#10 - Top of 2018

Arrayan Path - Archegonoi (Pitch Black Records)

Reaching the top 10 of 2018, the epic power metallers, Arrayan Path, have released their 7th full length album, making it to our Top for a third time (following our Top of 2016 and our Best of Epic Metal list)! The record is split into two discs that are full with epic stories from Ancient Greece, entertaining and giving a taste of Greek lore to the listener at the same time. The melancholic and atmospheric violin intro of "Weaving the Web of Destiny" that turns into an imposing chorus accompanied by Nicholas Leptos' amazing vocals and melodic guitar riffs sets the mood of the album. We are introduced to heavier tunes in the equally majestic "Rod of Asclepius" flawlessly mixing battle cries with orchestral segments. "Seven Against Thebes" slows down the pacing sounding almost like an epic power ballad filled with melodic guitars, while ups the heaviness "Sins of Pandora" with an impressive chorus made sing-alongs! In contrast, "The Words of Menelaus" starts with a mournful tone in the style of "amanes" followed by an amazing guitar interlude and epic clear vocal before the galloping "Bellerophon (Forged by the Blacksmith)" which is packed with EPIC heavy metal guitar riffs. "Thisbe's Blooded Veil" serves as a musical interlude (that seems that is taken from the soundtrack of an adventure movie) gracefully leading to the second disc which blasts its way in with the dramatic "Lion of Amphipolis" the amazingly catchy and menacing "Blood of the Sphinx" with an awesomely simple but effective chorus!  The peak of the album has to be the theatrical "Nemesis" which shifts between melodic singing and songwriting to an unexpected mid-song tribute to "the thunder of Zeus the thunderer" that is bound to stick to your mind for quite a while! Moving on through the captivating album, "Eastern Sands" adds a symphonic tone that weirdly complements the middle-eastern-influenced "Where the Hydra Hides". The record wraps up with two equally majestic songs, the accoustic keyboard-based "King of Argos" that is reminiscent of Rhapsody's "The Magic of the Wizard's Dream" and finally the awesome "Thermopylae 480 BC" which narrates the well-known heroic deeds in Thermopylae, making everyone inpatient for their next epic album!


96/100

Below is the official music video for "Nemesis" and the official lyric video for "Sins of Pandora".