Pyramaze

Savage Messiah – Demons Review

By Holdeneye on May 27, 2019 in 2019, Century Media, English Metal, Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, Reviews, Thrash Metal, Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, 85 comments

“During high school, I loved our local hard rock station, Funky Monkey, and it was integral in the development of my bad musical taste. The best feature was the tough guy voice that gave you the name of the band and the song title after each track had played, allowing me to quickly categorize which bands I did and didn’t like. But when I got my first iPod, all of that changed. Sure, I had a giant book of CDs that I had kept hidden in my car for when the radio wasn’t cutting it, but being able to load a tiny device with tons of songs was a game changer. Before long, I’d left most mainstream rock and metal behind and was listening to all things cheesy and trve.” The more things change….

Lance King – ReProgram Review

By Steel Druhm on March 27, 2019 in 2019, American Metal, Nightmare Records, Progressive Metal, Reviews, Progressive Metal, 69 comments

“Lance King, the former vocalist of Balance of Power and Pyramaze and pride of prog-metal lovers everywhere, has been too quiet for too long. Running Nightmare Records seems to keep him plenty busy, as his last solo outing was 2011s A Moment in Chiros, but 2019 finally sees the man flexing his golden pipes once again on ReProgram. Backed by a large supporting cast of musicians from acts like Pyramaze, Anubis Gate, and Darkwater, Lance’s second solo outing tracks the kind of highly melodic prog-power style he’s known for, while exploring concepts of self-identity, belief systems and the influences that shape our thinking.” Hail to the King.

Hollow – Between Eternities of Darkness Review

By Steel Druhm on January 30, 2019 in 2019, Power Metal, Progressive Metal, Reviews, Rockshots Records, Swedish Metal, Power Metal, Progressive Metal, 47 comments

“I first encountered Sweden’s Hollow when I found their 1997 debut Modern Cathedral in a local record store and bought it solely because of the cool artwork. It featured an interesting blend of traditional and power metal with a slightly proggy sheen, and though it wasn’t exactly a blockbuster release, it had a few songs that really stuck with me. Fast forward to 1999 and the still very unheralded act returned to drop a truly stunning followup on an unsuspecting world with their sophomore release, Architect of Mind.” Back from the void.

Manticora – To Kill to Live to Kill Review

By Eldritch Elitist on August 3, 2018 in 2018, Danish Metal, Death Metal, Power Metal, Progressive Metal, Reviews, Thrash Metal, ViciSolum Productions, Death Metal, Power Metal, Progressive Metal, Thrash Metal, 81 comments

“Of all the hundreds of underground power metal acts that you will never, ever hear of, Manticora is one of only a handful deserving of widespread recognition. For twenty years and over the course of seven records, these good Danish boys have gradually shed their former obsession with Blind Guardian and Iced Earth, growing proggier and thrashier with each passing release to become one of the genre’s most stylistically distinct acts. Even with their evolutionary tendencies in mind, though, I could not have predicted the forward leap that To Kill to Live to Kill represents.” Nature or suture.

Madam X’s Least Disliked Five(ish) of 2017

By Madam X on December 30, 2017 in 2017, Blog Posts, 102 comments

“And with a mighty cold flourish, twenty-seventeen makes her exit! While it’s not been a bad year by any means, it has been a more demanding year than I expected, with fewer opportunity for music listening and writing. Regulars to AMG may have noticed, going back a few months now, that I’ve pretty much been absent from the Reviews section of the site.” Come back or your creepy doll collection meets Mr. Shreddy.

Kobra and the Lotus – Prevail I Review

By Angry Metal Guy on June 5, 2017 in 2017, Canadian Metal, Napalm Records, Power Metal, Reviews, Power Metal, 72 comments

“Kobra and the Lotus is a Canadian melodic power band that first came onto my radar in 2012 with their self-titled debut. Fronted by the actually-legally-named Kobra Paige, the band’s third LP, Prevail I, is on Napalm Records, after releasing the debut on Spinefarm, and 2014’s High Priestess on Titan Music. Prevail I is, apparently, the first of two albums which will be released in quick succession, and it’s being marketed as produced by the guy who produced Amaranthe’s records, with a debut single squarely marketed at people who like Delain. Since the band’s debut was a solid power metal album, this strategy raises a question for me: three full-lengths (and three labels) into this whole experiment of being named Kobra, how’s the whole thing going?” That’s a very personal question.

Wind Rose – Stonehymn Review

By Diabolus in Muzaka on June 2, 2017 in 2017, Folk Metal, Inner Wound Recordings, Italian Metal, Power Metal, Reviews, Folk Metal, Power Metal, 34 comments

“Despite numerous recommendations from plenty of people smarter than I, reading any Tolkien beyond some excerpts has eluded me. I have nothing against the man or fantasy in general, but tend to get caught up reading other things instead. So perhaps it’s inexperience or a biased understanding of the Lord of the Rings universe by playing Shadow of Mordor almost pathologically when that came out, but in Round Two of reviewing Italy’s Wind Rose I noticed something that wasn’t present in their Wardens of the West Wind success: this sounds like what I’d imagine Middle Earth metal would.” Frodo-core.

Voyager – Ghost Mile Review

By Steel Druhm on May 5, 2017 in 2017, Australian Metal, Progressive Metal, Reviews, Progressive Metal, 76 comments

“In the realm of intelligent prog-metal, Voyager has been one of my favorites since 2009s I Am the Revolution. Their ability to blend traditional metal ideas with extraneous elements from death, power and djent always impressed me, but their ear for catchy, tight writing really made them stand out. Nowhere was this more apparent than on 2011s The Meaning of I, which earned a very rare 5.0 rating from yours truly. I still spin that album regularly and marvel at how diverse and addicting it remains 6 years later. I was somewhat let down by followup V, but it was still a solid album in its own right with some remarkable songs. I hoped the band would rebound and release another classic platter of thoughtfully oddball material.” Miles of creativity.

MindMaze – Resolve Review

By Eldritch Elitist on April 30, 2017 in 2017, American Metal, Inner Wound Recordings, Power Metal, Reviews, Power Metal, Progressive Metal, 13 comments

“I’m a big fan of MindMaze’s Back From the Edge. Similar to Pyramaze’s excellent Disciples of the Sun, it’s a true grower of a progressive power metal album that I’ve really warmed to over the years. It strikes an admirable balance between prog and power styles, carrying plenty of memorable hooks bolstered by proper prog songwriting in its longest tracks.” Power-prog and problems.

Pyramaze – Contingent Review

By Steel Druhm on April 21, 2017 in 2017, Danish Metal, Inner Wound Recordings, Progressive Metal, Reviews, Progressive Metal, 63 comments

“Pyramaze has made a career out of defying expectations and being impossible to anticipate. With constantly shifting styles and revolving door vocalists, each new album promises something totally different. Enigmas that they are, it still seemed they’d found a near-perfect sound and a killer front man on 2015s excellent Disciples of the Sun, and since it was such a compelling, addicting album, I hoped they would tinker sparingly with their approach when it came time for a sequel. Alas, it was clear early on the band wanted to take what they did on Disciples and expand on it ten-fold for Contingent, going for a kind of post-apocalyptic conceptual piece with cinematic soundtrack elements and a greater symphonic presence.” Every contingent has a contingency fee.