Pyramaze - Legend of the Bone Carver

I must be one of the few unfortunate souls who never got to hear Pyramaze's Melancholy Beast album that was released before this new disc, Legend of the Bone Carver.  From what I've heard from friends, it was a killer disc that I need to pick up someday.  So if you're looking for comparison to the past Pyramaze, you won't find them in this review.  But what I will try to do is convey how fantastic this new disc is! 

First off, this six member band is two parts American and four parts Danish.  While that might make touring a bit of an obstacle, it surely did nothing to hurt the output on CD.  This epic power/progressive metal band creates a tasty slab of metal here and why this band is not more talked about is beyond me.  Right from the start you can't help but notice the very familiar vocals of ex-Balance of Power vocalist, Lance King.  This guy has a set of pipes that just blows me away, and this is easily his best vocal performance outside of his BOP days.  His ability to get dirty and aggressive or hit the beautifully high pristine notes just further proves the versatility that this guy possesses. 

But before you think that Mr. King steals the show here, don't forget that we have five other members of this band that are oozing with talent as well.  If you like your metal thick, dark, and aggressive, Pyramaze delivers.  This disc is overflowing with melodic and yet technical guitar playing with rapid fire riffing and some killer solos.  And if that wasn't enough there is the mega-tight rhythm section and the symphonic keyboard playing.  The band also utilizes some gorgeous female vocals on the song, "She Who Summoned Me", by guest vocalist, Christina Øberg.  Unfortunately, those female vocals don't seem to fit extremely well within the song.  A small road bump though in what is otherwise a terrific song.

Overall, I must say that I absolutely love this album!  If you enjoy the power/progressive metal genre, this disc is a must have.  Fans of Balance of Power, Blind Guardian, Children of Bodom (minus the extreme vocals), and maybe even Elvenking and Nightwish (see the track "Bring Back the Life") should be snatching this up for sure!  This band didn't land on five different record labels (Massacre, Nightmare, Replica, King, and Melodic Heaven) because they are just some run-of-the-mill metal band.  This is the real deal!

Rating: 95/100

Review By: Matt Morrow

Label: Nightmare Records

Total Songs: 10

Total Time: 47:51

Tracklisting: 1. Era of Chaos, 2. The Birth, 3. What Lies Beyond, 4. Ancient Words Within, 5. Souls in Pain, 6. She Who Summoned Me, 7. The Bone Carver, 8. Bring Back Life, 9. Blood Red Skies, 10. Tears of Hate.

Best Songs: Tracks 2, 3, 4, & 8.

Band Lineup: Lance King - Vocals, Michael Kammeyer - Guitars, Jonah Weingarten - Keyboards, Morten Gade Sorensen - Drums, Niels Kvist - Bass, Toke Skjonneman - Guitars.

Band Website: http://www.pyramaze.com or http://www.myspace.com/pyramaze