Bandas preferidas : Avenged Sevenfold, Callejon, Trivium, Bullet From My Valentine, Wintersun, Coroner, Disturbed, Morbid Angel, Sepultura, Children Of Bodom, Chimaira, Lost Horizon, Mercyful Fate, Judas Priest, Hellöise, Heaven’s Gate, Chroming Rose, White Lion, Nocturnal Bloodlust, Loudness, Soilwork, Slayer, Exodus, Nuclear Assault, Heathen, Solitude Aeturnus, Vow Wow, King Diamond, Gamma Ray, Caliban, System Of A Dawn, Rage Against The Machine, Nocturnal Rites, Scanner, Tankard, Destruction, Metallica, Slipknot, Blaze Out, Bonded By Blood, Gama Bomb, Kaleikr, Demonoid, Sabbat, Bal Sagoth, Fifth Angel, Nevermore, Sanctuary, Black Sabbath, Motörhead, Sinergy, Alcatrazz, Skid Row, Volbeat, Primal Fear, Iced Earth, Blind Guardian, Racer X, Tesla, Evergrey, Lost Society, Six Feet Under, Obituary, Blessed Death, Atheist, Demolition Hammer, Death, Manowar, Death Angel, Illdisposed, Marshall Law, Pink Floyd, Sinner, Masterplan, Edguy, Avantasia, Jorn Lande, Helloween, Pretty Maids, Brainstorm, Stratovarius, Rising Force, Pestilence, Maintain, Onslaugth, Overkill, Rob Halford, Artillery, Crystal Lake, Avatar, Risk, God Dethroned, Cradle Of Filth, Heaven Shall Burn, Sick Of It All, Nofx, Criminal, Riot, Dream Theater, Yngwie Malmsteen, Tony Macalpine, Paul Gilbert, Steve Vai, Agathodaimon, 3 Inches Of Blood, Poltergeist, Vader, Black Fate, Impelliteri, Axxis, Bloodbath, Deicide, Behemoth, Manticora, Equilibrium, Guillotine, Quiet Room, Wicked Maraya, Crimson Glory, Rush, War Of Ages, Rage, Running Wild, Metal Church, Reverend, Anthrax, Flotsam And Jetsam, Chinchilla, Covenant, Testament, Iron Maiden, Satan, Dokken, Lynch Mob, Exciter, Sadus, Black Dahlia Murder, All That Remains, As I Lie Dying, Channel Zero, The Haunted, Angel Dust, Morgana Lefay, Morbid Jester, Seven Witches, Wrath, Burning Inside, Athena, Wardance, Wild Dogs, Septagon, Them, Q 5, Old Man’s Child, Carnivore, Crystal Eyes, Kreator, Legion Of The Damned, Machine Head, Linkin Park, Hell, Kamelot, Cataract, Led Zeppelin, Hyperion, Hittman, Hypocrisy, Hades, Liege Lord, Mania, Forbidden, Holy Mother, Rawhead Rexx, Throne Of Chaos, Apocalypse, Ancient Rites... Depuis 1983, j'ai participé en tant que fondateur de la station de radio gratuite Radio Cucaracha, située à Oviedo, dans les Asturies, en Espagne, tout en dirigeant et en présentant le programme de Hard Rock Cábala Rock. En 1988 j'ai amené au programme des collègues plus spécialisés dans des styles spécifiques de métal (thrash, death, classique ...) et avec eux nous avons donné vie au nouveau programme que nous avons appelé Hydra 105 sur 105 sur la fréquence modulée de Radio Cucaracha. En 1991, en raison d'un déménagement à Madrid pour des raisons professionnelles, j'ai arrêté de le faire. Jusqu'en 2014 et depuis 1996 j'étais en charge des départements Rock et Metal ainsi que de la vente de disques dans le grand magasin du Corte Inglés de Preciados-Callao à Madrid, l'année de ma retraite. De même, de 1991 à 2000 j'ai collaboré à divers festivals de rock à Madrid et en tant que disc-jockey dans un pub appelé Hebe, dans le quartier Vallecas de Madrid, berceau de grands groupes espagnols tels que Ska-P, Reincidentes, Mama Ladilla et autres. En ce moment, je vis dans ma ville natale de Xixón (Gijón) View all posts by batsibatsival
hells_unicorn, January 7th, 2022
Written based on this version: 2022, CD, Century Media Records (Digipak)
The world can change a great deal over the course of a decade, and the same often holds true for bands that have stuck it out for as long. Yet this could be seen as an understatement when considering the wild evolutionary leaps that Bostonian folk metal masters turned progressive metal trustees Wilderun over the course of ten years as a fully forged band and four highly impressive LPs to their name. Though originally conceived in 2008 by vocal helmsman and multi-instrumentalist Evan Berry, it would be the release of their 2012 debut album Olden Tales & Deathly Trails that would establish them as New England’s most interesting response to the folk metal craze spearheaded by the likes of Ensiferum and Turisas. But the passage of time has seen this highly adept quartet (which was briefly a quintet in the latter 2010s) embark on a very different stylistic path, and their latest full length studio expedition Epigone underscores that fact almost to a fault.
For those who might not have checked in with this New England powerhouse’s studio output since the early 2010s, the days of erecting elaborate arrangements out of America folk tunes in a manner comparable to Wuthering Heights and Tyr are all but over. In its stead is something that is equally as extravagant, but far more nuanced in its approach, often emerging in a formula that is quite drawn out, multifaceted and asymmetrical in character. Obvious comparisons to the likes of extreme progressive metal proponents such as Persefone and Opeth become difficult to avoid given the continued presence of melodic death metal elements in the equation, though in total these songs are a bit less stylistically distinct, often employing dense ambient keyboard, jazz ballad and trance music elements to bolster the high-impact moments. The result is something that not be accessible or recognizable to those who remember the days when this outfit toured the east coast with Aether Realm.
If nothing else, this album is definitely geared towards those with a long attention span and a penchant for taking one’s time. Case and point, the opening acoustic romp “Exhaler”, which carries some dense orchestral flourishes, but exudes a serene character that when combined with Berry’s soft crooning vocal approach, comes off as a drawn out affair that seems to be pointing to something heavier, but sticks to territory that’s light even when compared to Cynic’s latest output. In many respects it functions as a prelude to more kinetic material, yet with the onset of the 14 minute long progressive slough “Woolgatherer” it still takes nearly two minutes for the balladry to cease and decibels to reach beyond a mild whisper. Be this as it may, the wait proves to heighten this epic’s impact factor, and an impressive assortment of biting extreme metal elements intermingles with the band’s remnant acoustic folk music style to construct a highly elaborate and dynamic feat of sonic architecture.
In many respects, this album functions as a textbook exercise in progressive metal development, but with the caveat of the past sound morphing it into something fairly different from the likes of Dream Theater and Threshold. The prime element of distinction is a greater emphasis on atmospheric contrast rather than technical extravagance or odd rhythmic twists, and while by no means is lead guitarist Wayne Ingram a slouch in the shredding department (he often channels Petrucci’s technical prowess when soloing), his and Evan’s riff work play a co-equal role with the massive symphonic passages, quirky ambient moments and humble acoustic counterpoints that litter extended jams such as the aforementioned “Woolgatherer” and “Identifier”, as well as the shorter sonic chapters that make up the five part song cycle that follows the latter. Then again, one would be remiss to downplay the highly impressive displays of pure metallic fury with a rhythmically nuanced edge that is “Distraction II” and “Passenger”.
Though a far cry from where this band began, Epigone is by no means an album that contradicts the expansive folk metal demeanor of Wilderun’s earlier offerings. If anything, this is the sort of album that one would expect from a band that began with a progressive mindset and has simply taken it closer to its logical conclusion. One might even be tempted to say that this album marks where this quartet shifted from being a folk metal band that thought in progressive terms to a progressive band that uses the folk sound as a point of distinction. There may be less in the way of overt hooks, and the general scheme of each song leans a bit more towards a jazzy jam band template, but between the chaotic moments and the grandiose instrumental backdrop it’s an album that will still appeal to all of their established fan base while also likely roping in a lot of Opeth fans. It’ll be interesting to see where this Massachusetts outfit goes next, but if this extended opus is any indication, the sky is the limit.
Originally written for Sonic Perspectives (www.sonicperspectives.com)
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