We were spoiled in May with progressive rock releases (see the last 4 myprogmusic reviews with 'Apairys', 'PreHistoric Animals', 'Lunear' and 'Karfagen') and it is again in this style but in metal this time that the Australians of 'Teramaze' have added a new album, 'Eli: A Wonderful Fall from Grace' which takes us into the story of Eli', who became a slave and who survives following the sinking of the boat on which he was forced to work and who will make a name for himself in a circus which took him in. This latest opus arrives after 3 busy years for the group since 4 studio recordings were released with 'Sorella Minore' and 'And the Beauty They Perceive' both released in 2021, then, 'Flight of the Wounded' in 2022 and finally 'Dalla Volta' in 2023, to which we can add live 'Live at 170 Russell' also from 2023.
After the short epic introduction 'A Place Called Halo' which whets our appetite for the rest, 'The Will Of Eli' begins the album with a magnificent progressive piece which takes us into an alternation of sung parts (magnificently by 'Nathan Peachy' which is accompanied by remarkable choirs in the chorus) and small instrumental sections in which 'Dean Wells' shows all his guitar skills (see the video above). The acoustic section in the second part brings a beautiful diversity to this very beautiful title which ends gently with a few piano notes to engage without transition on the following title 'Step Right Up' which continues in this inventive progressive with quite immediate accessibility thanks to catchy melodic lines on a catchy rhythm which is a great strength of this formation which has the capacity to offer us this assimilable progressive very quickly and in this title, 'Dean Wells' rewards us with a new guitar solo' Floydien' magnificent (see the video here). New interlude with 'I Mantissa' which highlights mournful strings and a disturbing recitative, then, 'Madam Roma' takes us into a new melodic labyrinth mixing Eastern and Western sounds and which highlights a rhythm section of impressive richness, 'Nick Ross' giving a remarkable performance throughout this track, continually alternating tempos and intensities. We continue with 'Standing Ovation' which, on a catchy rhythm, unfolds a catchy melody, the first part being mainly sung ('Dean Wells' is still like a fish in water in this energetic atmosphere) and the second, more instrumental, offering us a remarkable suite of solos (see the video here). With 'Hands Are Tied' we are taken into a sumptuous composition in the form of a ballad of beautiful emotional intensity, refined in the first part and which gains momentum after halfway through the title to further increase the emotional cursor until the finale which makes you feel like the stars with, first of all, a magnificent guitar solo, then, with 'Dean Wells' which completes this title by giving us goosebumps many times. And to end in style, the title song offers us a long fabulous development which keeps us in suspense throughout the 14 minutes with an alternation between very moving sung parts and very inventive instrumental sections with this magnificent saxophone solo in the first part (which does it again in the second part for our greatest happiness) and this remarkable unbridled section at the start of the second part, the epic finale as desired closing this title on a unifying melody which slowly evaporates with a few aerial choirs and a few swirls saxophone.
In summary, the Australians of 'Teramaze' offer us a magnificent album which, despite the high frequency of album releases in the last 3 years, shows that their creativity is absolutely not running out of steam and that it is even further increased to offer us rich and dense but very accessible compositions thanks to melodic lines that are always very catchy, and 'Eli: A Wonderful Fall from Grace' will undoubtedly be on the podium of the best progressive metal albums of the year 2024... | |
