Independent metal band Telomyras is set to make its first mark on the metal community this weekend when it releases its debut self-titled EP. The five-song record is an interesting first impression from the fledgling metal act. That is due in part to its featured musical arrangements, which will be discussed shortly. The lyrical themes that accompany the record’s musical content is just as much of note as that musical component of the EP. It will be discussed a little later. The sequencing of that collective content rounds out the EP’s most important elements and will also be discussed later. Each item noted is important in its own way to the whole of the EP. All things considered they make Telomyras a presentation that most metal fans will find worth hearing at least once.
Telomyras’ forthcoming debut self-titled EP, set for release independently Saturday, is an intriguing first offering from the young, independent metal act. That is due in part because of its featured musical arrangements. From beginning to end, the EP’s arrangements will find appeal among fans of vintage metal acts. ‘Cambion,’ which opens the 26-minute record immediately exhibits the influence of vintage Megadeth through its guitar work. The operatic vocal delivery of vocalist Sammie Gorham meanwhile lends itself to comparison to that of famed metal front man Rob Halford. This applies throughout the record, too. Interestingly enough, the combination of influences works in an interesting way here.
‘Colorless’ enhances that comparison to works from Judas Priest even more, what with the power metal approach taken through the overall instrumentation and the continued operatic style vocals. Much the same can be said of ‘First Blood,’ ‘Hydra’ and even the record’s closer, ‘Throne of Ruin.’ In the case of that finale, there is at least some variance, however, with an audible influence from Judas Priest’s fellow British metallers, Iron Maiden. Simply put, the musical arrangements featured throughout the EP do not necessarily break a lot of new ground in the metal community. At the same time, the arrangements do still manage to present their own identity at least to a point. To that end, they make for at least some reason for audiences to hear the record at least once.
While the musical arrangements will keep the appeal to Telomyras’ new EP limited to a certain point, the lyrical themes that accompany that content will broaden the EP’s appeal some. Case in point is the seemingly existential theme featured in ‘Colorless.’ According to the band, the song centers on the concept of “aging, the passing of time, and changing of perspective.” This is not a rare theme among any act across the musical universe, but is not overly approached, either. The poetic manner in which the theme is delivered makes for the interest. This as Gorham sings in the song’s lead verse and chorus, “Memories are lost in bliss/Long without a path/Eyes tinted with a rose/Grayed by reality/Casualty of vanity/A victim of the lies/Fate, she called/Yet tongue-tied/While teachers spout the same designs/Paralyzed in revelation/Just another wayward soul/A grain of sand in time’s hourglass/Universe’s shade/A tempest of gray/Light and shadows cease/Contrast is lost/Lines are all blurred/Colors all fade away/Rest within/The colorless.” This first verse and chorus paints a picture of someone seeing things a certain way at a given point in life and gives way to the change expressed in the song’s second verse, which continues the story of a person’s change. This as it states, “Life rushes past like misty breeze/Fate is yours to paint/Coin of dreamers/Time is not/Canvas standing empty/No purpose can be found/In existence groomed and trite/Bearing all the fiends of those/Who walk within your life/Fill the void with purpose now/Leave this fruitless reverie/Countless paths begin to unfold/It’s not for nothing/Don’t stop now/The fear you bear/Will not contain you/There’s no meaning unless you make it so.” In shorter terms, this is a message of hope and optimism. It is a message reminding people they can change and make their own paths and change their lives. It is a familiar theme that is certain to resonate with plenty of listeners.
On another note, ‘Hydra’ offers an even more familiar theme. According to the band, the theme here centers on “systems of power going out of control.” In reading through the lyrics, those systems of power are, in layman’s terms, the powers that be. This is pretty clearly inferred through the lead verse and chorus, which state, “The pit before me devours the sun/Like a shrine of our regret/I grip tight our only hope/The one for all/To heed the call/Down into darkness I tread/Through the chasm of our woes/Born of blindness and apathy/Too many heads/The hydra grows/Stake our lives/And all we have/On a beast made of our own/Guardian now consumes the world/Engorged with our labor and gold.” This is a relatively clear message. It is saying that we as people have created the very thing that is destroying us, that multi-headed beast that is the political system of the world. It is the same scenario in every nation’s government. That government meant to be a guardian now consumes the world, especially here in the United States. The song’s second verse expands on that commentary as it states, “Creature lays upon the heap/Treasure stained in patriot’s blood/Each head sports a razor grin/For every death/Two more revive/Faces old and lined with greed/Yet a single beating from below/Betrays the tyranny they wield/One heart to fuel the many heads.” Again, this is clear commentary about how the powers that be the world over are at the heart of this song. Such sociopolitical commentary makes up what is one of the most common lyrical themes in the rock and metal realm yet it is just as engaging here as in any other case.
‘Cambion,’ which opens the EP, presents yet another example of the importance of the EP’s lyrical content. According to the band, the theme here centers on “emotional repression and the fallout” that results from that repression. The theme is addressed in its own unique fashion here in the song’s lead verse and chorus, which state, “Torn between two lives/Suppress the hatred born of lies/We run around this maze/Rats racing into oblivion/Try to chain the shade inside/Ravenous and caged, it writhes/Anxiety, the mask, it slips/Release me!, it cries/It’s the end/Over the edge/Yellow eyes glare at me/Devil’s blood burns my veins/From within/Cambion!” This delivery is fully accessible to audiences because of its simplicity. It is addressing the all too familiar theme of dealing with mental health struggles. Considering how importance this matter remains today, hearing these words may come as comfort to so many audiences. The song’s second verse follows in similar fashion, leading little reason to touch further on the song. Simply put, taking on this topic in this fashion further shows the importance of the EP’s lyrical content. When this and the other themes examined here are considered along with the EP’s other lyrical themes, the whole makes clear why the lyrical themes featured here do just as much to make the EP worth hearing if not more.
While the overall content featured in Telomyras’ self-titled debut EP offers listeners reason enough to hear this record, there is still at least one more reason for audiences to give the record a chance. That reason is the sequencing of said content. From beginning to end, the sequencing ensures the record’s energy remains high throughout the presentation. As the record progresses into the brooding, semi-contemplative opening bars of ‘First Blood,’ that temporary reprieve actually helps the sequencing as it gives audiences a moment to catch themselves before the song picks back up again. ‘Throne of Ruin’ takes the same stylistic path as ‘First Blood’ and in turn does well to close out the EP, further showing the time and through that went into the record’s sequencing. All things considered, the record’s sequencing puts the finishing touch to its presentation and makes for all the more reason for metal fans to hear the record at least once.
Telomyras’ forthcoming self-titled debut EP, set for release Saturday independently by the band, is an interesting first offering from the group. It is a presentation that most metal fans will find worth hearing at least once. That is proven in part through the record’s musical arrangements. The arrangements show influence from a number of the band’s more well-known counterparts. That includes the likes of Iron Maiden, Megadeth, and Judas Priest. The comparisons will appeal primarily to fans of those specific bands and vintage metal style. The lyrical themes that accompany the record’s musical content add to the EP’s appeal due to the familiar topics broached through each song. The sequencing of that collective content rounds out the most important of the record’s content. That is because of the positive general effect that it ensures. Each item examined is important in its own way to the whole of the EP. All things considered they make Telomyras a start for the band that gives some hope for its future.
Telomyras is scheduled for release Saturday independently by Telomyras. More information on the EP is available along with all of the band’s latest news at:
Website: https://telomyras.bandcamp.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Telomyras
