Album Review: Calyces - Impulse to Soar
Reviewed by Neil Bolton
Prog rock and prog metal can be a tricky subject. In fact some people will have already passed on this review because of the the inclusion of the word prog at the outset. The mere fact that prog is mentioned means that the music will be enhanced with arty sections to one extent or another. Some prog metal bands add far far too much creativity to the mix leaving the listener to think they might just be listening to a band practice scales in a band rehearsal; alternatively some bands just include the term prog because the singer owns a King Crimson t-shirt, and once watched a Youtube video about 'Dark Side of the Moon' and the Wizard of Oz.
Thankfully Greek proggers Calyces do not fall into either of these camps. 'Impulse to Soar' features Manthos Stergious the ex vocalist from Tardive Dyskinesia fronting them, and this new project has the swagger of Mastodon and Baroness and a musical talent to back it up.
The album opens with the track 'False Awakening'; a track that begins slowly but self assured. A definite prog guitar follows and you know where you are. The vocals soon bounce in with a small amount of grunge hidden in Manthos’s voice. This is a good start but it is dwarfed by the impressive second number 'Ego Dries Up The Ocean'. A powerful riff leads into a Mastodon type lick any metalhead should revel in. There is a similar bounce to this as the first but the mix of prog and metal is, in fact, perfect. You would have no issue driving along the road listening to this singing away and dreaming of heavenly things such as gigs and mosh pits, as you could in a dark room all alone aside from a lyric sheet and a beverage of your choice to join you in a deep dive into the thoughts of the band, and what they wish to say.
The whole album is a delight to enjoy with tracks such as 'Wired Crown' showing that this band can mix aggression, speed, and precision, organically to create an impressive debut album. With equally stunning artwork by the singer’s sister Maria Stergiou.
Calyces release 'Impulse to Soar' on October 16th
