time Traveller not only being the best thing here - but it might well be the best Pyramaze song to date. This is the treat that I mentioned earlier, as it is a song that brings all of the eras of Pyramaze together. Kammeyer is the guest lyricist that I teased, and both of the band's former singers, Lance King and Barlow, have returned to provide their unique voices to the lengthy, progressive song - who perfectly play off Harøy throughout. The song really is a best of Pyramaze's previous five albums - with moments that recall 2004's Melancholy Beast, Legend of the Bone Carver, 2008's Immortal, and the Harøy era all coming together perfectly. This song is a real feast for long-time fans of the band, with the band's old power metal sound being pushed to the fore at times with flashy keyboard solos and King's high-pitched vocals; while the grit of Immortal is represented by chugging riffs and Barlow's ageless croon. In many ways, this song is pure fan service - but it is executed so well that it does not matter. Each singer sounds great, and contributes their unique style to the varied song, and the rest of the band holds it all together - with solos and barrelling riffs aplenty. It is a shame that Pyramaze will probably never produce something so complete and epic again; but The Time Traveller is a real 'lightning in a bottle' moment that is easily one of the best progressive metal moments of the year. Despite The Time Traveller easily being the best song here, it is a tribute to the rest of the material here that the album as a whole still stands tall. Epitaph is a great release from a band that continues to improve; and for me it is where Pyramaze's current line-up has really come of age. There is such diversity and maturity here, but the melodies and hooks from the past are still here in spades. For me, the best albums of 2020 have largely been classic and hard rock releases, but Epitaph stands tall as one of the best examples of metal this year.

The album was released on 13th November 2020 via AFM Records. Below is the band's promotional lyric video for A Stroke of Magic.