Metaprism Unleashes the Fire

Metaprism returns with a new album and tour with Iced Earth

United Kingdom’s exploratory metallers Metaprism is busting through 2018 with the new album Catalyist To Awakening. Complimenting the release will be a Germany and Switzerland tour in January, opening for Iced Earth.

When listening to Metaprism, every facet of this band emanates from guitar structure. As Ollie Roberts conceptualized this band and pieced together members out of trial and error, you can feel its foundational force from the tone and inspiration of his guitar work. That’s not to say he noodles his way with arrogance. These are meticulous songs. They bring out the best in extreme, symphonic and postmodern metal genres while bringing out the talents in his bandmates..

With their 2015 debut release, The Human Encryption, it is easy to visualize these songs from the guitars outward. By the time you get to the dual vocals of Theresa Smith and Joey Draper, it feels like they are an accentuation more than a dominance.

Listen to the bridge work on “Resistance.” When Roberts teams up with guitarist Callum Downing and bassist Matt Hudson, every power chord sounds like a thunderous army. You sense the band’s muscle as it rattles your head like a battering ram. One of the things I instantly appreciate from Metaprism is that I cannot sense callousness in the solo work. The solos are elegant and the guitar solo that lies toward the end of this song, for example, is magnificent. A true statement of art.

Metaprism – Live at Wacken 2015

Arpeggios, layering, and a greater sense of focus, “Reload” stood out enough to land them on the Live at Wacken – 25 Years Louder Than Hell. The version stems from their 2015 debut on the Wacken Open Air stage. Whether unintentional or not, this song is their best effort to naturally compliment each other while creating a stylistic tension between the beauty (Smith) and the beast (Draper). The balance could not be better.

Metaprism – Unleash the Fire

And that is what leads us into the new video and song, “Unleash the Fire.” Now that introductions are past and the band has proven to be a stable contender, Catalyst To Awakening will be the album that shows the band has a greater focus. This song has the band’s nonconformist ethics proudly displayed. From the video, you feel like they have nestled into being rock stars while taking risks in every element. The song’s chorus leans more toward the pop side and leaves us with something that is harmoniously catchy. “We’re waiting for the end of the night to break this silence.” The philosophical substance is carried through from the ‘80s and presses for the need to escape typecast.

The video is very well-produced and accentuates the best in the band. Even down to micro-level detail, the video takes every angle into consideration. The group has great hair, their rock stance is on point. Even the modest gesture like Hudson flipping his hand around to catch a note on his bass makes a big impact.