Archaic Revival
Pagan Evolution Independent

by Franco Wissa
Staff Writer

Comments: Simply put, this will surely turn the heads of those who are still unfamiliar with the genius behind, Archaic Revival - Derek Cvengros. From the very first moments of the opening track, "Rise of the Gods," does the ominous, heart racing vibe that one feels as the track begins to take shape, become very real -- very, very real, almost to the point that the listener becomes transported to another world.

It has been said time and again, that if the artist can bring across that feeling which he is trying to make part of the music, than that performer has done what few can do. And therein lies that which makes Pagan Evolution such an unbelievable find. What could (and should) become a must-listened to event to every true goth/symphonic metal purist, this is about as good as it can get. And the music, holy shit the music. Layers of complex symphonic orchestral strings and keyboard arrangements that both lay a delectable weave around metal guitar solos, huge riffs and chords, hard hitting drums and killer bass lines, (a listen to the bass line of "Son to the Fallen," will solidify that.) But here on Pagan Evolution it all works, and works extremely well.

With a blend of the progressive, gothic, operatic, classical, metal and symphonic (Dio, Ellis, 4Order, Oceanborn, Nightwish,) it is soft and acoustic, ("Unsung Hero,") stirring (Rise of the Gods,) bombastic ("Destiny's Crusade,") nasty but melodic ("Vendetta,") hard hitting ("Olympus,") downright metal ("Black Magick,") and starting as a soothing ballad but mid track growing into a grand, imposing and larger-than-life powerhouse is "Unjust Prophecy." And heard from one track to the next is the astonishing voice of the gorgeous Alexandria Clark; sounding like someone opened the heavens and flooded the studio with a voice that will dumbfound you. With a vocal range like Mother Earth's Sharon den Adel, Nightwish's Tarja Turunen or Theater of Tragedy's Liv Kristine Espenaes, Alexandria Clark's voice can only be described by one word -- angelic …

Said by many to be "Lord of the Rings" meets metal, Pagan Evolution's sound is mixed extremely well, the overall feel never comes across as overbearing or verbose, but throughout the music lays out perfectly - loud when it needs to be, and soft in others. The songwriting is multifaceted, but each part coming in and out of ear shot at exactly the right times, which in all gives Derek Cvengros, as the principal songwriter credence, that he did indeed spend hours over the musical score.

Hailing from Detroit, Mich., Archaic Revival founder Derek Cvengros began playing the guitar at the age of 14. But it was not until after his college education that the true love of Derek began to show through. Only after more than two years of brainstorming, recording, rehearsing, writing and wondering did this, his debut began to take shape, and the result is this CD which after a listen proves to have been monumental in its construction.

Bottom line is this -- play this, play it loud, allow it to completely overtake you, allow yourself to become immersed in the storyline, become part of the vocals, the strings, the incredible guitar work, and feel your heart begin to race as the opening drum line of the opening track, "Rise of the Gods," takes you away to a far off place.

Pagan Evolution -- what a brilliant, thoughtfully executed CD this is ...

Musicians
Alexandria Clark - vocals
Derek Cvengros - guitars, bass, string arrangements, programming, synthesizers

Track Listing:
Rise of the Gods
Son to the Fallen
Olympus
Unsung Hero
Vendetta
Autumn Winds
Destiny's Crusade
Black Magick
Unjust Prophecy

Hardrock Haven rating: 9.5/10