Melancholy Beast by Pyramaze

The songs were developed by swapping demos across the Atlantic, but this has by no means detracted from the quality on offer. They have the happy knack of writing strong melodies and wonderfully catchy choruses, which are a feature. Needless to say, it will come as no great surprise that Pyramaze sound not unlike the aforementioned BoP. That said, they do lean a little more towards the Iced Earth, Kamelot, Iron Maiden, Royal Hunt, Judas Priest and Stratovarius direction, replete with galloping drums and doom laden vocals making appearances from time to time. The album opens in a deceptively melancholy fashion with "Sleepy Hollow". The spoken vocal I'm not too sure about but it then bursts forth with a barrage of drums and some Rob Halford style vocals before settling into a BoP style chorus. The title track has a very pleasing guitar riff and chorus, although I could do without the baying animal (beast) sounds and gruff spoken passage in the middle, but that's a small criticism. The guitar solo that follows this break shows Kammeyer in very strong light. The chorus on "The Journey" is truly excellent and has been buzzing around in my head since first listen. "Until We Fade Away" is a fine power ballad that cools the engines in just the right place. This gives way to "Legend" which to my ears is the least effective track on offer. "The Mighty Abyss" has a very satisfying riff whilst "The Nature of Triumph" is a short instrumental interlude before closer, "Power of Imagination" is firmly in Stratovarius territory musically. Make no mistake, Pyramaze are a welcome addition to the Melodic Power Metal scene and as debuts go this is one of the strongest, the second album should be a cracker. Strongly recommended for fans of the genre!

Melancholy Beast points: (97/100)

Written by (Ben - METAL REVIEWS - webzine - USA)

(ALBUM OF THE YEAR) How can I even try to describe to you the absolute brilliance of Melancholy Beast? How could I convey my feelings toward the music contained on this disc to someone and have them understand the emotions that it stirred inside of me? To tell you that this is amazing is the equivalent of telling you that the rain that falls down on my face is wet, that the sun is bright, and that the night is dark. Anything that I would try to say would be the biggest understatement in the world. I have never been this enraptured by music since the first time I heard Iron Maiden, Helloween, Judas Priest, or Edguy. My life has been dominated by Melancholy Beast to the point where everything else that I even attempt to listen to leaves me wanting and I don't even get through ten minutes before I start flailing towards the P section on my towers and put this on again for the umpteenth time. A comparison to any other band seems trite and does nothing but simplify what is really going on here but my best attempt to get across the basic feel would be to imagine the most perfect blend of Iced Earth's heaviness with Kamelot's epic qualities and yet there is so much more. Compositionally, guitarist Michael Kammeyer has crafted eight songs, (keyboardist Jonah Weingarten wrote the instrumental) that are full of power, emotion, and energy that leaves me in stunned awe each and every time I take this cd for a spin. There are twists, turns, melodies, harmonics, and solos that abound at every corner to wow and amaze you. The vocals, which were provided by Lance King, soar and emote perfectly. This man has been singing for almost as long as I have been alive and that shows on each and every song. I know of no one else that could have pulled off the job that he did. His voice can only be described as a painter's palette as he has so many different ways to inflect little nuances and subtleties into every single song, there are passages where every word that comes out of his mouth is nothing else but mindblowing. Rhythmically, the team of Niels and Morten on bass and drums add that extra element of power and steadiness. You've heard these two before in Aurora and you've heard Morten as well on Wuthering Height's last two albums so you know that these are professionals and not young upstarts that have only been playing for three months. Even though the keyboards are not the super flashy kind that bring to mind images of sweeping runs across the board, they are one of the biggest reasons that make Melancholy Beast the monster that it is. There are fine examples of classical leaning, atmospheric and ambient moments, and even ripping solos that put a vast majority of guitarists to shame. As for the songs themselves, there is nothing that is really representative of the whole album, every song is different and every song has its own strong identity. Opener Sleepy Hollow begins with a somber and sinister intro. A clean guitar with a distorted spoken word moment gives way into a rousing yell by Lance before everything breaks out and slaps you in the face. An extremely heavy riff, laced with harpsichord and Lance's perfect voice are the main elements of this track before the keyboard and guitar solo that brings about the climax. Forsaken Kingdom is a speedy number and here those godly harmonics first rear their head. They take a backseat though to Lance, he absolutely shines on this one. He makes the lengthy chorus his own, he sings so beautifully and fits the lyrical content perfectly. Longing, sadness, and yet conviction and power are all present here. The title track is next and it is perhaps the heaviest song on the album. Midtempo, crunchy, and melodic with riffs that demand you to start flailing your air guitar. In what I can safely assume is a song about the character that graces the album cover we have some distorted monster like vocals that give the Melancholy Beast an identity. Real quick, I feel that I must comment also on the majority of the lyrics. This is not your "wave your sword in the air and thump your chain mail like you just don't care" happy, happy, joy, joy brand of metal. Lyrical content ranges from the legend of Ichabod Crane, to the wondrous beauty of the ocean depths, the sad musings of a man who is the last vestige of the past he once knew, a search to find oneself in the depths of his psyche, the power of the human mind and more. The Journey and Until We Fade Away wrap up the first half of the album, with the former having a scorcher of an intro before falling into a mid paced jaunt and the latter being a dark ballad. I say dark because Lance uses a very deep and foreboding facet of his voice to add emphasis to the refrain. Legend and Mighty Abyss the two biggest songs, clocking in at over seven and over eight minutes respectively. I can't really comment much on these as they are songs that simply must be heard in order to comprehend. My vocabulary isn't broad enough to describe them to you and if I tried in any way to simplify these songs into descriptive words it would be an insult to the scope and depth of them. If there ever is metal perfection, then it would lie within those two. In a twist of irony, despite being the shortest song, the keyboard instrumental, The Nature of Triumph is perhaps the most epic. A fifty second composition that fits the title, this is gorgeous and stunning in its beauty. Finally, we come to the last work of art here with Power of Imagination. Starting off as a blistering and glorious tune, halfway it abruptly slows down to a lament from Lance that builds up slowly and filled with tension before it explodes into a well executed guitar solo and gives way to a lilting and delicate ending that fades out and closes the album. So there you have it, my paltry attempt to get across what an extraordinary album Melancholy Beast is. Something so vital and important in the metal scene today should not be passed up, you will sorely regret it. I haven't heard anything as good as this in ages, and I don't expect anything this year to even come close to touching this. After listening to Melancholy Beast, everything else that I hear seems dull and lifeless.

Melancholy Beast points: (90/100)

Written by (METAL TO INFINITY - webzine - The Netherlands)

New Metal band featuring the very talented American singer Lance King, aka as frontman from bands like: Balance Of Power, Mattson, King's Machine and Gemini. All happened almost three years ago when guitar player Michael Kammeyer took a personal decision to leave his previous band Damion, which was a more Black Metal outfit. Damion did not receive the reactions they were hoping for at those days and Michael was looking for something different in his life. And so he raised up Pyramaze, a Melodic Power Metal band which was totally different for him. From Black to Power Metal, it must be quite a big step for him. No problem for him, and Michael started writing some songs by his own to complete a full length album. All became reality, he wrote all the songs and now it was time to find the right musicians. A drummer and bass player wasn't hard to find at all. An opportunity for both Morten Gade (Scavenger, Aurora,...) and Niels Kvist (Aurora), who accepted Michael's quest to join Pyramaze immediately. Next musician joining the band was the American keyboard player Jonah Weingarten (Infernal Method). The rehearsals took place, demo's went outdoors and in January 2003, Jonah flew to Denmark and the recordings began in a studio Michael booked. Producer was Jacob Hansen (Withering Surface,Ancient, Manticora and Illdisposed) and he send some MP3 tracks to his friends at Intromental Management, a Metal agency from Denmark. They liked the Pyramaze stuff instantly, shake hands and united their Metal forces. Michael did the vocals that days, but the Intromental staff came with the idea to find another, awesome singer. The new frontman was found in Lance King, a very talented singer that makes Pyramaze become an oustanding Metal unit with a bright future in hands. "Melancholy Beast" is an absolutely higly recommended Power Metal album and while listening closely to the music, Iced Earth is not far away!. Lance's vocals cut through flesh and bone (as usual) and are perfectly in line with piercing guitar riffs / solo's and a great production. Fantastic release anyway, no doubt about it!

Melancholy Beast points: (92/100)

Written by (Kenn Jensen - POWERMETAL.DK - webzine - Denmark)

You take a very talented guitarist and songwriter (Michael Kammeyer), add a solid rhythm section - Niels Kvist on bass and Morten Gade on drums. Next you go searching for a keyboardplayer, and Pyramaze had to go all the way to the US to locate one: Jonah Weingarten, but to make this more than your average powermetal band they also needed a excellent vocalist and their search ended with Lance King (ex-Balance Of Power). The end result is one of the most impressive debut albums in a long time, an album with 9 very strong tracks, very well produced and mixed by Jacob Hansen. Musically they are inspired by bands like Iron Maiden, Kamelot and Iced Earth, but off course Lance's vocals makes the comparision with Balance Of Power easy. In my opinion this is Lance's strongest performance ever, and this album has the quality to blow a lot of people away. I just love this baby - excellent stuff, that I can only recommend to every metal head out there!

Melancholy Beast points: (9/10)

Written by (Jeff - METALSTORM.EE - Webzine - Estonia)

Pyramaze is a new young combo of Power/Prog metal from Denmark. A new combo?, no THE new combo of Power Metal. There is a ton of new bands that do such music each days but believe me that this time it's not a poor copy of the masters of the genre, no, we have certainly with Pyramaze one of the best newcomer of the year. Good melodies, great riffs and especially a great vocalist with Lance King [ex Balance of Power], if you like true and great Power metal, please guys, take some minutes to read this review because you could regret to miss the first album of this excellent new band. "Melancholy Beast" is the first album of this young combo from Denmark. Founded by the excellent guitarist Michael Kammeyer in 2001, this band knew how to give a very good direction to their first production with the recruitment of a magic singer Lance King. The result of the combo is now ready and believe me that all the guys who like great Power metal will take a big kick in the ass with "Melancholy Beast". A lot of catchy melodies, a lot of awesome guitars riffs, some great thundering double bass pedals for the drums, and some progressive touch, gave an excellent result. Of course the voice of Lance give a lot to the music too, I mean that without him that couldn't be the same, but the tracks are really good in general and the addition of the great writing of Michael plus the great vocals of Lance put "Melancholy Beast" in the top of the Power productions of the year. Pyramaze is without any doubt influenced by bands like Kamelot, Queensryche, Royal Hunt or Iced Earth, then well at the end this album is in the way of the work of these famous bands. I'm sure that Pyramaze could follow their steps into the metal scene if they continue to do such music in the future. With a really good production and a great work for the mixing and the recording, this album could be a killer. This is well done with a great sound and at the end it's a real pleasure to listen again and again to this excellent production. Really if you are a fan of this kind of music, "Melancholy Beast" is a must have. With their first album this band show that it's possible to do good Power Metal again today and with only one release they give something we've not heard for a long time... Nothing to say with that album, it's a real great one and this band is one of the most promising newcomers of the year. Metal Heads, if you want something very good and well written with a lot of great tracks, you must buy the first album of Pyramaze. "Melancholy Beast" is a must have, no doubt on that point, we will hear of them you can trust me...

Melancholy Beast points: (4/5)

Written by (Olivier - ASA PROD - Webzine - France)

Nouveaux venus dans le paysage du métal progressif actuel, les danois de Pyramaze ont déjà tout pour plaire : ils sont jeunes, ils sont beaux...et célibataires ! Et là, je me dis que je suis en train de me tromper de lecteurs... En fait, ils sont surtout très talentueux et possèdent une grande force de composition très mature malgré leur jeune âge. Si vous ajoutez à cela que leur premier album a été enregistré et produit sous la houlette du désormais incontournable Jacob Hansen, alors vous aurez compris que nous avons affaire à un gros potentiel. Ce qui est d'ailleurs confirmé dès l'intro de "Sleepy Hollow" où l'on est immédiatement séduit par l'accroche aux sonorités originales, puis par l'attaque du morceau et jusqu'à la dernière note. Le second titre, "Forsaken Kingdom" avec ses "bridges" à la Ark, et où le chanteur n'est pas sans nous rappeler Jorn Lande, est terriblement efficace lui aussi. Enfin, le morceau titre "Melancholy Beast" bénéficie quant à lui de quelques riffs et d'une ambiance que n'aurait pas renié Jon Schaffer lui-même, et qui font de ce titre un futur classique du groupe. On pourrait ainsi détailler tout le reste de l'album, mais nous risquerions de manquer de superlatifs. Le mieux est de vous y plonger vous-mêmes, vous ne le regretterez pas. Et pour tous les sceptiques qui ne croirait entendre qu'un énième clone de Elegy ou Kamelot de par le côté progressif et power métal très marqué du groupe, alors ils se rendront vite compte que Pyramaze a réussi l'exploit d'imposer son propre style dès ce premier opus, ce qui est déjà un tour de force en soi. Rien que pour cela, ils méritent toute votre attention.

Melancholy Beast points: (9/10)

Written by (Carl Kraus - HMAS.ORG - Webzine - USA)

If you're one who is always looking out for new bands, and you have missed Pyramaze, you are missing out on a whole lot of musical magic. From the tale of Sleepy Hollow, to the Legend of the Unicorn, this album covers a lot of stories past, and it does so with style. This album is Michael Kammeyer's baby and dream, and the band is getting ready to break into the metal scene with aggression. The album as a whole is pretty much as close to perfect as a debut album can be. Each track flows into the next, and I can say that there is never a dull moment on it. The style, in my own eyes, is a mix of progressive and power metal influences, and it happens to mix together very well. The inclusion of Lance King on the album (of Balance of Power fame), in my mind, was the best choice that the band could have made. No other singer would have fit the bill better. Lance's voice throughout the album is great, and he shows that he really knows how to sing. As for the songwriting; like I said earlier, the album has no dull moments. The verses, choruses, and solos all fit together seamlessly; this can be credited to Mr. Kammeyer. Favorite songs of mine from the album are probably "Sleepy Hollow", "Melancholy Beast", "Legend", and "Mighty Abyss". Another gem from the album is the small instrumental done by keyboardist Jonah Weingarten. "The Nature of Triumph" is a 50 second piece, written and performed by Mr. Weingarten. In this 50 seconds, you can be taken away from everything, and engulfed in this little gem. All in all, I really do think that Pyramaze will be making an exceptional break into the metal scene, as they are already getting rave reviews from many, many zines and they are going to get another. Look for Pyramaze in the future, because in no time you will be seeing much more of them.

Melancholy Beast points: (9.5/10)

Written by (Gargantouas - BLEEDING FOR METAL - webzine - Germany)

There is once in a while when bands just come out of the blue. Bands that release an album that leaves the listener speechless with the musicality and the creativity on the songs. PYRAMAZE from Denmark is one of these bands. Their debut album "Melancholy Beast" sat me on the chair and soon after made me fill with emotions and thoughts on how wonderful heavy metal can be sometimes. This is the definition of the sentence: 'I am left speechless'. Honestly I don't know what to write. The amazing thing with PYRAMAZE is that they have so many influences however they also have their unique style of music. Something indeed really difficult to achieve from the first release. KAMELOT, CRIMSON GLORY, IRON MAIDEN, HELLOWEEN, QUEENSRYCHE are all present on this album with a wonderful personal interpretation of influences from PYRAMAZE. Someone could try and categorize this on some kind of sub-genre of heavy metal. I would say that this would limit this album. "Melancholy Beast" contains killer riffs, amazing creative melodies, unbelievably solid rhythm sections, wonderful vocal lines and nine diamond songs. The average length of the songs is about 6 minutes, without this being a drawback for the album. The first time it finished I simply put it on again to live this magnificent experience once more. Unfortunately I don't have the lyrics of "Melancholy Beast", however they seem to be ok. The special note to this magnificent singer with the name Lance King (BALANCE OF POWER, MATTSON,KING'S MACHINE and GEMINI) that simply gave me the chills throughout the album. A mix of Geoff Tate, Michael Kiske, Rob Halford and Bruce Dickinson, all in one under the color of King's voice, it simply lifts up the songs to another level. Without trying to impress with needless screams, King simply performs and interprets the wonderful melodic lines. I don't know what to say in order to get you excited to buy this album. One of my favorites for this year for sure and don't expect me to distinguish any songs. All of the nine songs are simply great. The fans of serious melancholic melodic heavy metal will fall in love with this album just like I have done. For one more time, don't be afraid to invest without fear. Art doesn't have a price.

Melancholy Beast points: (4/5)

Written by (Makis - METAL TEMPLE - webzine - Greece)

Ok, first of all let's have a look at these guys. Who are they? Pyramaze are fronted by previous Balance Of Power vocalist Lance King, with the Damion credited Michael Kammeyer on guitar and Aurora, Nepenthe, and Wuthering Heights drummer Morten Gade Sorensen. Bassist Niels Kvist and American keyboard player Jonah Weingarten came to forge Pyramaze. Melancholy Beast is their debut album and I have to say it's the finest Danish Melodic Power Metal I've heard for the last years. You can easily understand Pyramaze's influences, since their Iron Maiden, Kamelot, Iced Earth and Stratovarious effects are quite obvious. However the band does not try to copy them but they compose their own new and fresh melodies. Of course one of Pyramaze's advantages is Lance's voice, which is very impressive and powerful. I've noticed some weak points on the compositions that pass by unnoticed, thanks to his amazing vocals. These guys might hail from Denmark but their Power Metal is done in the American way, cause of the fact that two members are Americans and their participation is strong enough to encase the European way of playing. So, what we got here is high class Melodic Power Metal with most of the songs being very impressive, having an outstanding production. Highlights are "Sleepy Hollow", "Melancholy Beast", "The Journey" and "Legend" with their perfect balance of melody and Lance's soaring vocals. All the material is a lot better than what the average band in this genre is releasing nowadays, when originality is something hard to achieve, that's for sure. Pyramaze is capable of producing something that sounds new and fresh when almost everything has been done by someone else before. These guys are a more than welcome addition to the Melodic Power Metal scene and as debuts go, this is one of the strongest. The second album should be dynamite. Concluding, Melancholy Beast is a blistering debut album from a promising young band with the potentials to go all the way. Strongly recommended to every metal head out there.

Melancholy Beast points: (9/10)

Written by (Even - THE STREETS - Webzine - Norway)

Power metal releases of Danish orign is not something we see to often. I guess Pyramaze can be defined as a Danish band, even though two of the band members are Americans. According to the press note Pyramaze sounds like a wonderful mixture of Iced Earth, Kamelot and Iron Maiden. I can't completely agree in that description, but that don't change the fact that this is a quality product. The musical basis is, as I've already mentioned, melodic power metal done the American way. Some progressive elements have also been added to the sound. The song material is good and even, and the same must be said about the production. The band has a very skilled singer named Lance King, and he deserves credit for his work on this album. Fans of progressive metal might remember King from the band Balance Of Power. Nice stuff !

Melancholy Beast points: (16/20)

Written by (Bozkiller - VIOLENT SOLUTIONS - Webzine - France)

En voilà une pochette bien affreuse. Et pourtant derrière cette "oeuvre" de Rob Alexander, qui aurait cru que se dévoilerait petit à petit une petite merveille? Moi pas, et aux premières écoutes je me suis ennuyé ferme. Pourtant très rapidement le charme de la galette s´est installé et elle squatte mes oreilles depuis plusieurs jours maintenant, avec régal. Maintenant vous vous souvenez peut être de la kro que j´avais fait il y a quelques temps du dernier MATTSSON ("Power Games"), pour lequel la voix m´avait particulièrement horripilée? Eh bien quelle surprise de retrouver ici Lance King mais cette fois-ci dans une bien meilleure forme, où il dégage un vraie performance (même si certains passages trop aigus peuvent devenir génants)! Ce disque pourrait être un disque de ICED EARTH si ceux-ci faisaient du Heavy lent et progressif. Car en effet plus d´une fois aurais-je pensé au groupe de Jon Schaffer en écoutant cette galette: Certaines mélodies sortiraient presque de "The Dark Saga" et surtout les accélérations et la mise en place rappellent le jeu des américains (attention ne vous méprenez pas, je ne parle pas des riffs saccadés, marque de fabrique de Jon). Mais PYRAMAZE évite magistralement l´écueil du plagiat en incorporant dans leur musique, d´une part un clavier aux multiples sonorités, qui d´ailleurs a une grande importance dans les compos (au niveau soli il est prédominant par rapport à la guitare), et d´autre part des moments de calme limite ambiants (avant d´accélérer), où Lance sort une voix caverneuse du meilleur effet ("Forsaken Kingdom" "Sleepy Hollow", "Mighty Abyss"...). Il y a d´autres moments plus classiques, mais l´ensemble des compos se tient, et la galette fourmille de bons titres. Bref une bien belle surprise en direct du Danemark.

Melancholy Beast points: (4/5)

Written by (SL - ROCKREPORT - webzine - Belgium)

Hey, Lance King is back! The ex-Balance Of Power vocalist was asked to lend his voice to the debut release of Pyramaze. Intromental Management, The Danish progressive power metal band's agency, had been blown away by the instrumental material they received from the guys and came up with the sublime idea to put a high class singer on this. Result? Read on... A bit more than two years ago, guitarist Michael Kammeyer was disappointed as to where his current band Damion, with whom he had recorded two demo CDs, were going. Lack of attention from outside the local scene in Aabenraa, the man's home town, made him decide to search for new horizons and leave the band. He wanted to try his luck in the melodic power metal scene - and founded Pyramaze, which quickly expanded to a trio when local drummer Morten Gade and bass player Nils Kvist jumped on the bandwagon. Keyboardist Jonah Weingarten followed quickly, an American who Kammeyer had met through the Internet. Many rough and demo recordings were air mailed over the Atlantic Ocean from Denmark to the US and back and phone conferences were the forced replacement of band gatherings. Nevertheless, enough material got finished to start thinking of an actual debut album, so early 2003, Weingarten flew over to lay down the instrumental tracks in the studio with the support of producer Jacob Hansen, who talked Intromental into taking the band under their ever widening wings. When they heard that Kammeyer was to do the vocals as well, they suggested to use an experienced and renowned vocalist, who would be able to add an extra dimension to the band's music. Enter Lance King. And boy, what a debut album "Melancholy Beast" has become! King's voice - a mixture of Geoff Tate and James LaBrie - and enough complexity to make progressive metal freaks drool over this, an high dose of melody and power to satisfy even the most exigent power metal fan and an audiophile-safe glass clear sound. The album might need a spin or two before its beauty becomes audible, as it did with me, but songs as powerful as opener "Sleepy Hollow", adrenaline riser "The Journey", "Legend" with its haunting chorus and "Until We Fade Away" (a ballad with a great message) should quench the thirst of those looking for instant satisfaction as well. And let's not forget to mention the original artwork by fantasy and science fiction illustrator Rob Alexander. You asked for the result? What do you think of 'an impressive debut album by a band we will definitely hear more from in the future'!

Melancholy Beast points: (9/10)

Written by (Gabor Kleinboesem - STRUTTER - webzine - The Netherlands)

PYRAMAZE is a new band from Denmark, but they also have 2 American musicians in their line-up, namely keyboardplayer Jonah Weingarten and the fantastic lead singer LANCE KING. Lance is of course best known as lead singer of BALANCE OF POWER, although he also sang on records by MATTSON, KING'S MACHINE, GEMINI and DEFIANCE. With a singer like Lance you can only head into a sensational area, and PYRAMAZE is indeed quite sensational on their debut CD 'Melancholy beast', which is filled with high class Melodic Progressive/Power Metal that sounds a bit like KAMELOT, with some more 80s US Power Metal influences (BALANCE OF POWER is also an easy comparison). 9 songs are on the CD, and of course the production is huge, Lance's vocals are perfect and most of the songs are very impressive. Highlights are "Sleepy hollow", "Melancholy beast", "The journey" (very strong chorus, like BALANCE OF POWER 'Perfect balance') and "Legend". People into BALANCE OF POWER, DEFIANCE, KAMELOT, MOB RULES, 80s QUEENSRCYHE, etc. will absolutely love this debut of PYRAMAZE definitely. The album is set for release late May, so you will have to wait a few more weeks before the album is officially released.

Melancholy Beast points: (10/10)

Written by (Dave Cockett - DESTINY - magazine - UK - "top tip")

A Danish / American five piece who are about to make some serious waves on the epic power metal scene, Pyramaze were formed as recently as the winter of 2001/02 by the extremely talented Danish guitarist / songwriter Michael Kammeyer. Taking on board a range of dynamic influences which includes reference points drawn from acts as diverse and far reaching as Royal Hunt, Kamelot, Stratovarius, Judas Priest and Queensryche (to name but five), what will now doubt attract most interest initially is that debut album 'Melancholy Beast' sees a return to action of former Balance Of Power vocalist Lance King. A perfect balance of muscle and melody with a sophisticated, at times distinctly progressive outlook, 'Melancholy Beast' is filled with the kind of brooding, epic songs most bands take a lifetime to achieve, yet never quite manage to such a degree. Lance King is as impressive as ever, his commanding presence and soaring vocals offering a solid focal point for each and ever songs, whilst guitarist Kammeyer and keyboard player Jonah Weingarten both turn in a dazzling display which accentuates each little nuance to the full. Filled with everything from kerosene fuelled rockers to grinding epics, tracks such as 'Sleepy Hollow', 'The Journey', and 'Until We Fade Away' all stand tall and proud. A blistering debut from a band with the potential to go all the way. Frighteningly good!

Melancholy Beast points: (9/10)

Written by (Fyrsten - HEAVYMETAL.DK - webzine - Denmark)

Som en kåd trold i en alt alt for snæver æske popper de 3/5 dele danske Pyramaze frem fra den friske forårsmuld med et yderst positivt overraskende debut album, der på overlegen måde viser at også folk fra Danmark kan bide skeer med det etablerede udland udi kunsten at smede virkningsfuldt power metal. Det havde nok de færreste troet muligt, men ikke desto mindre står "Melancholy Beast" ud som en vaskeægte fuldtræffer indenfor sit felt. Ingen tvivl om at vi herhjemme efterhånden har en lang række dygtige musikere der har deres på det rene når selve stålet skal smedes, men de dygtige vokalister kniber det fortsat med, hvorfor Pyramaze da også har måtte en tur udi det internationale metalcirkus for at finde en passende sanger. Valget faldt på Lance King, der har en fortid i Balance Of Power, og man må sgu sige at drengene har gjort et fornuftigt valg, da Lance virkelig formår at løfte hvert enkelt nummer med en vokal der bare passer som Hans i Grethe albummet igennem. Selve det kompositoriske er der heller intet at klage over, da mainman Michael Kammeyer bestemt har strikket nogle fede og afvekslende skæringer sammen, der både byder på velafbalanceret teknisk snilde og melodi i overflod. Bare lyt til den sublime "Mighty Abyss", hvis du mangler et bevis - men faktisk er der på "Melancholy Beast" ikke et eneste svagt nummer. Det i sig selv er jo ganske imponerende. Bortset fra vokalen, som er optaget ovre hos Lance King i USA, er alt andet optaget og efterfølgende mikset hos Jacob Hansen, og endnu engang er der tale om en perfekt produktion, hvor de forskellige instrumenter står tydeligt ud. Jonah Weingarten's keyboard stykker flettes virkningsfuldt ind i lydbilledet uden de frarøver fokus på selve numrene, og den stærke rytme sektion bestående af bassist Niels Kvist og trommeslager Morten G. Sørensen (begge fra Aurora) bidrager ligeledes med en solid portion dynamik og et flow der gør at numrene ruller fedt. Jeg ser derfor ingen grund til ikke at tjekke "Melancholy Beast" ud snarest, hvorfor jeg med tidens vanlige sindsro atter sætter bæstet på til endnu en lytter - med åbne vinduer naturligvis!

Melancholy Beast points: (9/10)

Written by (Mape Ollila - IMPERIUMI - webzine - Finland)

Netissä koottu tanskalais-amerikkalainen Pyramaze on kitaristi Michael Kammeyerin aivoitus, jossa sulautetaan kevyestä kitarasoundista huolimatta thrashilta tuoksahtava riffittely ja kekseliäät, melodiset kosketinosuudet. Yhtyeen teknisen osaamisen esittely ei vie liikaa tilaa kohtalaisen tarttuvilta melodioilta ja hyvin pohjustetun kiekon koristelee Lance Kingin (ex-Balance of Power) emotionaalinen ilmaisu ja upea lauluääni. Yhtye operoi melodisen ja viipyilevän progressiivisen powermetallin kentällä. Pyramazesta löytyy Iced Earthin, Iron Maidenin ja myös jokseenkin yhtä suuressa määrin niin jenkkiprogemetallin, hard rockin kuin eurooppalaisen powermetallin sävyjä. Useimpien biisien pääajatuksena tuntuu olevan herätellä Fates Warningin tapaan rennon odottelevaa tunnelmaa, kunnes ilmoille leimahtaa futuristisen kosketinsoolon ilotulitus tai jälleen yksi säkenöivä kertosäe, johon King laulaa paitsi liidit, myös aina yhtä mahtavan melodiset stemmat. Mies säihkyi jo Balance of Powerin äänenä, mutta Pyramazessa jenkkivokalisti pääsee käyttämään myös äänialansa alapäätä. Kingillä onkin skaalaa kuin nuorella Geoff Tatella ja mikä tärkeintä, hänellä on myös tyylitajua sen käyttämiseen hyvällä maulla. King esittää Melancholy Beastilla mahdollisesti tähän mennessä pätevintä lauluaan. King on teknisen osaamisensa lisäksi vieläpä melkoinen tunteiden tulkki, välittäen kuulijalle laajaa tunneskaalaa aina surullisesta vittumaiseen. Levy ei kertosäkeistään huolimatta aukene ihan vähällä kuuntelulla. Pyramaze ei äkistään kuultuna ole lajissaan tarttuvinta, osaavinta tai edes tunnelmallisinta musiikkia. Kappaleilla ei vaikuttaisi olevan muuta annettavaa, kuin soittoteknistä osaamista, mielenkiintoisia synasooloja ne moneen kertaan mainitut kertsit. Melancholy Beast kuitenkin kiehtoo mystisesti ja sormi osuu soittimen play -napille kerta toisensa jälkeen. Ennemmin tai myöhemmin levyn maagisuus saa selityksensä. Jos ja kun genren harrastajiin kuuluva kuulija osuu kuuntelemaan Melancholy Beastiä oikeassa mielentilassa, lupaan ilmestyksen, jonka aikana paitsi koko konsepti, jopa albumin nimikin avautuu uudella tavalla. Sen jälkeen jokainen kuuntelukerta on edellistä palkitsevampi. Sen jälkeen Pyramaze huuhtoo kuulijan mennessään kuin hyökyaalto. Itse alankin olla jo kaukana rannasta...

Melancholy Beast points: (16/20)

Written by (Papaduck - HEAVY LAW - webzine - France)

Hier, je ne connaissais pas, et aujourd'hui je me demande d'où débarquent tous ces petits jeunes.... Sont-ils élevés en grand secret dans quelque ferme suédoise ou norvégienne ? Nourris exclusivement de musiques à fort relent métallique, puis relâchés le jour de leur majorité sous forme de groupes déjà hyper pros et prêts , sans aucune discographie derrière eux, à bouffer toute crue la scène européenne - pour commencer... A mon avis, PYRAMAZE fait partie de ces groupes. Bon, pas tout à fait, puisque le chanteur, Lance King, s'est déjà frotté à divers groupes,mais quand même... Amateurs de power métal mélodique, réjouissez-vous : voilà un nouveau groupe à caser au côté de vos KAMELOT et autres STORMWIND. PYRAMAZE débarque avec un son puissant et un sens de la mélodie déjà confondant. Quelques ambiances un peu prog ne sauront rebuter les allergiques au genre ( à ce propos les noms de BALANCE OF POWER et PAGAN'S MIND me viennent à l'esprit). Les morceaux s'enchaînent avec fluidité sans jamais lasser, la production au top ne lèse personne, assurant un son parfaitement limpide et mettant en valeur le travail fait sur les vocaux. Bref, de la belle ouvrage, et plus j'écoute, plus j'aime. A propos, avez-vous entendu parler d'un groupe nommé MANTINEA ? Moi non plus.. mais ça ne saurait tarder, et sûr qu'ils vont casser la baraque !

Melancholy Beast points: (84/100)

Written by (Sjak - LORDS OF METAL - webzine - The Netherlands)

The story around the new Danish band Pyramaze started at the year-end of 2001, when the then 24-years old guitarist Michael Kammeyer left his band at that time Damion, to start up a completely new band. Bass player Niels Kvist and drummer Morten Gade were soon accompanying Michael and somewhat later also a keyboard player was found in the person of Jonah Weingarten, an American who Michael got acquainted with via the internet. Now that the band was complete, they could start to work on the song material and this lead among others to the nine songs which we can find on this debut album 'Melancholy Beast'. The first recordings were sent to the Danish metal agency Intromental Management and they made sure that also a record company was found for the actual release of the album. Intromental was also the one who convinced Michael, who until then also took care of the vocals, to go and look for a real professional singer. They found one in the person of Lance King, who already had released albums with Balance Of Power, Mattson and Gemini. And has all this led to the high quality level that they wanted? Absolutely because, despite of the fact that Pyramaze is playing music in the crowded melodic power metal genre, we got a band on offer here which is clearly above average to say the least. Reasons for this are quite obvious: first of all vocalist Lance King is a fantastic vocalist, who is very capable of singing material in this style. Second, the production of the album is very good, which contributes a lot to your listening pleasure. And third, the song material of Pyramaze is a lot better than what the average band in this genre is releasing nowadays. Influences of Kamelot, Helloween and even Iron Maiden can be found in the nine tracks on this 'Melancholy Beast' release. Just listen to opening track 'Sleepy Hollow' and 'Mighty Abyss' for instance. Best song on the album in my opinion is the power ballad 'Until We Fade Away'. Originality is nowhere to be found on this record, but who's got that anyway in today's scene? If you're looking for a good new band in the melodic power metal scene, Pyramaze is a good choice to go for.

Melancholy Beast points: (8/10)

Written by (David Noaksson - METALHEART - webzine - Sweden )

Danmark har på senare tid i mina ögon börjat förknippats med kvalitet i musiksammanhang - åtminstone när det kommer till power/prog metal. Förväntningarna på Pyramaze var därför högt ställda. Orättvist eller inte, det slipper vi ta reda på i detta fall, för bandets debutplatta Melancholy beast lever verkligen upp till den danska standarden, och det kanske med råge. Denna bedömning är gjord med endast musiken i åtanke, lägg sedan till Lance King (ex. Balance of Power) på sång, och du bör, åtminstone som power/prog metal-freak, förstå denna skivas kvaliteter. Musiken befinner sig i ständig jämvikt, med allt vad det nu kan innebära. Det är i allra högsta grad melodiskt men de lyckas trots det undgå fällan att bli glassbilstralliga. Hur skivtiteln nu ska tolkas vet jag inte, men den ger ju uppenbara indikationer på att det även ska vara melankoliskt, vilket faktiskt stämmer till viss del. Tänk Symphony X-melodiskt och Iced earth-tungt, och du bör ha ett hum om hur det hela låter. Även band som Kamelot är inte heller helt fel att ta upp i sammanhanget faktiskt. Det här är en mix som faller mig alldeles utmärkt i smaken, vilket ni förmodligen redan förstått efter att ha sett betyget. Produktionen, signerad Jacob Hansen, är tipp topp utan något egentligt att anmärka på, och det samma gäller för instrumenttrakterandet. Vad gäller sång så har jag väl bara två ord att säga, Lance King! Näst efter Wuthering heights och Manticora placerar jag nu Pyramaze, som får sig en ärofylld plats bredvid Section A. Danmark slutar då aldrig att imponera, det må jag säga! Givet köp för power metal-fans som uppskattar god variation och progressivitet.

Melancholy Beast points: (8/10)

Written by (Sesame - HARD ROCK - magazine - France)

Après la découverte de Royal Hunt, le Danemark nous livre sa nouvelle perle nationale, à savoir le jeune combo flamboyant PYRAMAZE. A juste titre, le groupe ne risque pas de rester longtemps en touche à l'écoute de ce prodigieux "Melancholy Beast". Mené par le vocaliste américain hors-pair, Lance King (ex-Defyance et ex- Balance Of Power) qui décuple à foison le potentiel évident du groupe, on assiste enfin à la regénération du Power Metal le plus dynamique qui nous ait été permis d'écouter depuis quelques mois ! Proche d'un Iced Earth survitaminé et d'un Kamelot inspiré, c'est en séduisant prétendant que le quintet repousse à sa manière les limites du genre institutionalisé en magnifiant ses excellentes compositions d'une production cristalline. Assurément un ténor qui deviendra grand...

Melancholy Beast points: (8/10)

Written by (Vincent Eldefors - TARTAREAN DESIRE - webzine - Sweden)

Most new bands that are signed to record labels today are made up of skilled musicians but what almost everyone is lacking is good song writing abilities. But then, once in a while, you discover a band where just about everything falls into place. That is the case with the Danish band Pyramaze who started out as late as the winter of 2001 / 2002 and have now signed a record deal with Nothing To Say thanks to the good connections of their management company Intromental. "Melancholy Beast" is a wonderful display of how good progressive power metal can sound when performed by those who master the genre. At times Pyramaze remind me of a more progressive and rock influenced version of Stratovarius meets Kamelot but there is so much more in here. The diverse musical tastes of the band members come to life fully in these nine songs and it's been a while since I was this impressed with a new band from this genre where it seems like every band tries to copy what others have done before. That is not the truth of course but in all honesty it is extremely difficult to produce something that sounds new and fresh today no matter how hard to try. Almost everything has been done by someone before and the only thing to do for most bands is try to combine different elements in the best way possible. This is what Pyramaze has been capable of doing and the result is mighty impressive. It only gets better, when the professional musicians from Denmark have been joined by American vocalist Lance King who is known from other bands in the genre such as Balance Of Power, Mattsson, King's Machine and Gemini. A very nice debut album from a promising young band that should please all fans of progressive power metal.

Average Customer Review: 5