Like a basement complex, the band EKPYROSIS performs since 20 years in the underground and they offer a double CD as present for their jubilee. Unfortunately the joy is not unlimited like it is the case with the one or other Christmas gift.

What may be the reason for that instance in my case? I think that the progressive Metal of these Styrians sounds a little bit too hectic and out-of-round; also the vocals are quite hard to get accustomed to. The playful songs are packed with weird keyboard parts, complex rhythms and experimental vocal adoptions. The musical bow draws from ballad-like songs up to mid tempo pieces; some anthemic tracks to sing along like Release Me From Your Spell are played as well. In this case, the band grooves in relaxed and catchy style and misses out complex elements – sometimes less is more!
The band performs the best song with the elegiac Dear Sophie. Calm, slightly kitschy guitars delight the listener’s ear and the interspersed synthetic flutes fit the overall image at best. Singer Christian Gruber knows how to use his timbre conveniently. Sometimes the vocalist acts a little bit too soulful, though the guy is no bard.
Apart from that, the riffing and scrubbing guitars are a brownie point as well as the pumping rhythm work. A rocking tune like Addicted would need a real crowning refrain. Obviously the guys feel good while performing in sluggish manner. The song The Underground Is Where It Happens proves this thesis. The acoustic fundamentals shows up in cumbersome but impelling way, ere the composition speeds up and shows that EKPYROSIS want to compose multilayer music. No problem that the keyboard performs a nice organ solo like Jon Lord and the rhythm changes are numerous.

Ok, kind musicians in EKPYROSIS, I honor your persistence, your ideas and the alternation. Maybe you could set the focus on best elaborated vocal lines that some more impressions of your ambitious tunes stay in my long term memory. Partly the compositions seem to be overcrowded with bombast.
Nevertheless, best wishes for your jubilee!