#3 - Top of 2017

Need - Hegaiamas: A Song for Freedom (Ikaros Records)

After the truly seminal "Orvam" (2014), which cemented Need as one of the best progressive metal acts in Greece and at the same time one of the rising stars of the genre in Europe, the band returned in 2017 with "Hegaiamas: A Song for Freedom", an album that not only reaffirmed their quality and inspiration, but at the same time progressed their music, further differentiating their personal identity from their influences and created a technically and musically excellent progressive metal album that acts as a culmination of all their efforts to date. The album opener, "Rememory" makes the intentions of the band known, with melodic riffing and vocal lines echoing the best moments of  Fates Warning, while the atmospheric interlude in the beginning acts as the start of a circle that will close only when the final note of the album is heard. "Alltribe" flows effortlessly from "Rememory" and is in the same melodic vein with  both songs acting as the opening act of the album. "Therianthrope" begins with more heavy riffing and follows more heavy prog forms from its predecessors with riffing influences from Dream Theater (Train of Thought era) and more harsh vocal lines inter-playing with traditional power-prog lyricism."Riverthane"' also follows with heavy riffing along the veins of its predecessor with its melodic lines hinting traces of oriental elements and the Pantera-like riffs  providing the necessary force to power through. The quiet interlude near the 5 minute mark of the song hints at the Nevermore influences of the band , filtered through their personal sound. "Tilikum" starts softly with the riffing building into a slower and more menacing song. There is an underlying darkness which is overlaid beautifully by the female vocalist, which along the different male vocal lines gives the song an ensemble feel. "IOTA" starts as a spoken piece with an argument between a male and a female voice with a soft piano piece behind them. This acts as a prologue and segway into the grandiose closer "Hegaiamas" with the word "Freedom" from the previous piece acting as the catalyst. The titular closer clocks at 22 minutes long and showcases the ability of the band to write a true prog metal epic with a main riff inspired by traditional Greek music forms and elements from all the aspects of the band intermarried beautifully. The haunting last few minutes of the song return to the beginning of the album bringing this progressive metal masterpiece to its end!

97.1/100

Below are the official videos for "Riverthane", "IOTA" and "Rememory"