~IV~ DISCIPLES OF THE SUN

"Disciples Of The Sun" is the 4th full-length studio album by Danish power metal act Pyramaze. The album was released through Inner Wound Recordings in May 2015. It´s been 7 years since the release of "Immortal (2008)", but Pyramaze has been through quite a few lineup changes and a near split-up, so the road to releasing "Disciples Of The Sun" has featured a few bumps. American lead vocalist Matt Barlow (Iced Earth, Ashes of Ares) has been replaced by Norwegian singer Terje Harøy (Teodor Tuff, Memorized Dreams). Matt Barlow only had a very short stint with Pyramaze recording "Immortal (2008)" before re-joining Iced Earth. Bassist Niels Kvist and guitarist Michael Kammeyer (both founding members) have also left, and have been replaced by prolific Danish musician/producer Jacob Hansen (Invocator, Anubis Gate), who handles both guitar and bass on "Disciples Of The Sun". This leaves drummer Morten Gade Sørensen (also Anubis Gate, Lance King, Wuthering Heights) as the only remaining original member of the lineup, although American keyboard player Jonah Weingarten joined Pyramaze in 2002 and has played on all the band´s albums. Guitarist Toke Skjønnemand completes the new five-piece lineup. So more than ever before, Pyramaze is a multi-national act although they were founded in Denmark (not completely unlike the lineup development of an act like King Diamond).

Despite the many lineup changes the music style on "Disciples Of The Sun" is unmistakably the sound of Pyramaze. The change on the vocalist spot of course provides the music with a new sound in the vocal department, but it´s not a radical change, and Terje Harøy is a skilled singer, with a strong commanding delivery, who may not have as distinct sounding a voice as his predecessor, but equals Barlow on just about every other parameter. He is overall a strong addition to the lineup. The music is Euro power metal of the heavier school with loads of keyboards (occasionally neo-classical inspired and quite symphonic), heavy guitar riffs, melodic solos and themes, a strong playing rhythm section, and both melodic and slightly more raw vocals in front (and extensive use of choirs and harmony vocals). The atmosphere is slightly melancholic but above all epic.

The album features a powerful, multi-layered, detailed, and clear sounding production (courtesy of Jacob Hansen), which suits the music well. The music is quite bombastic and loud at times, and while there are only few mellow parts on the album, it´s still a relatively dynamic sounding album.

The material on the 12 track, 52:25 minutes long album is well written and very catchy. Pyramaze both has good compositional understanding when it comes to structures and arrangements, but they also have a rare flair for writing memorable melodies that stick in your mind after only a few spins. So upon conclusion "Disciples Of The Sun" is a high quality release on most important parameters and a welcome comeback for Pyramaze. A 4 star (80%) rating is deserved.