UK band PYTHIA was formed back in 2007, and had their debut album “Beneath the Veiled Embrace” ready a mere two years later. The album made quite the impression apparently, and I understand they have a reputation for being a strong live band too, and by the time their second album “The Serpent’s Curse” came by in 2012, courtesy of Graviton Music Services, it was an album many had anxiously been awaiting. At least according to what everybody’s good helper Google have revealed about this band.
While I’m writing this Pythia’s third album is just about ready for launch, and it does feel kind of odd to cover an album that I assume just about everybody with an interest in will know about already. Still, there may be some that haven’t come across this band before, and until I got this digital promo of it myself I’ll have to admit that this band was an unknown entity as far as I’m concerned.
As far as the music on this CD goes, it can easily be summed up as symphonic metal, or perhaps symphonic power metal is a more correct description. If you add in that there’s a female vocalist involved, I kind of guess the greater majority of people with an interest in metal will have a pretty good idea about what’s in store here. The devil is in the details though, and there’s always a thing or two to be said about how well ideas have been developed and how the end result is, so while the general style is pretty much settled the matter of how interesting this sounds is the main reason for writing stuff like this.
My main impression is that Pythia as a band is pretty much dependent on the vocal skills of Emily Alice Ovenden. There are some vocalists around whose approach and delivery are vital for their sound, in hard rock and metal Freddie Mercury and Rob Halford are good examples presumably, and from what I can hear on this production Pythia would be fairly lost without the skills of Emily Ovenden. There are plenty of operatic oriented female vocalists around, most likely quite a few that have a range and timbre similar to Ovenden’s as well, but it is the manner in how she use her voice both for regular and operatic vocals, and how seamlessly the transitions from one to the other goes that makes me remark about her vital role. In addition it is the manner in which her voice fits in the arrangements. I tend to listen to the vocals as an instrument rather than paying attention to the actual lyrics, and from what I can hear this is a case of a vocalist that is highly skilled in that department. With an impressive control on her delivery.
The compositions on “The Serpent’s Curse” tends to be fairly dramatic. We are served with the expected galloping riffs and rhythms oriented escapades, sometimes at thrash metal pace and intensity and at other times within a more expected scope, and slower paced majestic constructions pairing off guitar riffs with symphonic backdrops are common occurrences too. We have the multiple themed, anthem oriented case in the opener Cry of Our Nation and the relentless pace-filled aggression of Heartless. What we also have are songs with elaborate keyboard arrangements, generally multiple,e layered from what I can tell, with a fairly liberal use of a brittle instrument I suspect may be a harpsichord and fairly often a glockenspiel sounding texture will be present as well. When you combine the latter two with layered keyboard textures, supporting riffs and occasionally with some guitar soloing added in for good measure, then you’re usually dealing with a soundscape balancing between being in majestic harmony and existing in some sort of harmonic limbo sue to all the sounds killing each other off rather than supplementing each other.
It is here that Ovenden’s vocals come to their right. The element that ensures that the harmonies are maintained, and acts as the melodic and harmonic glue in the most elaborate arrangements. It is this that makes me regard her as so vital for this band, and it is the way her voice is used in this manner that so highly impress me. I would kind of guess that much of this is accidental, that the songs are developed and the composers try out what works and what doesn’t, but whether this is accidental or planned my impression about the end result stays wher it is. It may be flawed and I may be easily impressed due to not being overly familiar with this breed of metal, but right here and right now I’m very impressed about the role of the lead vocals in this band.
As for the songs themselves I generally find them solid. For me the lead vocals obviously elevate the end result quite a bit, and as my final rating isn’t a perfect one this means that I still regard Pythia as a band with the potential for further development. Pace, intensity and majestic arrangements, combined with the vocals, manage to create intriguing atmospheres and often the sheer momentum and the borderline overly dramatic developments will maintain my interest quite nicely. My Perfect Enemy, for some reason or other, is the track I’d select as my personal favorite. While Heartless for me was the least interesting piece, relying too much on momentum and intensity as I experienced it.
As I’m not all that familiar with this breed of metal I can’t really compare this band to any other, but as a general description I presume that symphonic power metal should do the trick quite nicely, and that those with an interest in a fairly dramatic variety of this style of music sporting an excellent female vocalist should track down this album on Spotify and take a listen for themselves.
My rating: 78/100
