EP REVIEW: Flight Among The Tombs – Theandric

What started as a 17-minute tribute to IRON MAIDEN has now begun to mature; in 2011 Detroit resident Paul Tiseo wrote EP Up The Irons under the moniker of THEANDRIC, yet had always envisioned it as a full band project. Step forward guitarists Aaron Wienczak and Bill Bogue and drummer Matt Voss to complete the line-up and help bring forth Flight Among The Tombs, the band’s sophomore EP being self-released on Friday February 11th.

Considering the band members’ collective love for all things NWOBHM, classic and 80s, it will surprise no-one that the opening is grandiose organ keys, developing into a twin-axe attack very reminiscent of JUDAS PRIEST, with the opening solo adding a dash of power metal into the equation as well. One slight criticism could be that there are no vocals until halfway through; there will be some who feel the instrumental section outstays its welcome by a minute or so. The rest of the track isn’t a reinvention of the wheel, but will easily delight those who practically live in denim jackets and leather wristbands. Said individuals will be falling out of their chair for The Battle Of Sherramuir too, opening with strings in a more folk metal vein before – whisper it quietly – exploding into arguably the best IRON MAIDEN song for the last few years; it’s perfectly balanced progressive, epic metal and, even at six minutes in length, it keeps hold of one’s interest well.

Condemned To Death is more in line with BLACK SABBATH and the late 00s version entitled HEAVEN AND HELL with its downtrodden bass and wailing guitar over the top; Tiseo might not have the range of Ozzy or Dio, but his lamenting highs and anguished pipes set the tone of the song brilliantly, an excellent example of how important the delivery of a voice is to the overall feel of a track. Saving the best for last, Ozymandias is an adaptation of the famous namesake poem by Percy Bysse Shelley and goes through a myriad of different movements (or so it seems) and moods, beginning with acoustic guitars, containing a soaring chorus and then finishing with a massive guitar solo, fading into what sounds like bongo drums… no, really. Like the opening two minutes of the title track, the coda of this EP probably didn’t need to be drawn out for so long, but neither stray anywhere close to ‘bloated’ territory.

There will always be space in the metal world for those bands who wish to keep alive the sound given to the world by the legends, and THEANDRIC are doing so with gusto and panache. Flight Among The Tombs naturally isn’t the most ground-breaking of releases, but it finds a band fully secure in themselves and with feet firmly planted. They’re ambitious and hungry – the next step is a full-length album that realises their vision further.

Rating: 7/10

Flight Among The Tombs is set for release on February 11th via self-release.

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