Album Review: Calyces – Impulse to Soar (Self Released)

Calyces are a brand-new Greek prog metal band, who will release their debut LP ‘Impulse to Soar’ on the 16th October 2020.

A new vehicle has formed; a metaphor for rebirth and new shape of life. Calyces – the sepals that form a protective layer around a budding flower – is a fitting name for this most exquisite and yet powerful of groups. Forming in 2018, the quartet are made up of well-known Greek musicians, beyond Manthos: Alexis Stavropoulos (drums), Giannis Golfis (guitar) and Stelios Tragos (bass), all of them already key members in the bands InsectRadio and Revenge of The Giant Face.

If you’ve ever been confused about what modern prog sounds like then stick Calyces’ Impulse to Soar on and in an instant, it will all be so clear.

Leaning towards the heavier side of the sound, it is no less a constant flurry of evolving noise. Wild and uncultured at times, smartly layered and intricately played at others, rhythmically exciting and of course, delivered with confident aplomb. The 11 tracks, two of which are acoustic, warp the mind and excite the senses as only well cultivated prog metal can do.

The expectation that prog can get a bit self-indulgent is fair but that’s not something that applies to Calycles. Almost everything they do here feels necessary and important. From the lulls in tempo to the chunky heavier punches to the eclectic vocalisation and riff-driven groove. This is as thrilling as prog gets and being their debut, can justly be seen as a phenomenal effort.

It might be just short of an hour, but it won’t feel that long. A perfect encapsulation of modern prog.

Calyces – Impulse to Soar Full Track Listing:

1. False Awakening
2. Ego Dries Up the Ocean
3. Those Flames are Dancing Wild
4. Parasites
5. The Great Void
6. Wired Crown
7. Unfair Labor
8. Home
9. Beyond Sight
10. Uneven Loops (Instrumental)
11. We’re Lost, but it’s ok (Instrumental)

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