Australian Progressive Metal four piece Teramaze return once again to continue their impressive work rate of four studio releases in the past two years. With their impressive musicianship, the band have rightly received high praise for their recent efforts and there seems to be no sign of slowing down here as the bands 10th album ‘Flight Of The Wounded’ is getting ready to touchdown. For those familiar with the band, you know what to expect but for those who may only just be discovering them, expect to hear some catchy melodic compositions with a solid blend of technical proficiency and accessibility to a casual listener. Clear the runway, it’s time to land.
The 10 minute plus length title track “Flight Of The Wounded” opens the album in style. The symphonic string arrangement gives way to an intense pounding onslaught which briefly pauses to allow for some faint acoustic chords before it shifts right into the tight and intricate riffing progressive metal is known for. We get the tight melodic lead and complex arrangements which pave the way for a more stripped back verse. A deep bass dominates the subdued guitars before it begins to pick up once more, all the while the vocals sit nicely, adding some rich melodies with the expressive delivery. As the track proceeds, we get more expressive flourishes of guitar and symphonic backing, teasing at big breakouts and keeping the dynamics of the track lively and the vocals keep pushing forwards, getting bigger and bolder as the oncoming instrumental section looms. Round the 7:30 point the guitar lead takes point. The slow and expressive almost ballad like solo wails and rips with screaming bends, tricky runs and sweet harmony sections before it finally shifts into a stripped back piano and vocal transition before it all crashes back to a big climactic finish with big riffs and a heavy delivery to cap it. Perhaps a bit long for an opening track which is dominated more by its composition than its ear catching delivery but it is executed well.
“Gold” has a brief string sample flourish before it gets right into the rumbling riffing. Tight drums and muted guitars drive forwards before we get a massive uplifting transition to the chorus which is rich with ringing chords, full bodied vocals and grandiose string backing. It’s got an empowering feel to it and as it retreats back to the intricate rumbling verse, you can feel how the mood of the track has lifted just a little. It’s a pattern which repeats for the rest of the track and as each chorus section lands, the uplifting feel of the vocals and backing arrangement gets a little more prominent, a good way to pick up the pace and catch attention after such a massive opening track. “The Thieves Are Out” follows next and it’s a very intricate affair from the off. The sharp bass and drums give a solid foundation for the intricate guitar arpeggio dominated verses and the vocals manage to strike the balance between a driving force and intimacy. The arrangement gets more intense as the heavy distortion comes in with powerful chords and some lead flourishes, sparking a little more life into the track and as it heads on through the verse, things begin to pick up with more intense synth augmentation and vocal flourishes before it really takes off. A fast paced instrumental section spearheaded by a tightly controlled series of shredding leads adds the much needed flair just as the track gets into its second half. The intricate arrangements drop off in intensity but keep up with their complexity before a big uplifting bridge comes in, reintroducing the vocals and kicking things back to the faster paced chorus section loop to wrap the track up with each loop adding more expressive flourishes to give it a big finish feeling.
“Until The Lights” is a sombre affair to start with. Haunting piano, strings and vocals create a vulnerable atmosphere which draws you in. The stripped-back nature does get added to as it progresses and soon enough the rest of the band joins in. A thundercrack of guitar leads to rich deep bass and well placed drums before it finally hits full swing. Retaining the steady pace but with a more purpose driven and powerful edge to it, the track continues with the same compositional structure and it works really well. “Ticket To The Next Apocalypse ” is a heavier track sound wise than previous ones. It still retains the tell-tale uplifting edge in its melodic arrangements and vocals for the majority of the track but the core instrument work has a more metallic element to it. The tight delivery of the bass and drums adds a huge presence, boosting the chord work of the guitars and despite the more positive sound Teramaze usually bring, it has a much darker undercurrent to it, especially when the raw growls come in later on in the track to add that extra punch.
“For The Thrill” has a catchy synth refrain to start things off before it goes back to the punchy delivery. Tight sounding in the verse, practically coiled up on itself, the track bursts out during the big sing along chorus before surging forwards at a quicker pace. The riff and bass work is spot on, sounding powerful and crunchy in the verses and booming out in the chorus bouts and you can tell this is one of the more accessible tracks on the album given its significantly shorter run time and more ‘relaxed’ approach to the intricate compositions, acting as a brief reprieve from the more intense listens in terms of length and content. “Dangerous Me” has several catchy vocal hooks throughout and a rather dynamic musical backing. It builds up subtly, a nudge on the pace and a touch more forcefulness in the playing. Becoming more prominent in choruses whilst taunting with big breakouts in the verses, it’s certainly a more active track and it retains that easier listening approach from the previous track. The mid section has a nice synth build up which leads to a simple melodic lead which has a soaring feel before the piano/vocal transition leads to a guitar/vocal call and response section which goes into the gradually building uplifting feel before the big grandiose finish trails off. “Battle” is another shorter track which has a punchy feel and quicker pace. Loaded with a decent groove, the bass rumbles between the chugged guitars and the synth and vocals help dictate the melodic shifts, keeping things flowing smoothly as the track transitions to its hook laden choruses. Again, it’s a good reprieve from the lengthy tracks and helps pace the release for the big final track; “In The Ruins Of Angels”.
The final track opens with a powerful melodic lead and big synth/riff build before slipping into a more controlled verse. A catchy rhythmic chug and shifting bassline provides the foundation for the infectious vocals and dramatic synths and the arrangements line up nicely, sounding organic as opposed to awkwardly forced in to make it fit. The middle section has a moody sounding vocal sequence with some big sounding guitars before it slips to a cleaner sounding section, dominated by the big bass sound which then shifts to a slow and expressive solo which packs plenty of wailing notes and tricky fills in, balancing flair and composition and working out well. As the final third rolls round another lead comes in which has more activity in it, upping the dynamics before we get the final vocal build up section. The synths rise as the vocals do and the rest falls in line, building up to a big dramatic peak loaded with activity before it slips off to a droning guitar chord fading out to a simple piano melody to finish up.
“Flight Of The Wounded” is a solid record from start to finish. Finely balanced, the compositions and arrangements work extremely well, giving space for both individual moments of flair and full band cooperation. It might be a touch heavy on the underlying synth element despite the band not having a full-time keyboard player and some of the tracks might feel like they drag on for a little too long, but this is prog metal, what do you expect?! It might not be as stunning as the previous release ‘And The Beauty They Perceive’, but what it is, is a reliable display of talent from a band who need more recognition on a wider scale.
(8/10 Fraggle)
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