LEGEND OF THE BONE CARVER

What can one expect from another Dream Theater clone? Originallity? Hardly. The album begins with a very extra-cheesy spoken word narration speaking of some sort of legend about some person in some distant land that I don't care about, then the music comes in. Oh, dear. What is this I am heearing? I hate it when bands as musically cpabale as this can't write anything memorable at all. Guitar wankery that Petrucci himself would be appauled at, which is saying quite alot. While other Prog Meatl acts in the same vein such as Dream Theater, Symphony X and Pain of Salvation have always managed to at least keep me interested in even the most blad of moments, Pyramaze offers nothing on this release that even slightly holds my attention for more than eleven seconds, and sometimes even that is pushing it.

The artwork is very intruiging to the eye, and the name just oozes 'epic masterpiece'-- don't fall for it. The outward appearance of this pointless entry is misleading and actually appears the house something worth listening to. Alas, what we actually find in LEGEND OF THE BONE CARVER is just more Power Metal that tries to be progressive, but only gets as far as the cool band name and logo. When it actually comes to writing anything worth two seconds of our time, the Pyramaze boys must not have the actual talent required to make something memorable. After all, what is technical skill without the talent every great musician uses to actually do something with it? I don't care how well you can play your instrument; if you lack the artistic expression necessary to paint an actual work of art, the technical ability is useless. Such is the case with many so-called 'progressive' bands of today, and Pyramaze is no exception. Unfortunate, but true. Listen to some Ayreon or Symphony X if you want to hear epic Prog Metal. Don't waste your time or money with Pyramaze. I ended up wasting both, and I personally want that wasted part of my life back.

Pyramaze is a power metal band with progressive metal leanings from Denmark with 3 albums released so far. The second one from 2006 named Legend of the bone carver is to me their best from the 3. Lance King behind the mic from Balance of Power done an excellent job here, his voice is just perfect for this kind of music and aswell very powerful range. Instrumentally Pyramaze is quite good, from the speedy guitars with combined with some keyboards solo here and there, the drumer is fantastic, is very sure on his instrument and creating some remarcable chops here. The music is nothing really groundbreaking , is in many parts similar with many bands from this filed , those who tries to incorporate in their power metal sound some progressive metal touches, well if Pyramaze succeded, to me yes, to other no, depends the listner and how he see (hear) this type of music . I really don't care what other said and coment, I like this album, quite a lot I might add, has some fantastic moments from tthe guitar side and aswell the voice is brilliant in many moments. Best pieces the first 4, excluding short intro, like on Ancient Words Within , The birth or What Lies Beyond , great musicianship for sure. I like it and for that 4 stars, nice cover art aswell. Similar with let's say as manner of interpreting with Pagan's MInd but little les progressive then the norwegians.

This second Pyramaze album shows a substantial improvement over the first. It's not so much that anything's changed, mind - we're still dealing with prog-influenced power metal with fantastical themes that make you think that the band are just narrating their Dungeons & Dragons games to music, and that's not exactly the sort of album power metal listeners haven't heard before.

But there's an extra bit of polish, a certain extra tightness to the work here, the band gelling just a bit better and wrangling just a little more out of the studio and seeming just a bit more comfortable in their own skin. The end result is a very entertaining piece which won't blow anyone's mind, but is at least a satisfying listen worth more than one spin.

"Legend of the Bone Carver" is the 2nd full-length studio album by Danish power metal act Pyramaze. The album was released through Nightmare Records in February 2006. It´s the successor to "Melancholy Beast" from 2004 and features one lineup change since the predecessor as guitarist Toke Skjønnemand has been added to the ranks, making Pyramaze a sextet on "Legend of the Bone Carver". It would be the last album featuring lead vocalist Lance King, as King was fired from the band in late 2006. As King was the owner of Nightmare Records, Pyramaze also left the label. "Legend of the Bone Carver" was produced (mastered and mixed) by prolific Danish producer Jacob Hansen.

Stylistically the material on "Legend of the Bone Carver" is US influenced power metal with omnipresent use of keyboards, which provide the music with a symphonic edge. King is a strong vocalist, with a voice and singing style somewhere between Geoff Tate (Queensrÿche) and Bruce Dickinson (Iron Maiden) (mostly the former), and he is perfect for the material. Having a highly skilled vocalist in your band doesn´t matter much, if the other musicians can´t deliver on a similar high level, but that´s not a problem here, as Pyramaze are an exceptionally well playing band. They master both harder edged riffs and rhythms as well as the more melodic and symphonic sections with ease. It´s not the most dymanic music though and the listener is constantly bombarded with multi-layered choirs and omnipresent keyboards, which on top of the more "regular" heavy metal instrumentation of two guitars, bass, and drums, sometimes result in an almost overwhelming wall of sound. The word subtle does not exist in the world of Pyramaze, and the listener is kept on his/her toes for the duration of the album.

"Legend of the Bone Carver" is a concept album, telling a fantasy tale (which could be inspired by one of the tales of the bible), and the story works well with the epic atmosphere created by the music. The professional, detailed, and powerful sounding production job further enhances the epic nature of the music. This is through and through a high quality release, and fans of harder edged, but still melodic and occasionally symphonic US influenced power metal should find lots to enjoy here. I have one complaint which drags my rating down a slight bit, and that´s the vocal melodies. Or to be more precise how memorable they are or aren´t. Because considering how melodic the material is and how melodic the vocal melodies are, the melodies actually aren´t that memorable, or at least many of the tracks sound a lot a like in that department. Stronger vocal hooks on individual tracks would undoubtedly have made "Legend of the Bone Carver" an even stronger release than it already is but a 3.5 star (70%) rating is still fully deserved.

(Originally posted on Metal Music Archives)