PYRAMAZE
PYRAMAZE – “Bloodlines”
By Colonel Angus
PYRAMAZE came onto my radar back in 2008 with their “Immortal” record due in large part to Matt Barlow’s vocals. I was a big fan of ICED EARTH and I saw them on the Horror Show Tour and really enjoyed Barlow’s voice and delivery. After being introduced with the “Immortal” release, I went backwards and purchased “Legend of the Bone Carver” which, I hate to say, is a much better record. That album has always been my favorite of theirs but I still enjoyed their more recent output. They had a prolonged absence after the late 2000s and they returned with new vocalist Terje Haroy. “Disciples of the Sun”, “Contingent” and “Epitaph” are all great releases but to my ears, they all were missing that “x-factor” that made “Legend of the Bone Carver” so special.
Well, now that 2023 is in full force, we get another slab of power/prog metal from PYRAMAZE. Truth be told, I was kind of excited to get this record as the band has not put out any bad disks and I was hoping for this new one to have the extra bit that was missing from the previous works with Haroy. Well, I can say that “Bloodlines” is more of the same great material but with less prog and more symphonic elements taking over.
The record starts and ends with some very symphonic instrumentals that have a cinematic feel; both the title track and “Wolves of the Sea” could easily be movie scores. While I generally enjoy my metal to be more hard driving, there is a part of me that enjoys the lush symphonic tracks now and then. The real “meat and potatoes” of the album is bookended by those two instrumental tracks and that is where the record really starts for me. One of the things is apparent is that the band is really embracing a symphonic sound with the keyboard increasingly taking center stage and leaving the guitars further back in the mix. While this gives the material a very full sound, I miss those harder driving guitar riffs that were the reason I really enjoyed their material. There are still remnants of that older sound with “The Midnight Sun” and “The Mystery” being perfect examples where the guitars and keyboards can coexist in the same track without sounding like they are competing.
That’s not to say that the other material is bad. In fact, if you are into symphonic metal without the overblown tracks, then “Bloodlines” is highly recommended. Tracks like “Taking What’s Mine”, “Broken Arrow” and “Even If You’re Gone” are all really good tunes with the latter really showcasing Haroy’s vocal range. He truly has a wonderful voice and it really shines throughout this record. The only song that I can’t seem to get into is “Alliance” even though PYRAMAZE always puts in a ballad-y type tune on each of their records. Even the inclusion of females vocals courtesy of Melissa Bonny can’t seem to bring any interest to my weathered metal ears. Aside from that one track, I have listened to the whole disk multiple time and find it full of great tunes.
My final thoughts on “Bloodlines” is that it is a record performed by a different band than the one that I first got into. “Immortal” was very ICED EARTH-ish in some ways and “Legend of the Bone Carver” was a prog/power metal record that is sorely under-rated. That being said, if you take this record and compare it to the Haroy-era of the band, “Bloodlines” is another quality record albeit a little keyboard heavy for my tastes. I started this review with the hopes that PYRAMAZE would be able to harness that “x-factor” once again for “Bloodlines” and sadly, I don’t think they did.