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Blog Categories Review Pyramid (USA) - Rage - Reviewed By allaroundmetal!

Pyramid (USA) - Rage - Reviewed By allaroundmetal! Thursday April 27 2023, 4:36 PM

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Pyramid (USA) - Rage - Reviewed By allaroundmetal ! Check it out here at this link: https://www.allaroundmetal.com/component/content/article/26-releases/10242-nuovo-disco-per-i-pyramid-us-power-prog-metal-per-palati-molto-fini

Talking about Prog/Power metal can lead to heated discussions on the actual importance of the genre and on the fluctuating artistic quality of those who have tried to carry on these sounds. In this case we are talking about a project called Pyramid which involves several musicians and special guests directed by mastermind Lance Sawyer. The list is quite appetizing and features Tim Ripper Owens (ex-Judas Priest, ex-Iced Earth), Andry Lagiou (The Harps) and Harry Conklin "The Tyrant" (Jag Panzer) on vocals, Mike Abdow (Fates Warning) on guitar and Chris Quirarte (Redemption) on drums, Joey Izzo (Arch Echo) on keyboards, Perrine Missemer on violin, while Adam Bentley (Arch Echo) handles both mixing and guitar. The album that will be discussed here is the fifth and is entitled "Rage", and does not differ much from its predecessors. The instrumental component again tends to be very technical and cerebral, with continuous tempo changes inspired by the American scene (Elegy, Dream Theater and Crimson Glory in part, early Fates Warning). The old school approach of the pieces is radical both in the construction and in the classic US Power/Prog style used, as well as in the choice of a very raw and rough production (the opener “Greed”). However, if in the previous album "Validity" the band held the reins in the instrumental spluttering, here things get different in the style of a running train. The tracks are full of exaggerated technicalities that make listening difficult for those who don't know a certain type of metal, but the situation is too excessive. The complexity creates an armor around the tracks making them hyper stratified and confusing (“Empty Roads”, the title-track “Rage” or the masturbatory “Tyranny”) and the presence of ninety pieces like Owens and Conklin on the vocals is of little use to save the job. The pieces are often long, some more successful such as the symphonies of "Control" and "Magic" or the epic glimpses of "Beast" (which reminds something of Symphony X) and others less like those mentioned above, or the forcing of " Slayer". Surprisingly, the most interesting track is the longest one (about twenty minutes): "Dungeons and Dragons", which manages to intertwine all the elements of the combo without the listener getting excessively bored. The disc - as well as this sort of super band - are difficult and allow very rare moments of immediacy. Only recommended for technical enthusiasts. The others are more usable and refined groups of European origin such as Vanden Plas, Anubis Gate, Shadow Gallery or Manticora, but also our own DGM or Vision Divine. allaroundmetal

Release Date: November 4th, 2022

FFO: Dream Theater, Savatage, Judas Priest

Location: USA

Pyramid the American progressive metal super-project, finished the production of their upcoming 5th album “Rage” Revisited!

For the new masterpiece of Pyramid-like in their previous album “Validity” - Lance Sawyer, the mainman of this band some of the best musicians of the metal scene:

Tim Ripper Owens (ex- Judas Priest , ex- Iced Earth , among others), Andry Lagiou ( The Harps ), Harry Conklin "The Tyrant" ( Jag Panzer ) on vocals, Mike Abdow ( Fates Warning ) on guitars and Chris Quirarte (Redemption) on drums, Adam Bentley (Arch Echo) guitars and mixing engineer, Joey Izzo (Arch Echo) the master on the keyboards and Perrine Missemer on the amazing violin.