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H R H - R E V I E W SPyramaze by
Derric Miller
Comments: Would you consider a beast — one created of fire and iron and holding the charred remains of a human — “melancholy?” Well, Pyramaze does, as you can see on the cover of their surprising debut Melancholy Beast. Pyramaze, who feature ex-Balance of Power vocalist Lance King, almost didn’t have King be part of the project. But after Intromental heard the music, they knew they needed a talent equal to delivering the vision the band had created, and King joined the band. You couldn’t ask for a better voice for this kind of music. Starting off with the intricate “Sleepy Hollow,” you’ll hear distorted vocals telling the tale of Ichabod Crane. The composition of the music is at once majestic and brooding, if that’s even possible. King has been compared to many in the industry, wielding the range of someone like James LaBrie, but he has a deeper well to draw from than many of the tinny yet talented screamers out there. The speedy song is layered with keyboards, excellent background vocals, and thumping drumming from Morten Gade. Although individually each musician shines on his own, the best part about Pyramaze is that they all play within themselves to focus on the song. “Melancholy Beast,” owns the catchiest chorus on the CD. You can feel a sense of longing in King’s voice as he sings, “And now it’s been so long, your cry of pain to someone … you are the melancholy beast of the woods.” The guitar playing by Michael Kammeyer is a true highlight here as well, especially as the song solos out with keyboards and his guitar. Awesome tune. Pyramaze shows another side to their power/prog metal side on the somber “Until We Fade Away.” Ultra-melodic like a Stratovarious ballad, melody oozes from each line. But, they add in a tangible darkness on some lines, King’s voice layered with a voice singing an octave lower. This deep into the album, you’ll stop analyzing and just start enjoying. King proves he was worthy of joining the band on this track. If you start looking for something to go awry, it doesn’t happen. In fact, they back up the prior track with “Legend,” a song thick with riffing, powerful drumming and again, inspired vocals by King. Kammemeyer wrote the lion’s share of songs on this CD, and he succeeded in bringing his vision to life. This
is one of those rare CDs you never hit skip on, and that you want
to listen to all the way through. The scary thing is their new CD
will be out in the upcoming months; how are they going to top one
of this genre’s best releases in years? Maybe they will keep
surprising and take things to another zenith, but regardless, Melancholy
Beast can be measured against the giants and not found wanting. www.pyramaze.com HRH Rating: 8.4/10
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