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LYCANTHRO
Remnants Of Rapture
Psychomanteum Records

Wolves!
Flowers!
Fiery Helvetian sorceresses!

After a much-needed hibernation period following several high-profile performances such as Power Metal Quest Fest in the UK, Power Metal Takeover in Madison, Wisconsin and Legions Of Metal in Chicago as well as some of their own individual tours throughout the past three years, Ottawa, Ontario's ambassadors of wolf metal LYCANTHRO are back and ready to let the fur fly once more with their sophomore studio album Remnants Of Rapture. And what's more? The quartet, comprised of James Delbridge (vocals/guitars), Andrew Stout (guitars), Everett Mayhew (bass) and Kyle Summers (drums) appear to have officially transcended beyond regular indie, having signed with US-based label Psychomanteum Records while in the midst of the album's recording. Not that the band weren't already well established by now even on their second full-length album, which has attracted enough attention thus far to include some top names in metal to contribute to its music.

Indeed, showcasing just how far LYCANTHRO have come since their full-length debut Mark Of The Wolf, the band's latest album opens with its first single "Iris", which starts off with a melodic-sounding intro before blossoming into a full-scale powerhouse of fast and furious riffs for the next six minutes. James' singing is brimming with greater confidence while both his and Andrew's playing appear to be in full control of the driving force of their riffs. Given that Andrew has only been with LYCANTHRO for a little over a year, his contributions to the band's writing and playing have brought their sound to a greater level, particularly on "Far Beyond The Walls", "Cry Silver", "In Demon Light" and the title track. "Prison Eyes", the album's shortest track at just over 3 minutes and a melodic-sounding ballad, is a contender so far for being LYCANTHRO's own "Battle Of Evermore" but with the addition of a flute performance courtesy of Emma Kramer-Rodger. And she's not the only guest artist who appears on Remnants. Making an appearance on the album's second single "The Great Masquerade" would be the Doro-sounding vocals of Laura Guldemond, best known as the voice of Swiss metallers BURNING WITCHES. And the familiar melodic clean and death metal-sounding vocals of Ottawa-born Stu Block, whose past work includes fronting INTO ETERNITY and ICED EARTH, are also evident in his performance on "Night Of The Parasite". Closing out the album is the grandiose pairing of "Lost Jerusalem" and "Solaris (Memories In Time)", which could be best described as the speed metal version of MAGNUM in parts, balancing both its well-crafted orchestration and its powerful playing soundly.

All in all, Remnants Of Rapture is the sound of LYCANTHRO further demonstrating how as a band they always strive to make sure the pieces fit.

5.0 Out Of 5.0

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