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Arrayan Path: Chronicles Of Light
Arrayan Path Chronicles Of Light CD Album Review

Arrayan Path: Chronicles Of Light

Progressive Power Metal
3.5/5.0

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Pitch Black Records
Words: Craig Hartranft
Added: 20.01.2016

Every few years, Cypriot band Arrayan Path resurfaces with a new album. Three years since the last, the band arrives with their fifth album, Chronicles Of Light. Previous albums have some kind of them, but press material made no suggestion of one for this album. Yet, Arrayan path is not beyond engaging religious, metaphysical, and mythological ideas.

Arrayan Path Chronicles Of Light Band Photo

Arrayan Path

What does remain consistent is their power metal. It begins from the typical foundation, the fusion of melodic heavy metal and speed. Then the band attempts to trick things up in their arrangement for more progressive power metal. Yet, here's nothing here that's intensely technical, nothing that will twist you to the point of defeating your listening experience. They reference bands like Iron Maiden, Blind Guardian, Crimson Glory, and Queensryche, and you can hear it in their songs. Vocalist Nicholas Leptos has more than a little timbre of Geoff Tate in his voice, but not as squeaky and screechy. You get a sense of the Queensryche motif in both music and vocals with Ignore The Pain. Leptos is trying some new, adding dirty/death vocals to his repertoire. The Distorted Looking Glass is the first example. Not sure why they're there or why feels the need to do them. It kind of sucks.

Otherwise, things mostly move by wall of riffage which give every song a large sound. This, in turn, is tempered by a light use of keyboards and embellished by some terrific guitar solos. Gabriel Rising, Chronicles Of Light, and Lex Talionis are some of the better examples, engaging you with those elements pressed into power and speed. Alternatively, using some subtle piano juxtaposed against power riffs, The Last Eulogy develops into an epic metal ballad, closing with some soaring guitar solos. Honestly, overall, because of the depth of the arrangements, Chronicles Of Light is possibly one of Arrayan Path's better albums to date, definitely more interesting progressive power metal than in the past. Is earth shattering, genre defining material, probably not. But it is worth checking out.

Arrayan Path - Solomon Seed


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In Short

Honestly, overall, because of the depth of the arrangements, Chronicles Of Light is possibly one of Arrayan Path's better albums to date, definitely more interesting progressive power metal than in the past. Is earth shattering, genre defining material, probably not. But it is worth checking out.

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