Customer Reviews

Immortal

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Oh man, as soon as I heard that trademark scream at the very beginning of Year of the Phoenix, I felt this warm sense of belonging flood over me. That's right, vocal titan Matt Barlow is back from his self-imposed exile...and he's not (just) in Iced Earth! Matt Barlow's voice was what drew me to Iced Earth in the first place, and since his departure from that band I've been curious to hear what he'd sound like in a fully functional band - not just following Jon Schaffer's marching orders.

Listening to Immortal made me realize two things very quickly. One, it's been way too long since Matt Barlow's voice was heard on a metal album, and two, he's really too good for Iced Earth. In joining Pyramaze, a very tight melodic power metal band that's somewhere between Circle II Circle and Blind Guardian, Barlow gets a chance to showcase his vocal range in a classier, more melodic, and more progressive setting (plus he gets a break from singing about Satan and Stargate). The Danish band gave Barlow some of the lightning fast riffs he was used to in Iced Earth, but with more emphasis on melody and the strengths of the whole song - not just the riffs. This is a win-win situation for everyone. Barlow gets to stretch his wings in a way that Iced Earth might not otherwise provide, Pyramaze gets a superior vocalist and some much deserved exposure, and we as fans get to hear the incredible results of their union.

Legend Of The Bone Carver was a fine album, and Pyramaze with Lance King gave a great live performance when I saw them at ProgPower USA a couple of years back, but Immortal takes the band to a whole new level. Fans of melodic power metal will definitely want to check out the new and improved Pyramaze.

That's right, the title says it all! Pyramaze return with their 3rd studio album, Immortal, and 2008's Best CD of the Year (so far anyways...) Do you remember the amazing and epic sound of Legend of the Bone Carver? Immortal has that same emotional, amazing, epic feel, but at the same time is something new and fresh! I first heard about Pyramaze just recently when they posted the news about Matt Barlow being their new frontman after Lance King left. And in just that short time, they've made their way to become my 3rd favorite band, with Iced Earth and Blind Guardian ahead of them. But I listen to over 200 different bands, and to make it to No. 3 in that short amount of time is something not most bands can do! To speak more of Matt, Immortal will be his first full-length release since his return to the Metal Scene, however, it will also be his last release with Pyramaze because he has returned to Iced Earth as their Frontman. Now that all that information is out of the way, let's go over the tracks:

1. ARISE: This has a similar music feel to Era of Chaos (from Legend of the Bone Carver/LOTBC) but the vocals in this song remind me a lot of the intro vocal work on Burnt Offerings (from Burnt Offerings by Iced Earth). It's a nice intro song.

2. YEAR OF THE PHOENIX: As soon as this song kicks in, you know Pyramaze have done their share of amazing writing. When Pyramaze released Legend of the Bone Carver, it's sound both musically and production-wise sounded much different from Melancholy Beast (Pyramaze's debut album). I think that when LOTBC was released, they really found their sound. This song ensure's you of that. With Matt Barlow on vocals, it reminds me a lot of the sound Horror Show (by Iced Earth) had. AMAZINGNESS!!!

3. GHOST LIGHT: This song starts off similar to What Lies Beyond (from LOTBC). You know, that heavy guitar with tight drums. The Vocals are very heavy during the verses, which is something Matt Barlow is amazing at. The chorus opens up and is very beautiful. The song's breakdown is very soft and epic with a lot of keys and beautiful vocals, at first, but then kicks into a really cool, raw guitar solo. This ends in heavenly vocals.

4. TOUCHED BY THE MARA: This song starts off with clean guitar and piano. A nice transition from Ghost Light. It then kicks in after the opening. There is a lot of layered vocal tracks in this song as well as vocal effects. It really adds to its feel. A very beautiful song.

5. A BEAUTIFUL DEATH: This song starts off with some nice guitar work. I really like the vocals in this track. They are very powerful. The chorus is very unique as well. I would say this song is one of the album's strong points.

6. LEGACY IN A RHYME: This is a very beautiful song all the way through. It gives you goosebumps. Matt does some beautiful vocal work on this song. This would be the "Until We Fade Away" (from MB) or "She Who Summoned Me" (from LOTBC) of the album. Just without distortion.

7. CARAMON'S POEM: This song's intro has a similar feel to the intro to The Birth (from LOTBC). It has a lot of great musicianship. This is another strong point on the album.

8. THE HIGHLAND: This has a very mystical opening. When this song finally kicks in, it kind of reminds me of Sleepy Hollow (from MB). This song doesn't have a solid sound all the way through, it is very progressive. It features one of my favorite guitar solos on the album.

9. SHADOW OF THE BEAST: Another strong point of the album. It starts off heavy and then transitions into a melody of harmonizing guitar, mystical keys, and powerful drums. The vocal work is amazing in this song as well. I like the lyrics a lot too. This song features another great guitar solo.

10. MARCH THROUGH AN ENDLESS RAIN: This is a very epic song. A lot of great musicianship. It's a great song to end the album. I love the track title and feel.

I'd have to say that this album, music-wise, is probably a perfect mix of their first two albums. There are elements from both albums present in Immortal. The biggest difference sound-wise from LOTBC, in my opinion, is the guitar solos. They have their own unique sound for this album. Overall, it is an amazing album and I can't stress how much I suggest buying it. I'd swear this album was produced using NICOTINE, because it's highly addictive! You won't be disappointed.

~cHAOS

This is a wonderful CD that combines the extraordinary talents of Pyramaze and the vocal genius of Iced Earth's, Matthew Barlow. It is metal taken to an interesting new level... it has tracks that are metal in its purest form... and those that are combine metal and melodic harmonies in beautifully unique ways. Well worth buying whether you are a fan of Pyramaze or Iced Earth (or just a fan of metal in general)!

I am a die hard Iced Earth fan and I was devastated to hear Matt Barlow left Iced Earth, even though Owens did a great job. Then I heard he was recording with a great band and I was excited but not as much as I would be if it were Iced Earth. I found out the name of the band and checked out the myspace song "Year of The Phoenix", which I thought was vocally insane, and musically decent, so the next time I went to the cd store I picked the album up. I loved every minute of it. It had a "Horror Show" feeling with a progressive European metal twist. The music was real good and Barlow's voice just brought it to the next level. Pyramaze guitarist and leader, Michael Kammeyer's songwriting is very good. You wont hear one bad or generic track on here. I understand that after Barlow rejoined with Iced Earth, Kammeyer decided to get another vocalist becuase they needed someone to tour with their band and probably knew that wouldn't be possible with Barlow back in Iced Earth and his job. Maybe sometime in the future these two forces can reunite for another great album.

Of course it's not an Iced Earth album, but it should be and it's far superior to some of the dry, lame stuff that Jon Schaeffer has been releasing lately whether it's with Ripper Owens or Matt Barlow.

This album by Pyramaze with Matt Barlow is melodic thrash done very well, offering keyboards with atmosphere. It's well produced and highly polished. Unfortunately for Jon Schaefer, he had nothing to do with it.

Matt Barlow is a superior vocalist and should consider PYRAMAZE full time.

Let me stop because I'm now going to share a piece of my mind with Jon Schaefer's recent flop. Look for my review of it.

This album Rules. Any fan of Barlow should not think twice about buying it. His peformance is over the top, as usual. Anyone who hasn't heard of him needs to get this to solve that problem. The band is strong too with good writing ability. Better than the new Iced Earth. Very impressive!

Wow, this band has gotten heavier this time out. Matt really is a great metal singer, but the entire band seems to have stepped it up a few notches.

The entire cd is well though out and played with precision. A very good effort all around here and a big surprise in my books as these guys seemed to be more of a prog based band and they still are, but this release is heavier in every way!

Check it out!!

I have been waiting a long time for this release since word came out that Matt Barlow was back in the metal scene. When clips were released on YouTube of some of the songs off the new Pyramaze, I became rabid to get my hands on the cd.

I will say that I had never even heard of Pyramaze before the announcement of Matt Barlow becoming their vocalist. So I am a newcomer to Pyramaze (a Pyramaze virgin if you will) and after this release, I'm here to stay.

My immediate impressions after hearing the song Year of the Phoenix and onward is this nostalgic Iced Earth feel. Now maybe that's just because of Matt Barlow and my opinion is skewed a bit, but a lot of the riffs and play style sound like Schaeffer. In fact some people have commented to me that barring a few distinct nuances, Immortal could easily be misinterpreted as being a new Iced Earth album. I'm sure that will rile a few feathers for some fans but be a compliment for others.

Stand out songs include Year of the Phoenix, Ghost Light, A Beautiful Death, Caramon's Poem, and the hauntingly awesome last instrumental track March Through an Endless Rain.

So why 4 stars? Well, I felt that Immortal does have some filler. These include Touched by the Mara and The Highland. I'm not saying they aren't memorable or just plain suck! It's my personal preference obviously and I can probably blame my aversion to these tunes based on their choruses alone and not on any musicianship. For lack of a better word, they just "annoy" me and after trying to listen to them several times, I find myself skipping the tracks frequently.

And I have a complaint about Caramon's Poem. It ends abruptly as if they ran out of ideas and just said screw it, let's end it here. I would have loved to have heard the bridge and chorus of that song at least one more time. As it stands now though, the song feels only 3/4 finished.

Anyway, that's about it. Urban Breed from Tad Morose and Bloodbound is now the new Pyramaze crooner and frankly, I can't wait for the new album with him on it! I know I'll have to wait a long time for that though. Oh well.

I have to easily agree with the two other 5 star reviews here about this latest offering from Pyramaze. Out of the 3 albums the band has released thus far 'Immortal' is not only their heaviest, but also their most beautiful & to top it off Matt Barlow as usual proves how powerful his vocal abilities are whether they are used for thrash metal or for a more complex style such as progressive or power metal. Too bad he isn't with the band anymore after such a tremendous release. Worth every penny!

I got into this band because I was a big fan of Lance King's singing on the Balance of Power album, "Ten More Tales of Grand Illusion." I really enjoyed the first two Pyramaze albums. And when I heard that they were making their new album with Iced Earth's Matt Barlow, I was pretty stoked.

When I got it in the mail, within a few minutes I played it on my computer. I really enjoyed Matt Barlow's vocals with the band better, it felt a little darker, and a little heavier then the previous albums. The music was excellent too, and the lyrics were great. Caramon's Poem is easily my favorite song on the album. If progressive power metal is your thing, definitely check this album out. You won't regret it.