The early beginning of Pyramaze took form in the winter of 2001/2002, when the then 24 year old Danish guitarist Michael Kammeyer left his former band, Damion. Together with drummer Morten Gade, bassist Niels Kvist and American keyboardist Jonah Weingarten Pyramaze was taking form, and started to record demos and such. The plan was to record a self financed debut. But after producer Jacob Hansen played their stuff to Intromental metal agency the band suddenly was asked to sign a deal with them. And then came the idea to bring in a vocalist, to really give the songs that over-the-top touch (Michael was originally meant to sing his own songs). After testing some singers the decision was made to bring in ex-Balance Of Power singer, Lance King (also known from Mattson, King's Machine and Gemini). The result was their debut album, entitled 'Melancholy Beast'.

MELANCHOLY BEAST (2004) NIGHTMARE RECORDS

Progressive power metal bands from Denmark are as common as a 2 dollar bill (well, almost). So that alone was enough to make me interested in Pyramaze. And when I heard that their singer was none other than Lance King (ex-Balance Of Power), then I had to have this, their debut album. I'd already heard 2 tracks from the album when I finally ordered it from Nightmare Records. And I remember thinking to myself that if the rest of it sounds as good as those 2 cuts, then 'Melancholy Beast' might just be one of the finest albums of 2004. And much to my satisfaction, that was just the case. In fact, of the 9 tracks on this CD, none of them are even slightly boring. What you get is impressive progressive power metal, with emphasis on power, not prog. They rank alongside Symphony X and Pagan's Mind as contenders as my favorite band in this genre, ever! THAT is how good this debut really is! Lance sings better then ever, showing off a more varied side of himself. And his Danish/American backing band are surprisingly fresh sounding too. It's almost a mystery why we haven't heard anything from these names before. Michael Kammeyer is the best guitar-player you never heard, and one heck of a songwriter to boot! So don't hesitate, run to the store of your choice, and order one of the top contenders in my top 20 releases of 2004. Frankly I just don't see how any metalhead could not like ingenious tracks such as "The Journey" (where Lance at times reminds me of Jimmy Brown (Deliverance)), "Melancholy Beast", "Sleepy Hollow" and the rest of the amazing songs on this CD. I can't wait to hear what this band has to offer next time around.

Killer tracks: All of them!!

LEGEND OF THE BONE CARVER (2006) MASSACRE

It is really hard to follow up such a breath taking album as Pyramaze's debut album was. But these guys delivers a second one that doesn't stand back one inch from its predecessor! And that is quite the achievement. That means more awesome music for us, the fans. This is another milestone in the power/prog metal history, as far as I am concerned. Pyramaze continues to attack you sonically with a wall of guitars, keyboard, bass and drums, while Lance King is singing like there's no tomorrow. What sets this band apart from the masses, to me, is the fact that they really have their own sound. The closest I get when I try to find similar bands is Masterplan. But even they incorporate more of that Helloween sound then Pyramaze do. The Danish/American group are more rooted in the US power metal scene, mixing it with some progressive ingredients. They have also jumped on the let's-include-some-female-vocals bandwagon. But in all fairness, they are doing even this 10 times better, and more convincing, then most other acts out there. 'Legend Of The Bone Carver' is a concept album. But I have not read into the details of the story enough to retell it. I think I've figured that it is pretty much a story about the classic good vs. evil theme though. Look for it in my top 20 list of 2006 releases.

Killer tracks: Every song is briliant this time also.

Related artists:

Balance Of Power, Shining Star, Avian, Iced Earth, Bloodbound, Tad Morose