Pyramid - Pyramid

Year of Release: 1998
Label: Arise Records
Catalog Number: n/a
Format: CD
Total Time: 49:51:00

Now, this was a nice little surprise. Spain is becoming more and more visible in the world of metal these days, as they have produced several quality bands lately and Pyramid is no exception. As far as I can hear, this band has everything it takes and everything I want in a prog metal band. A good vocalist, a shredding guitarist, good production, complex arrangements, technical instrumental parts, time changes, and good songs.

What we get here are powerful and crunchy prog metal. The guitars are heavy, very technical, with power and crunch. The high ranged vocalist might be too high pitched for some, but nevertheless he has a good voice and doesn't have any problems reaching the high notes. The drumming is technical and playful, so is the bass, and the keyboards are really varied and intelligent. The band really impress me with some very technical runs and passages, coming off as very energetic. The songs are complex and varied where the songwriting and arrangements are really professional. Most songs have great melody-lines and choruses, but it might take some spins to really get into them. And that is probably their biggest problem if there ever was any, but once you get into these songs, they do kick ass. The riff of track one is simply one of the coolest and most catchy prog metal riffs I've ever heard, where the keyboard does a fine job adding the little extra to the hooks. The production is surprisingly good and should not be a problem for the listener.

If you enjoy bands like Zero Hour and similar sounding prog metal bands, this should be a safe purchase. Prog metal fans, check out this one!

[This review originally appeared November 2002 at the ProgPower Online review site -ed.]

Tracklisting:
Living Free / Ghost / Troya Horse / The Prodigal Son / Before The Rain / Out Of This World

Musicians:
Javier Cespedes - vocals
Toni Valles - guitars
Manu Gonzalez - bass
Xavier Camps - keyboards
Roger Guardia - drums

Discography:
Pyramid (1998)
The Immaculate (2000)
Gaudi's Legacy (2002)

Genre: Progressive-Power Metal

Origin ES

Added: January 15th 2005
Reviewer: Bjørnar Bevolden
Score:
Artist website: www.pyrprogressive.com
Hits: 2595
Language: english