Back in 2021 when Australian prog-metal outfit Teramaze released their album And The Beauty They Perceive I finally caved in and gave them a shot after being nagged on too many times by a friend. After I did I was thankful he kept on nagging because that album was a real banger. I’m quite selective when it comes to Progressive Metal/Hard Rock, most of it passes me by unnoticed. Too much instrumental show-offs with 20 minutes long songs and not enough hooks. The ones I love – Dream Theater, Shadow Gallery, Opeth, Ayreon are a few – base their music on songs and prominent melodies and yeah, hooks and that’s why I fell for them in the first place. That is also the reason I fell hard for Teramaze and decided to check out previous records like Sorella Minore (2021) and I Wonder (2020), two damn good records as well. This means some high hopes for the band’s latest effort.
The opening title track is an epic 10 minute prog-metal beast. Starting out with a soft and low spoken yet haunting intro with symphonic strings the song continues in a mid paced tempo on a stompy beat and smooth melodies and some chunky guitar riffage. It then shifts into a heavy and edgy progressive Metal bouncer before the stripped verses comes back. The tune dwells in a bombastic soundscape and it changes its ways throughout the song and the held-back, almost ballad-like guitar solo part takes the song into yet another musical path. While opening with a song of this structure might be bold, the ten minutes passes by in no-time. It’s a magnificent tune that tells us that we most likely have nothing to worry about when it comes to the quality of the new album.
Lead-off single “Gold” is a more direct and go-for-the-throat laden metal-rocker. It takes on a fast tempo, heavy and chuggy with smattering drums and rowdy guitars without losing any sense of melody. It’s a nice let-off-steam contrast to the massive title-track with an in-your-face edge. The chorus is distinct and catchy with rich vocal-melodies and the whole tune has every potential of being a real live-killer too. Very good. Also a single, “The Thieves Are Out” starts out a bit held-back yet with bouncy and stompy prog rhythms. Groovy bass-lines, smooth keys and melodic vocal-melodies paves way for some raunchy and raw guitars when the song comes on heavy and the solo part speeds up into a fast pace. It’s a melodic yet heavy piece with a striking and direct refrain. Very good.
Starting out mellow and low-key with a dark, sparse piano, synth strings and vocals, “Until The Lights” picks up the pace once the bands joins in. The orchestration gives the song a theatrical vibe but when the whole band is on it it takes on a heavy ballad vibe, quite powerful and bombastic with splendid vocals and a pop-laden chorus that really gets its hooks in me. Brilliant. On the other side of the coin, “Ticket To The Next Apocalypse” is heavy, dark, edgy and holds some gritty tuned down guitars on a punchy and muscular beat. It’s a ballsy, riff-happy metal-belter that both holds some striking and memorable vocal-lines, a distinct refrain and a raw and aggressive passage with some fierce and guttural growls. A splendid prog-metal monster. Great stuff.
On a more straight-forward yet still prog laden metal stomping note “For The Thrill” blasts away with edgy riffing, chunky bass-lines and a stone-hard rhythm which rubs shoulders with some damn melodic and even pop flirting vocal melodies. It’s a very live-friendly number, heavy and rough yet with an accessible and even sing-along pleading chorus. No wonder it was chosen as a single. Terrific! “Dangerous Me” is prog-metal with a groove. After a subtle build-up the song comes on strong where the metal-edges creates the heaviness but smoothen out somewhat with smooth keyboards and guitars and another catchy chorus. It might not be as strong as the rest of the songs but it’s still a good tune.
The single “Battle” takes a turn towards Melodic Rock structures holding the biggest prog-metal vibes at bay. It’s shorter, upbeat and more direct on a straight ahead beat with some slicker synthesizers and big rock-guitars. The main melody makes me think of One Desire of all bands. It’s distinctly catchy all over and the chorus feels like hit in my book, perfect for rock-radio. A fantastic song. Closing track “In The Ruins Of Angels” is a prog-rocker that kicks off edgy on a stompy beat and some firey staccato riffing. It continues into the more quiet and controlled verses with a down-beat and soft passage before the the big, upbeat and rhythmic chorus. The tune goes back and forth between the more subdued and the heaviness before it builds up into a dramatic climax. The song then ends with a guitar fading out into a laid-back piano. The album ends just like it started, with an epic prog number. Very good.
With this record it really stands clear that I have found another prog-metal outfit to love because Teramaze has given us a brilliant piece of music with this album. Again, Teramaze has proved that they know the importance of melodies and hooks and that actual songs comes before technical instrumental masturbation and the usual trying to make things hard to play for hard-to-play sake which is so common in this genre. Don’t get me wrong, we get our fair share of musical technique and time-changes here as well but in a more accessible way. Style wise it’s pretty much a continuation of the last album and the band doesn’t really break new ground but that matters little when the music, performances and production are as solid as it is here. With a bit more exposure Teramaze could be really, really big. They really deserve to be.
8/10
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Tracklist:
1. Flight Of The Wounded
2. Gold
3. The Thieves Are Out
4. Until The Lights
5. Ticket To The Next Apocalypse
6. For The Thrill
7. Dangerous Me
8. Battle
9. In The Ruins Of Angels
CD & Festival reviews 