Pyramid Theorem

Pyramid Theorem equates to astonishing musical results


BY ADAM MC LEAN
Published on Aug 27, 2009

Wow.

This lone, simple word best describes the musical trip local band Pyramid Theorem takes listeners on during one of the group's powerful, spine numbing, marathon songs.

This sensation only intensifies when comparing the combined age of the Richmond Hill/Vaughan based quartet to the complexity, creativity and confidence in their music, which with each note, guitar riff and drum fill, leaves your jaw hanging.

With no band member over the age of 20, these youngsters are primed to take their captivating musical experience to the masses in coming months; playing at Toronto's Opera House Sept. 5 with German progressive rock heavyweights Edguy and then heading out on two mini-tours, crossing Ontario and reaching Quebec.

How young are these guys? Well, each tour will have to mesh with high school and post-secondary school schedules.

How good are they? Well, you have to hear it to believe it.

Virtuoso guitarist Sam Ermellini, 17, is still in secondary school at Richmond Hill's St. Theresa of Lisieux Catholic High School, bassist Christian Di Mambro, 18, graduated high school in June, his brother guitarist and keyboardist Stephan Di Mambro is only 20, as is the band's rhythmic back bone and drummer Vito De Francesco.

Pyramid Theorem members may have no right to be as good as they are; still, somehow these self-taught rockers pull it off.

With a sweat inducing pace and precision, heavily influenced by legendary Canadian progressive rockers Rush; Pyramid Theorem opened their jam space to The Liberal.

Jam space being  - ahem - the basement of Mr. De Francesco's parents home in Vaughan. These are four young guys with very understanding parents.

"We enjoy the music. I was a drummer myself and my wife likes to know that the boys are here having a good time," father Mike De Francesco said.

And the neighbours?

"The neighbours don't mind the noise, the guys to the left like the music, while the older couple on the other side are pretty much deaf," said Vito De Francesco, climbing behind his sprawling drum set.

Though nicely decorated with top equipment, funky lighting, Pyramid Theorem banners, posters featuring logos and photos of Rush, Dream Theatre and Black Sabbath; playing in a home basement can't help but bring assumptions that these guys are a run-of-the-mill, high-school garage band.

This assumption is nothing new to Pyramid Theorem and as Stephan Di Mambro explains, their young ages is another issue they have to deal with.

"When we play shows we are usually the youngest band there. Other bands and audiences that have never heard our stuff are surprised we are a progressive rock band, because of our age," Mr. Di Mambro said.

"Then we start playing. They look at us a little differently after that," he added with a smile.

Progressive rock or math rock - as it is often called - plays like a pumping juggernaut of intense time changes and nuances of overlapping beats, requiring tight communication between band members.

Technically strenuous, but when done really well, progressive rock can take audiences on a teeming water slide of emotionally charged tones. The danger is when progressive rock is anything less than really good it can become reduced to a mish-mash of random noises, slapping the audience across the face like a wall of disorganized sound, said Mr. De Francesco.

Pyramid Theorem provides the former.

"Naturally we want people to listen, but when we play we want to not only keep people's attention, but keep them captivated. We want to keep them in suspense - not knowing where the song is going next," said Mr. Ermellini.

"With this style of music it's like we can take the song anywhere. No limits," he added enthusiastically.

This possibility of "anywhere" has lead to a four-song CD release last year called Voyage to the Star, which is available on iTunes and Amazon.

They have sold copies digitally across North America, Europe and these early signs of success, combined with a reputation for an intense live show, has even lead to some celebrity status around town.

"We play shows in the city, but we have also played a lot of the local high schools and we are starting to get a decent following," mentioned Christian, the younger Di Mambro brother.

"I will be walking around Richmond Hill and some kids will ask if 'I am the guy from Pyramid Theorem'. It's pretty cool," he added.

Cool, say the guys, would be playing festivals in Europe in five years time and maybe one day sharing the stage with their rock idols Rush - who they credit for bringing them together musically.

"We all like slightly different stuff, but we all hold Rush in the highest regard. They provide a lot of our inspiration; from (the album) 2012 to their new stuff," Mr. De Francesco said, unveiling his Rush (starman symbol) tattooed shoulder.

"Often we will break out a Rush song when we play live. Playing any Rush song gives us a good buzz and playing with these guys is the best part of any day," Mr. Ermellini said, after amusingly playing a chord of Jingle Bell Rock.

"Music is it for me. If we don't make it big, I am totally screwed," he added with a laugh.

Before they make it big, you can catch Pyramid Theorem at the Opera House, 735 Queen St. E., Toronto, Saturday, Sept. 5.

They are scheduled to go on stage at 7:45 p.m. followed by three more bands. Tickets are available through Ticketmaster or Rotate This!, costing $26.50.

For more information on Pyramid Theorem visit www.myspace.com/pyramidtheorem1

http://www.yorkregion.com/News/Newmarket/article/96032
- ADAM MC LEAN

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

T.I.M.A.S Live Review on Pyramid Theorem

Pyramid Theorem, a progressive/metal/rock band from Richmond Hill, ON, opened with an epic song that featured an intricately stunning guitar solo that commanded all attention. From the back of The Central, I witnessed a crowd of many slowly and steadily, one by one, pulled to the edge of their seats, ultimately becoming a collective “one” while the band’s futuristic sound incrementally expanded outwards as though on a never-ending journey.

The experience was astounding. “The Agency” was followed by “Forever in Chains”. It, too, was a big ass song that had the ability to take you on, what felt like, a blind rollercoaster ride. The entire place was hooked.


The band continued to build on that phenomenal opening platform. Near the end of the last song, the drummer delivered a massive piece (at one point he literally stood up playing from his kit) that nearly brought me to my knees – it was that fucking awesome. Pass me the nitro….. Christian Di Mambro – bass Stephan Di Mambro – guitar, keys, vocals Sam Ermilini – guitar, vocals and Vito De Francesco – drums are the Canadian talent to watch.

These guys came to their TIMA showcase with their band manager, Anthony Positano, a slick epk professionally printed in colour on glossy finish, packaged cd’s to spare, and their logo and branding firmly in place. They are as serious in the business aspect as they are in their music.

By BD Marie Hughes

http://torontoima.com/new/music-blog/tima-showcase-2-“best-live”-presents-standing-room-only/

- BD Marie Hughes

PYRAMID THEOREM are an exciting and versatile traditional progressive metal band with an epic sound consisting of melodic riffs, quick time changes, impressive and skillfully executed guitar solos and offer a wide range of styles of their influences. They were approved by the Prog Metal Team and are highly recommended. - Prog Archives

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Metal-Rules.com Review on Voyage To The Star
Category: Music
August 2009

Released: 2008, Self Released

Rating: 3.5/5

Reviewer: Aaron Yurkiewicz



Pyramid Theorem is an aspiring Canadian four-piece with a love for all things progressive rock and metal. Citing influences such as Dream Theater, Yes, Rush, and Symphony X, the band treads familiar paths but does so creatively and without sounding rehashed. Their self-released debut, VOYAGE TO THE STAR, contains four tracks clocking in at just over a half an hour and merges the aforementioned influences into an amalgam of progressive goodness. Though the disc isn’t without its flaws, it’s certainly a promising release from a young band with a lot of talent.....



The songs are actually pretty engaging, each having their own distinct flavor. 2 of the 4 tracks are instrumental, allowing the music to do most of the talking. There are lots of twists and turns in the arrangements, jazzy time signatures, the obligatory guitar shredding woven throughout each of the tracks, and just the right amount of synth elements added to the fray so as not to come off too artsy. The band consists of brothers Stephen and Christian Di Mambro (Guitar/Vocals/Synth and Bass respectively), Sam Ermellini (Guitar) and Vito DeFrancesco (Drums), and each of the individual members have a respectable command of their individual instruments.....



The four tracks cover a dearth of territory while still staying within the same general neighborhood. Whether it’s the outright Dream Theater homage of “The Aegean Sea” or the more laid back traditional metal flow of “The Secret About Secrets,” each tune stands on its own but still sounds cohesive when taken as a complete package. Undoubtedly though, the closing ten-minute long opus, “A Town in Ruins,” is the best track of the lot. One of the two instrumentals, the song takes listeners on a musical journey through the first 5 minutes of the song before building to a crescendo of emotive guitar frenzy coupled with some spacey keyboard work throughout the duration of the track. As this is a self released effort, I won’t knock the production values, but the mix does come off a little uneven in spots. Sufficed to say the songs would have benefited from a more polished production effort. ....



There’s really only one reason that I didn’t rate VOYAGE TO THE STAR higher than I did – the vocals. Stephen Di Mambro does a bang up job when it comes to his guitar and synth efforts, but the guy is unfortunately not a singer. His lines are strained, sounding forced in places and his vocal range is painfully limited. You can tell that his heart is definitely in the lyrics, but that only goes so far. The band would be better suited either going completely instrumental or finding a vocalist that can really complement the epic structure of the songs justly. On the upside though, the vocal passages throughout the disc are few and far between, so it’s not enough of a drawback to distract from the rest of the listening experience.....



VOYAGE TO THE STAR is currently available through CD Baby in CD format for $6.00 and as an MP3 download for only $1.00 (c’mon, you’ll spend more on that at McDonalds). As evidenced on the four tracks on VOYAGE TO THE STAR, Pyramid Theorem is a band with a lot of potential and a knack for putting together some catchy progressive metal. Hopefully the band will iron out the few visible rough spots for the next release.ough spots for the next release.



http://www.metal-rules.com../review/viewreview.php?ban..d=&album=&post_by=&rating=..&month=&letter=P&year=&pos..=221 - Metal-Rules.com -Aaron Yurkiewicz

Pyramid Theorem - Voyage To The Star



TRACKLISTING
1. The Aegean Sea?
2. Voyage To The Star?
3. Secret About Secrets?
4. A Town In Ruins

Progressive metal/rock from Canada. "Voyage To The Star" is a very well executed album. Classically progressive with lots of cool riffs and changes presented a wide range of musical styles all compacted into 4 tracks. Sort of story like and epic in atmosphere taking from various influences.

There is alot going on here for only having 4 tracks and I feel that this album has been very well thought out with precise detail which makes each track different from the next and this is what I like about this work. Most would have made all tracks just seem to flow into one but here all is very distinct and each part is a musical explosion.

Even though this clearly isnt my style I do appreciate and respect the talent and how this is expressed and feel that "Voyage To The Star" reaches it's goal. Giving this a 4/5. (review by Kindra RavenMoon)

Pyramid Theorem

http://www.myspace.com/pyramidtheorem1 - Brutalism.com

Doug LeBlanc Canadian Progressive Music Society (NUANCE SHOW REVIEW)
Category: Music
The peice de resistance at the NUANCE show was Pyramid Theorem. For the most part, it takes time for me to warm to a band at the start of their set. In this case, they had me deeply impressed during the sound check.

The set-up was drums, bass, guitar and guitar / keyboards / vocals.

My first impression was WOW! These guys are the real thing. They blew me away mere seconds into their set, and were even better with each song! Magnificent performances, incredible playing, great songs and a guitarist who can shred with the best of them. For fans of Dream Theater type heavy prog, these guys are the real thing.

This isn't a band that needs to devlop further, they have it right here and now. This is metal prog in all its glory, this is what power prog should sound like. This is a bar brawl on Mt Olympus, this is the flight of heaven's eagles looking for prey in the cities of the damned. One goes to NUANCE shows hoping to have your soul cleansed by the fire of such music.

In the end they did an encore with the aptly named song 'Voyage To The Stars', and they were true to their word. Magnificent! In the end I could only ask the age-old question "What's a great band like you doing in a joint like this?" To the people who promote this band, I can only demand that you get these guys out there to be heard - their music cries out for attention.

Hopefully, the success they so richly deserve will come to them very soon. I hope so, and I can guarantee that wherever they are playing, if there is any way I can be there, I will. Doug.

- Doug LeBlanc

Pyramid Theorem - Voyage to the Star review
October 9th, 2008

Unsigned

Pyramid Theorem - Voyage to the Star
By Laurie Lonsdale
www.myspace.com/laurielonsdale

Progressive metal/rock band Pyramid Theorem, from Richmond Hill, Ontario, offer up their four-track EP Voyage to the Star. Recorded at Trubbleclef Studios this past summer; this debut is extremely well produced with an epic feel. Sam Ermellini (Guitar), Vito De Francesco (Drums), and brothers Christian Di Mambro (Bass) and Stephan Di Mambro (Guitar/Synth) draw influence from Dream Theatre, Iron Maiden, Pantera, and Ozzy.

The band is musically creative and instrumentally skilled with precision delivery apparent throughout the thirty-one minute EP. The title track is an instrumental masterpiece, pulling inspiration from early YES and fusing it with RUSH.

If criticism were to be made, it would be in the vocal delivery of The Aegean Sea, as it becomes sharp and shrill around the three-minute mark, leaving much to be desired. As well, the final track of A Town in Ruins, at ten minutes plus, runs a little long. But, generally speaking, this is a CD evident of excellent musicianship with a well-developed sound. - Laurie Lonsdale

"The title track is an instrumental masterpiece, pulling inspiration from early YES and fusing it with RUSH." Laurie Lonsdale, Fazer Magazine

“What an amazing guitar solo!”
CIUT 85.9FM Radio

“Each of you does something really really well here that meshes together, and it’s without professional training. That’s what blows me away. That these guys have the natural ability that they do!”
Paul Bruno, That Radio

“You’ve got a good band when you’ve got all the bases covered, you’ve got strong players in all positions, and it sounds like this band, Pyramid Theorem, has got that.”
Hugh Reilly, That Radio

- Numerous Quotes