AKPHAEZYA - ANTHOLOGY II: LINKS FROM THE DEAD TRINITY

I first came across Akphaezya while looking for bands similar to another French avant-garde jazz metal group I'm fond of, Pin-Up Went Down. A quick listen to both reveals some massive similarities between the two; both are technical jazz-influenced metal groups with similar female singers. Anthology II is this band's first album.

The opening song, "Preface", is a pretty good introduction. The beginning reminds me of Tomahawk's "Flashback" a bit, especially the percussion. The song is dominated by airy synths and mystical vocals and whispering, provided by the singer. Not bad at all. 4/5

The first song was okay, but the majority of people who listen to this album are looking for metal music. "Chrysalis" fills in that spot. It mixes piano with heavy metal drumming and guitar. The singing is also very good here. 5/5

The next song, "Beyond the Sky", can only be described as an acoustic metal song. Again the vocals are prominent, and there's some more piano. The guitar parts are played on an acoustic guitar. If you have imagination, you can imagine this song played on standard metal instruments. Refreshing. 4/5

"Khamsin", the next song on the track, is traditional jazz metal. You can hear the jazz influences in the song, simply by listening to the way it carries itself around. This is, however, still a metal song, and a very good one at that. The vocals on this song are also very good, like all of the other tracks. 5/5

"Reflections" is another jazzy piece. It's very much along the lines of the same track, however, it has some more metallic elements to it. It's pretty good. 4/5

"Awake" is a short acoustic guitar interlude. Think the metal version of "Mood for a Day". I think it could have been left out or fleshed out a bit more. 3/5

"The Golden Vortex of Kaltaz" starts off with a twisted piano introduction. Whether the piano is prepared or has effects added, I can't tell. The song breaks into a pure metal piece next. The vocalist is doing her best work at this part. 5/5

"The Secret of Time" segues from the last song. It begins with a spacey intro, complete with sitar. Another metal middle portion of the track. You may think this gets boring, but the music is good, so you don't mind. Also, this track has some Arabic influences, so it's a bit more refreshing. The outro is also very well played. 4/5

"Stolen Tears" starts with some great guitar work. This, and the vocals, are the only instruments in this song. It's basically another interlude, but it's better than "Awake". 4/5

The next song is really strange. "Trance- H.L.4" is an incredibly weird piece. The vocalist does some wailing and chanting to some percussion backing. Not really in my taste range. 2/5

The last song on the album, "The Bottle of Lie", starts off with a Latin jazz feel. It's a very upbeat way to end the album, but that's not the whole song. Some very freaky metal follows, the vocals wail and at one point there's an accordion. The song is really meant to make you psychotic. It's actually one of the best songs on the album, however. It perfectly mixes carnival with metal with Latin and jazz. Towards the end, there's also a spoken part accompanied by violin. It leaves a cliffhanger. You want them to make a continuation. 5/5

If you're a fan of metal music, and especially jazz-metal, Akphaezya's first album is a must-have. It's a stellar debut. Hopefully, the band's future material will be on-par.