Asylum Pyre is a metal band but one with a serious interest in the symphonic as well as an intellectual concern for reality. This is good music, but it is a good tale as well. I like both directions. Now I realize most listeners will judge this CD on the music, but I hope at least some will take the time to listen to what is being talked about. It’s worth the time, even though that musical component is truly outstanding. I’ve taken the time to communicate with band members on this one so I’ve got a little insight into the thinking that went into this work, and it is interesting, both the musical framework and the lyrical direction. There is a healthy interest in multiple musical directions ranging from jazz to Afro – Cuban rhythms. And this movement between styles keeps the music interesting; there is rarely a continuation from one style to the next. We even get some truly classical components, complete with some serious female vocals that continue in that vein. The band utilizes some catchy melodies on several of the songs and often intertwines them with strong rhythm devices that reflect the various influences that drive the music. In short, we never get bored from one song to the next, each stands on it’s own merit, a distinct element from one track to the next. And that’s somewhat rare these days.

The lyrical themes are equally as varied. We’ll look at individual lyrics as we look more closely at the individual tracks, but we can say up front that the message here is one of interest and covers some worthwhile topics. According to the band, there are several major themes, the first being nature and ecology. You get that up front with the CD cover. And several titles address this area of interest including Don’t Waste It and Coral’s Riff. Another topic of interest is Manipulation, mankind’s desire to attack and destroy that which is different, to fear the unknown. We get this direction in titles like The Asylum Pyre and Different Sides, Same Thoughts. There is, however, a fun component, found in Love Ecstasy and W.W.A.W (When We Are Wolves). Clearly, the band has a lot to say, it’s interesting material and an interesting musical vehicle that gets us there.

The CD begins with Taken Away to the Asylum, and it sure brings back fond memories for me. Nothing like the smell of Thorazine in the morning. And you get that feel of absolute insanity here, the sound is straight from the rubber room, with a vocal line that takes us to the lost world of the mentally destroyed. That male vocal line continues until relived by the female vocal, an unearthly operatic voice that continues the journey to the insanity of the dark side. We hear:

Don’t think I haven’t heard those words before, come to think of it, I may have said them a few times, but that’s another story. Anyway, it’s clearly welcome to the funny farm, a location where there is sometimes more sanity than there is on the outside.

The Asylum Pyre follows, and we get a more complete glimpse of the musical talents of this musical entity. Female vocalist Carole Alcantara works with several vocal styles on this CD, here it is a more traditional metal vocal although, in this reviewer’s opinion, the operatic vocal is her strongest hand by far. We also get the strong guitars provided by Johann Cadot and Herve Schiltz, and they are first rate. Julien Peuch provides a solid base influenced by progressive and blues designs. Keyboards are provided by Tony Decaillon, and drums by Emeric Amaudeau. Those drums reflect a variety of influences and take a variety of roads to produce the background over which the sound rides. The male vocal is provided by Johann in both clean and grunting mode. There is also a significant duet between Johann and Carole and this works out quite well.

Although much of the CD is relatively heavy metal, with some latitude given to that description, there is the softer moment. And, with a voice like Carole Alcantara’s, you get a lovely result there. Don’t Waste It is one of these. We get a lovely vocal line from Carole to begin, over an acoustic guitar covered by the keyboard symphonics. The drums provide an almost South American drum line. We hear:

This is truly a lovely song, both vocals and the instrumentals, and a truly lovely message, one far too often overlooked in contemporary music. The lush symphonic strings are placed against a tough, crunching guitar with the vocalists played off against each other and working together, truly a memorable title.

Different Sides, Same Thoughts is the epic track on the title. It begins with a male vocal, a clean male vocal, which is positioned against the female vocal over another acoustic guitar. Here we get the message Asylum Pyre wants to convey. The song takes us on a journey, one that addresses diversity, and the music reflects that diversity. The vocals take multiple directions; the instruments reflect a variety of styles ranging from blues to progressive guitar riffs. And the message is one of confusion; it talks about differences, and the loss resulting from those differences.

Asylum Pyre is intellectual music, both the message and the musical style. It is demanding, it is reflective; it is interesting in both topic and delivery. It’s rare to achieve that range of complexity and to do it so well. Of course, it sometimes takes an asylum to get us there. Thankfully, we have one here to work with.

10 / 10