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Metal/Prog Metal CD Reviews

Waverly Lies North

A Soul in the Void

Review by Gary Hill

There are moments here that would qualify as progressive rock. It’s that proggy at times. It seems to wander between epic metal, power metal and more technical, thrashy stuff. It’s quite stunning, it a bit formulaic at times. This is a great set start to end, though, really.

This review is available in book format (hardcover and paperback) in Music Street Journal: 2015  Volume 4 at lulu.com/strangesound.

Track by Track Review
The Curse (Lux in Tenebris)

The opening section here is powerful and stunning. Symphonic prog sort of sounds are merged with some rather spooky vocals. After this movement runs its course, they power out into some scorching, soaring metal. It’s part technical speed metal and part European epic metal. It’s all great. This whole piece has such a dramatic sound. Yet, it doesn’t sacrifice the metal to attain it.

A Soul in the Void
No less dramatic, this is more ferocious and aggressive on the intro. It’s especially meaty. The symphonic elements are still there on the introduction. It drops to a more typical melodic epic metal verse section. This is another screaming hot cut with epic metal stylings written all over it. It’s steeped in power metal. There is a short drop back that’s piano dominated.
Cherish No Hope
There are no big changes here. This one’s a little more straightforward than some of the rest, though. Still, there are some technical sections in the midst of it. It does get more involved and dramatic later.
Labyrinth
I love the vocal arrangement on this one. The music is quite meaty, too. It pulls a nice balance between thrashier territory and more power metal stuff. There is a bit of a Middle Eastern excursion in the midst of the track.
Chimaera
More of a pure technical metal stomper, I really like the musical arrangement here. This is melodic and yet fast paced and fierce.
Aria Nocturna
I love the symphonic epic drama of this cut. I also like the thrashy section. The vocal arrangement brings some variant and this has a good tempo. It also has some more lushly arranged parts. It gets more classically oriented later, moving more into epic territory before a return to thrashy elements ends it.
Gilded Faith
Rather than any big changes, this is another solid helping of the kind of music we’ve heard throughout the set. I love the vocal arrangement. The meaty guitar riffing is great, too.
Follow the River
The keyboard elements bring a bit of a prog vibe in some ways. This is another powerhouse epic metal cut, though. Again, there are no huge changes, but just another especially competent example of this band’s sound.
Final
The shorter closing piece has a lot of symphonic music in the mix. In fact, if everything here were like this, I’d land these guys under prog instead of metal.

 

 
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