DippoMagoo April 2017 is a very crowded month for new metal releases, with three of my most anticipated releases of the year all coming on the same day, and so it would be easy for something to get lost in the shuffle. On the same day as those three releases, though, we have what is sure to be a highly anticipated release for many other people, which is Contingent, the fifth full-length release from Danish progressive power metal band Pyramaze. Fans were excited two years ago, as after releasing three well-regarded albums in the previous decade, the band was dormant for a while, only to return with a slightly different lineup to release Disciples of the Sun, which ended up being a very well-received comeback album and seemingly triggered the start of a new era for the band. Now, two years later, the band has retained the same lineup and are ready to release their next album Contigent, which very much feels like a natural evolution, though it does take the band into slightly new territory compared to past releases.

In their early days, Pyramaze were a fairly traditional power metal band, though their 2008 release Immortal included some prog elements and stands as their most aggressive album to date. With Disciples of the Sun, the band modernized their sound quite a bit, featuring a mix between harder guitar riffs, more atmospheric keyboards, and some huge vocal melodies. The release still maintained elements of their old power metal sound, but it laid the foundation for the band to switch to more of a melodic prog sound, which is exactly what has happened on Contingent. There’s still the occasional speedy sections, but for the most part this is a very laidback album, more focused on the huge choruses and vocal melodies than anything else, with the instrumental sections mostly being dominated by some effective but rather simple riffs, while keyboards are paired with orchestration to add some flavor and to give the album a slight symphonic feel at times. There are some nice guitar solos at times, though nothing overly flashy or technical. I’d say, on the whole, fans should expect the majority of the album to sound something like “Genetic Process” from the previous album, with only a couple tracks even coming close to speedier territory like “Fearless”, and there’s nothing overly challenging or complex, either. From a production standpoint, everything sounds amazing, as always from Jacob Hansen, who also serves as the band’s bassist and second guitarist currently, and I’d say the performances and overall sound are definitely the biggest strengths of the album. The mix between modern riffs and big vocal melodies is quite addictive, though I’d say this album is a case where the overall idea is better than the execution at times,

Pyramaze have been through quite a few vocalists over the years, with Lance King performing on their first two albums, before being replaced by Matt Barlow on Immortal. Things got complicated from there, as Matt left and was replaced by Urban Breed, but somehow the band never recorded an album with him, and for a while it seemed like they might be done until they finally returned in 2015 with new vocalist Terje Harøy, who I had previous heard with his old band, Teodor Tuff. He has a very strong, clear voice and definitely gives the music a unique feel, with a vocal approach that really gets the most out of the melodies, and I’d say he brings a high level of accessibility to the music, almost sounding radio friendly at times. His vocals are a definite highlight of both this album and Disciples of the Sun.

The one area where I’m not really blown away is the songwriting. I actually have a similar problem with this release as I did with the Seven Kingdoms album I reviewed recently, except on the opposite end when it comes to speed, where I don’t think there are any weak songs here, but I definitely think the album could use some variety, as there simply aren’t enough tracks that change the formula up in a meaningful way. For the most part, the tracks alternate between slow, heavy guitar driven verses and big melodic choruses, with some tracks going a little bit lighter during the verses and emphasizing the keyboards. Either way, though, it’s a very formulaic approach to songwriting, with even speedier tracks like “20 Second Century” and “Symphony of Tears” being pretty similar, except that they have faster-paced choruses than the other tracks, which makes them stand out at least a little bit. I find that can be a problem with melodic prog in general, though, where the overall sound is excellent, but the bands can sometimes struggle to come up with fresh ideas for songs as they don’t want to get overly complicated with their musicianship but also don’t want to push too far into other genres, and so it’s like they deliberately limit themselves in the songwriting department.

I will say, though, the album leaves a strong first impression, as opening track “Land of Information”, while still falling into the same basic melodic prog formula, somehow feels a bit fresher than the rest of the album, like the band dialed up their performances to the next level and everything feels more energetic. Even the verses hit just a bit harder than on the rest of the album, the solo section seems just a bit stronger and more memorable, and the chorus is awesome as always. While the track is still more mid-paced, I would say it moves at a slightly better pace than most of the album overall, with the verses being a bit faster than even “20 Second Century”, though it never gets as fast as that song does during its chorus.

For the most part, the rest of the album feels like it falls into a basic formula, with tracks like “Kingdom of Solace”, “A World Divided”, “Nemesis”, “Obsession”, “and “Under Restraint” being hard to tell apart due to how they all rely on slow, chunky modern riffs and big choruses, while more keyboard driven tracks like “Star Men” and “Heir Apparent” simply lack energy in the verses and don’t give the album the change of pace it needs. Basically, for the most part, I’d say the verses are kinda boring throughout most songs, but the choruses are amazing and save the day, so it’s like, I certainly enjoy listening to the music a lot, and Terje really carries most of the songs, but I can’t help but feel as if the band has the potential to do better things in their current form. One weird thing is how the album has two title tracks, scattered in different parts of the album, but these are both very brief orchestral pieces, that while being very nice, feel more like interludes than anything else, so making them title tracks feels very weird. One track that stands out in a positive way is the ballad “The Tides That Won’t Change”, which features some very nice female vocals from guest Kristen Foss, who I’d even say slightly outshines Terje on that track, though both singers sound very good and it’s definitely my second favorite on the album, behind only “Land of Information”.

I’ve been a bit hard on Contingent, but I will say I think it’s a very solid album overall and on an objective level everything about it is top tier and I really can’t complain. I was simply hoping for the songwriting to be just a bit more varied and more interesting, and I hope on future releases Pyramaze can find a way to bring back some of the speed and variety of previous albums, while still building on the melodic prog sound they have going on, because the overall sound is very good and I think they can do great things with their current lineup, but they need to push just a bit further out of their comfort zone in the songwriting department. Overall, a solid album I can easily recommend to fans of melodic prog, while power metal fans may be a bit disappointed, but there’s still enough good points here for it to be worth a shot for any fans of the band.

originally written for myglobalmind.com: http://myglobalmind.com/2017/04/14/pyramaze-contingent-review/

adg211288 Danish power metal act Pyramaze haven't exactly had the most smooth of careers. Things started pretty well for them with American vocalist Lance King fronting the band, producing the albums Melancholy Beast (2004) and Legend of the Bone Carver (2006) but then King was fired and a new singer had to be found. Pyramaze seemed to get their big break at this point as they managed to recruit none other than the former Iced Earth vocalist Matt Barlow for their third album Immortal (2008). But it was only a few months later that Barlow was in turn persuaded to re-join his former band (which ultimately didn't last either) and he left Pyramaze. Urban breed was then introduced as the band's new lead singer, but no new album appeared. Then founding guitarist and main writer Michael Kammeyer left the band in 2011. It could have been the end for Pyramaze then, but the band brought in the prolific Jacob Hansen, who had produced the band's first two albums, to fill the dual role of guitarist and bassist. Even then, they didn't make a hasty comeback. When they did it was with another new lead singer, Terje Harøy (Teodor Tuff) and the album Disciples of the Sun (2015). The same line-up now returns with the band's fifth album Contingent (2017). I had expected the band to have perhaps recruited a full time bassist by this point, but Jacob Hansen is still filling both roles.

Disciples of the Sun proved a great comeback album for Pyramaze, showing off a strong power metal sound with leanings into progressive and symphonic metal also present. Unexpectedly, even though they've always had a bit of a progressive slant to their music, Contingent finds the band reinventing themselves slightly to focus more on a progressive metal based sound. They still use bursts of the speedy power metal riffs on several songs on the album but it's no longer a dominating force within their music. The symphonic elements of the last album are still present though. The songs tend to be around the four to six minute mark though; this isn't the kind of progressive metal album that sees the band going all out to deliver a more lengthy epic around or beyond the ten minute barrier. In a sense the structure of the album is still more like a power metal album, exception for the most part the fast riffs aren't there any more, instead serving up something more mid-paced. It's progressive metal without being too flashy.

If the kind of sound the band have on the album seems very familiar it's because this particular arrangement of elements has become quite common within the current progressive metal scene. So called melodic progressive metal, Pyramaze do show themselves to be quite adept at it (they are a group of seasoned musicians so that's to be expected), but I can't say that Contingent does enough to convince me that the shift towards progressive metal was the right move for the band. They were an excellent power metal band. They're simply a decent progressive metal band based on this album. Some of the more note-worthy songs to my ears are Land of Information, Kingdom of Solace, and 20 Second Century, but after the halfway point is passed it does seem as if the album loses a bit of its steam.

Progressive and power metal may crossover a lot but the genres are actually quite different in principle and in many ways Contingent comes across as a power metal album dressed up as prog. I find that to be the case with a lot of these so called melodic progressive metal acts though rather it being a specific issue with this album, which I think goes a long way to explain why this album seems a lot less interesting than the band's prior power metal work, which is a genre that is by design tailored toward catchier, memorable tracks. With progressive metal I tend to look for complex, epic musicianship more than anything and while Pyramaze are definitely a talented bunch of guys that are skilled at their instruments, there's nothing on this particular album that really grabs me as exceptional. I do like the album, but instead of leaving me satisfied I instead find myself hoping that if the new progressive metal sound is here to stay that this is just them finding their feet with it, and that the next album will dispel any lingering doubts over it.