Teramaze - Are We Soldiers (2019)

The Australian group Teramaze is a band that I instantly fell in love with when I first heard them on the 2014 effort "Esoteric Symbolism", and the follow up "Her Halo" was not too shabby either. They have a heavier and more futuristic take on the classic progressive metal formula that really speaks to me, and it also helps that the men behind the music are pretty skilled as well. It has been a while though since the last album (4 years to be exact), so do they still have that magic touch, or are they on the decline?

The sixth full length effort is entitled "Are We Soldiers", and it gives us a lot of metal for the money, one hour and nine minutes of it. I am usually not against a prog band going over the hour mark, but this is a dense album with a lot of quality, but also some unnecessary moments. The closer "Depopulate" is the perfect example of this, starting off strong with determination and a catchy pronunciation of the title, but the back half of this song that goes for just under 12 minutes is completely different, and does not add anything significant really. Why not split up this song into two? Would make much more sense. Also do not like the title track, an obvious single track that does not have any impact in its delivery.

At first, the density made me kind of numb about the record, not feeling too excited about it, but the more I listened, the more I started to love it. Teramaze has this copyrighted style that is incredibly infectious, adding small thrash hints into their music to give it more depth. The band is also great at packaging these songs so that you never feel bored, either by the mesmerizing guitar symbiosis of Dean Wells and newcomer Chris Zoupa, the excellent keyboard melodies of Jonah Weingarten, or the passionate vocal performance of Brett Rerekura. It is an all out team effort at an high level.

It is ultimately the song craft that is the strength of "Are We Soldiers", a mix of melodic and heavy songs that all show off their individual power. Pacing is especially strong in this record, with songs like "Control Conquer Collide" (or as I like to call it, triple C), "Orwellian Times" and "Fact Resistant Human" take their time to settle in, not rushing getting to the point, leading to some highly enjoyable moments. Then there are the more intense songs like "Weight of Humanity" and "Fight Or Flight" that offers something special to this record. My favourite of the bunch though is "From Saviour To Assassin", an awesome high paced track with great riffing, epic chorus, and a second half that gives you chills all the way through. It is songs like this one that only Teramaze can do, and a major reason to why I love these guys.

"Are We Soldiers" is another stellar performance from the Aussies, a record filled with progressive goodness that will last for quite some time. The band keeps their wheels rolling with their signature sound and lyrics about the social issues the world is facing today, giving us an album that is both catchy, interesting, and thought provoking. It may be a little on the long side, and some of the songs might not stack up to its peers, but "Are We Soldiers" is still a solid gem that you should dedicate some time into. Simply put, this album is Teramazing.

Songs worthy of recognition: From Saviour To Assassin, Fight Or Flight, Control Conquer Collide, Weight of Humanity

Rating: 8,5/10 M.O.N.S.T.E.R.S.

http://teramaze.com.au/
https://twitter.com/teramazemusic

More reviews of Teramaze
Esoteric Symbolism
Her Halo

Teramaze - Her Halo (2015)

For those of you who have followed my blog for some time, you know that I discovered the Australian progressive metal band Teramaze by pure coincidence. But after just one listen of the fantastic album "Esoteric Symbolism", I was hooked on the band. It was something with that mix of prog, thrash and speed that was mesmerizing and captivating, just amazing. That album eventually made it into my top 20 last year, so naturally, I was thrilled to find out that the band is already ready to present the follow up.

It turns out that the new album, entitled "Her Halo", is a whole different experience from "Esoteric Symbolism". For instance, the band has gotten a new singer. Gone is Brett Rerekura, and in goes Nathan Peachey, a clear upgrade if you ask me since Brett had some limitations in his voice. Nathan has more range and presence, which fits really well with the overall mood of "Her Halo", which is more beautiful and fragile than what its predecessor was.

"Her Halo" does not have any of the thrash metal influences that the previous Teramaze records possesses, which I am a little sad about, since it was something that made the band stand out. However, they still managed to maintain their core sound, which is big, epic, and futuristic metal. It all sounds incredible, and the instrumentation is fantastic, as one would expect from a progressive metal band. My only issue with the album is that the songs do not have the same impact as the ones in "Esoteric Symbolism". I miss that it factor that makes the songs so unique and memorable.

With that said, there are still a couple of songs that do impress me. The opening track "An Ordinary Dream (Enla Momento)" is a perfect representation of what Teramaze is, a close to 13 minute giant that dazzles with its complexity and melodies. The album also ends in a terrific way with "Delusions of Grandeur", another giant piece that clocks in just under 10 minutes, displaying some of the darkest moments in "Her Halo". Speaking of dark moments, "Out of Subconscious" has that as well, giving out a sense of despair that really pops out of the speakers.

The band also tries to make a couple of ballads in this record, which does not turn out all too well. The title track does have an interesting verse and some good guitar work, but the chorus is way too boring, close to whiny. Only thing saving this weird pop and prog fusion is a pretty cool guitar solo. There is still one song in the album that is even worse, and that is "Broken", a full fledged ballad that is closer to Nickelback than Teramaze. My god, I do not see any reason to why this song should be on here, it is a boring sleeping pill that may confirm this album's different look, but it does not strengthen it.

I like the fact that the band wanted to make a new, different sounding album, and doing it in such a short amount of time, without losing too much of the quality is surely impressive. With that said, I still think "Her Halo" is inferior to "Esoteric Symbolism". It just does not have the same impact and originality. I still enjoy the album, and it is definitely one of the better releases this year, but if you want to hear some great progressive metal, I suggest "Esoteric Symbolism" over "Her Halo" (that does not mean that you cannot listen to both albums if you have the time and courage :) ).

Songs worthy of recognition: Delusions of Grandeur, An Ordinary Dream (Enla Momento), Out of Subconscious

Rating: 8/10 Trapezes

http://teramaze.com.au/
https://twitter.com/teramazemusic

More reviews of Teramaze
Esoteric Symbolism

Are We Soldiers

Teramaze - Esoteric Symbolism (2014)

From down under comes the interesting progressive metal band Teramaze. Besides from having a name that literally screams progressive metal, they have a sound that is true to the prog metal sound, but still feels modern and original with the mix of both melody and thrash.

"Esoteric Symbolism" is the band's 4th album, and it is not a album for the faint of heart. The length of the album is around 1 hour and 18 minutes divided into 13 songs that alters from 3 and a half minutes to 8 minutes. So no real mastodon pieces can be found here, but that matters very little when several of the songs are still very grand. It is pretty obvious that one of the band's inspirations are Dream Theater, since Teramaze have several similar features, and especially the singer Brett Rerekura sounds very much alike James LaBrie. Besides from Dream Theater, I can also find some DGM, Trivium and Symphony X in Teramaze's music.

It is the technicality that lifts the music in "Esoteric Symbolism". The drums and the guitars (delivered by Dean Kennedy and John Zambelis) tests the limits constantly on how far they can take the music. Just listen to the speedy solo part in "Parallels/Dual Reality", the intro in "Transhumanist" or the incredibly heavy and catchy "Punishment By Design", and you will hear some of the fantastic and interesting musicality that Teramaze is spoiling us with. But the band does also a good impression when it comes to the epic department. Songs like "The Divulgence Act" and "Dust of Martyrs" can easily create goose bumps with their epic, yet heavy, song structures.

The album ends with a trio of epic tunes entitled "VI Order Out of Chaos", "VII Darkest Days of Symphony" and "VIII In Vitro" (wonder what the band did with I to V?). These three are probably the meatiest songs on "Esoteric Symbolism" and they almost feel like three different parts of the same, humongous song. They fit nicely together and makes a stunning and epic ending for the album, but it might be too much for some to take in at once.

Ultimately, Teramaze is bringing a modern and refreshing album in "Esoteric Symbolism". The record is a heavy progressive album that feels original, and the music itself is well executed. In a time where Dream Theater is stumbling in every new album, it feels good that Teramaze delivers some great progressive metal.

Songs worthy of recognition: The Divulgence Act, Line of Symmetry, Punishment By Design, Dust of Martyrs, VII Darkest Days of Symphony

Rating: 9/10 Transhumanists

http://teramaze.com.au/
https://twitter.com/teramazemusic

More reviews of Teramaze
Her Halo

Are We Soldiers