THIS WEEK I’M LISTENING TO...LYCANTHRO – Remnants Of Rapture (Psychomanteum Records)

lthough these days the term power metal evokes a particular style of frenetic guitar flourishes and seemingly ever-smiling axemen back in the early 80s – before the advent of speed metal, thrash, and every other sub-genre that the decade threw up – power metal referred more to traditional bands with a heavy edge and a contemporary sound. Savatage would be the perfect example of a band tagged that way back in the day, and Canada’s Lycanthro could also fall into that category: musically they’re not traditional metal in the strictest sense, nor are they thrash or speed merchants, but elements of all can be found in what they do.

Although their second album ‘Remnants Of Rapture’ has been out a while now it’s kind of slipped under the radar in what’s been a hectic summer. But it certainly is worthy of examination, given the quality of the songs and the professionalism of the band. The quartet – James Delbridge (guitars/vocals), Andrew Stout (guitars), Everett Mayhew (bass) and Kyle Summers (drums) – have a lot to say, and in 47 minutes they romp through nine songs and a brief instrumental, covering a lot of bases and showcasing a demonstrable array of skill and technical proficiency. Preceded by the brief keyboard-driven interlude ‘Lost Jerusalem’ album closer ‘Solaris (Memories In Time)’ romps to the finish line with a flurry of drums and a finger-knotting refrain, while elsewhere on the album the title track tends to favour muscle over speed and ‘Prison Eyes’ shows what they can do when they unplug and go for the heart rather than the head. The big showcase though is ‘The Great Masquerade’, an epic which clocks in at just shy of six minutes, twisting and turning and winding its way to The Big Finish. If the guys never wrote another song, ‘The Great Masquerade’ would be sufficient to give them a degree of metal immortality, and that’s without mentioning the guest vocals of Burning Witches’ Laura Guldemond which adds to the song’s mastery.

Lycanthro_band

I’m not sure the artwork does the band any favours (although it’s better than what graced their 2021 ‘Mark Of The Wolf’ debut), but you must have been taught at school never to judge a book – or, in this case, an album – by its cover. ‘Remnants Of Rapture’ is a terrific release from a band who deserve to be much better known. Do yourself a favour and check them out.

Video Clips:
‘Iris’ - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1aoIyZmPcOw
‘The Great Masquerade’ - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MjIe6sNjy20