Fill the Void

Another spin on the Bremen Town Musicians myth, this one dating back from the mid-90’s, belonging to neither the technical/progressive thrash nor the power/speed metal wave from their homeland. So what is it then? Just don’t tell me that this is another tribute to the in-vogue at the time aggro/groovy sounds…

no, it isn’t; this is fairly good classic progressive US-oriented power metal that has quite a bit in common with mid-period Fates Warning, early Psychotic Waltz, and the one-album wonder Catharsis… yep, start salivating immediately, and for a good reason as this is an album that also comes with excellent production and standout clean passionate vocals which come as a dramatic mix between James Rivera (Helstar) and a more emotional Mark Shelton (R.I.P.; Manilla Road).

The battle-prone epicness of “Anvil of Crom” can pass for a hint at immediacy but expect eloquent virtuoso bassisms and exquisite guitar work. The bass rises to the level of the main instrument on the playful funky jump-arounder “Sons of Fenris” but predictability goes out the window once the intricate rhythm-section commences, this one vintage “A Social Grace”, not to mention these absolutely ravishing leads… the guitarist is a long-lost sorcerer weaving his spells with a consummate Shrapnel-like ease. More crooked epic romanticism served with “Flowing”, the most linear proposition here, brushed aside by the intricate riffage on “Mirror Mind”, a leftover from the “No Exit” recording sessions, a superb crunchy puzzler with time and tempo-changes galore, an exemplary near-depleting showdown which is later mirrored in both the atmospheric larger-than-life 9-min saga “The Thought” and the choppy Confessor-esque doom-laden elegy “Little Ease”.

There are moments that sound a bit artificial, like the overlong balladic digression on “The Thought” and the somewhat lethargic main motif on “Little Ease”; like the band have run out of steam to an extent towards the end, retaining the inertia thanks to the visionary bass and the stupendous lead guitar… and certainly the capable singer who reaches admirable high notes on those last two hymns. Minor flaws those, though, not clouding much an otherwise dexterously-executed opus which exudes confidence and panache in spades, the guys knowing their influences in-depth, not making the extra effort to outgrow them… not at this stage anyway, as with a palette as wide as this branching out into the more individualistic would invariably be a risky proposition; one can never be sure whether he/she would be able to pull it off emulation-free.

Alas, this Ferris… sorry, Fenris wheel spun only this once… but not to worry, every few years the Bremen Town Musicians myth receives another rendition… the more Americanized the better.