TERAMAZE — Esoteric Symbolism (review)

TERAMAZE — Esoteric Symbolism album cover Album · 2014 · Progressive Metal Buy this album from MMA partners
4/5 ·
adg211288
Esoteric Symbolism (2014) is the fourth full-length album by the Australian thrash metal act Teramaze. It is their second release since the comeback album that was Anhedonia (2012), which was the band's first full-length effort since Tears to Dust (1998).

Having produced a not so typical take on the thrash metal genre in Anhedonia it comes as quite a surprise to me what Teramaze sound like on Esoteric Symbolism. It is like the sound of a completely different band. Gone is the extra melodic take on thrash because the thrash metal itself is nowhere to be found on the album (Punishment by Design would be the closest they come). Instead Teramaze have morphed into a fully fledged progressive metal act. They had their share of progressive elements before, on Anhedonia, but despite it being bandied about a fair bit when the album came out progressive metal was never a term I was particularly comfortable using for Anhedonia. I even feel vindicated in that opinion because of the release of Esoteric Symbolism; a back to back listen to both albums is the perfect way to highlight the major differences. Short of turning towards an extreme death or back metal sound or leaving metal behind entirely, Esoteric Symbolism is about as far from Anhedonia as Teramaze could have gotten.

I can certainly respect an artist who can reinvent themselves in such a way between releases the way Teramaze have done here, but there is a downside to this where this particular act is concerned. They prove more than competent as a progressive metal act of course, but I can't help feeling that their power and symphonic influenced take on the genre has put them in more of a dime a dozen niche compared to what they did on Anhedonia, which set them apart as something special. Not only that but the material on the last album was also generally stronger to my ears, packing more punch and sticking in my head longer. Frontman Brett Rerekura sounds as great as ever though, and the instrumentalists are all well playing but overall I did enjoy the last album a fair bit more. A rating within the 4 stars bracket is still fair, as Esoteric Symbolism is a solid album of modern melodic progressive metal, with special mentions going to tracks like Line of Symmetry and viii In Vitro, but it does seem a step back to me for Teramaze to now be producing a sound that puts them on the same page as many other artists, not least their Nightmare Records label mates Anubis Gate.

79/100

(Originally written for Heavy Metal Haven: http://metaltube.freeforums.org/teramaze-esoteric-symbolism-t3417.html)
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