Errluum

Oh boy. First of all, can I just say how much I’ve missed David McDaniel’s playing? His style has such an effortless feel to it but yet conveys so much passion and earnestness. It fits perfectly into the high octane, no holds barred style of Errluum, which is steeped in the trappings of old Symphony X, Angra, Pagan’s Mind and the such. McDaniel’s breakneck speed is met head on by Brandon Morris’s ridiculously on point tone to create an instrumental section that’s fleshed out and brought fully to bear on the listener by newcomer Keeler Russel, who’s bass skills gallop around the mix to add much needed backbone to the group.

Of course, it’s the vocals of C.J. Jenkins (who, full disclosure, bought me a beer a few hours ago) that really tie the bow around the entire beautiful package. His control of both the high notes and the more rounded, aggressive moments near the middle of the track is absolutely essential, a pitfall that many bands which try to make this kind of music fall into. Here, the extravagance of the delivery is reined in just short of excess, instead allowing the instruments and the structure of the track to have their rightful place, dodging a feeling of overbearing dominance by instead channeling complimentary strength.

Having heard the full EP, I can tell you that if you’re a fan of what you’ve heard here today, you’d be a fool to pass it by. It’s a short but sweet throwback to the days of glory for progressive power metal and a rare sign that those days might come again. Make sure you head on over here to pre-order this bad boy and support independent artists flying true the flag of power metal! - EDEN KUPERMINTZ