PYRAMAZE
“Bloodlines”
Album Review by Iron Mathew

10/10

Pyramaze are a power metal band from Germany formed in 2001, with seven albums under their collective belts. The bands most recent release ‘Bloodlines’ emerged in 2023…

…featuring the line-up of drummer Morten Gade Sorensen (Anubis Gate, Aurora), keyboard player Jonah Weingarten (Catalyst Crime, Prydain), guitarist/bassist Jacob Hansen (Invocator), and vocalist Terje Haroy (Mantric Momentum). The new album is ten songs and forty four minutes of anthemic vocal melodies, haunting guitar riffs, atmospherically dense keyboard passages and dynamic grooves, all coming to life with the title song ‘Bloodlines’ – which is actually a two minute tension fuelled instrumental full of anticipation for what is to come.

And what is to come, is the hard hitting progressive metaller ‘Taking What’s Mine’, portraying a majestic elegance of the highest order. The band are striding tall and very proud, ‘Taking What’s Mine’ a mid tempo march of melodic power metal to plant smiles a mile wide on the faces of listeners, fans and followers everywhere. What a barnstorming start! A start that just gets better with a surge of pace courtesy of the punchy ‘Fortress’, another amazing slice of power metal. Pyramaze are melding traditional, power, and progressive metal to incredible effect, ‘Bloodlines’ (the album) opening with a truly fantastic one-two. Which quickly becomes a one-two-three, with the energetic and highly bombastic ‘Broken Arrow’ carving out a path of purpose and intent. The energy level is sky high, the melodious nature out of this world, the band creating a marvellous march of infectious metal.

And you know when your expectations of a power metal band/album is speed combined with soaring vocals and a massive sing a long ability! Well prepare to have your expectations smashed right out of the park, as Pyramaze deliver a majestic mid tempo swagger of immense likeability! The punch of earlier makes a return in the mighty shape of ‘Even If You’re Gone’, the swagger I only just mentioned, even bigger, and bolder! What a phenomenal effort from a band that’s been serving the worldwide metal scene for over twenty years – and with such relentless reliability. Pyramaze are one of those rare breeds that never disappoint, each and every album a barnstormer that’s deserving of a permanent place in everyone’s playlists! And as with all modern day power metal albums, a ballad is included, with ‘Bloodlines’ (the album) no exception – the bands trip into balladry ‘Alliance’, featuring the stunning vocal talents of Ad Infinitum singer Melissa Bonny. ‘Alliance’ has so much reined in power it’s amazing it doesn’t burst with a huge fucking bang! Yet the band do a superb job of holding it all in, ‘Alliance’ ambling on to a conclusion. And with an incredible burst of speed, ‘The Midnight Sun’ flies in, resuming the monolithic mid tempo march of the album up to this point. However, the band constantly change gears here, ‘The Midnight Sun’ a tumultuous pace changing roar of power metal.

And as ‘Bloodlines’ (the album) progresses further, the majesty just gets more, erm, majestic! There really is no other word for it – ‘Stop The Bleeding’ the bands (well really the albums) next progressive metal masterclass. The band are striding taller and prouder than ever with heads held high and a massive smile on their faces – and quite rightly so! Pyramaze (for me) have been one of the discoveries of the year, making an impact nearly as big as the one Angel Witch did in 1980 when the band turned me on to heavy metal with their self titled debut album! The feeling of breathless excitement that washed over me forty years ago, is exactly how I feel right now – ‘The Mystery’ creating a magical atmosphere of awe and wonder, proceeding to deliver the heaviest punch and crunch the album has to offer. Blended with mellower moments, ‘The Mystery’ is a mystery of how the bloody hell Pyramaze continue to produce such incredible songs! And it’s with a pang of sadness that the final song comes into sight – but then as I’ve always said, what do you think the replay button was invented for! For albums just like this one, so you can listen to them time and time again – but just before you (and I) do so, ‘Wolves Of The Sea’ brings a belter of an album to a close in the most epic of atmospheres, the intro alone big enough to play out over the opening credits to a huge Hollywood blockbuster. And seeing, or rather hearing, that ‘Wolves Of The Sea’ is an instrumental, maybe it should be played out over the final credits as well. A truly fitting end to a fine album of sparkling progressive power metal.

Overall, an infectious and addictive journey of majestic metal, ‘Bloodlines’ is a jaw dropping delight.

TRACKLIST

Bloodlines
Taking What’s Mine
Fortress
Broken Arrow
Even If You’re Gone
Alliance
The Midnight Sun
Stop The Bleeding
The Mystery
Wolves Of The Sea

https://www.pyramaze.com/
https://www.facebook.com/Pyramaze

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