GREEN LABYRINTH – Sequences

The Swiss outfit known as Green Labyrinth was a completely new discovery but a welcome one for me as their eclectic take on highly dramatic and epic prog metal suits my mood these days.

As I stated before, this primarily falls within the progressive metal sphere, but one could make the argument that the symphonic metal overtones are so prominent throughout that prog metal might not be the only applicable tag for this skilled outfit. Either way, these nine compositions offer several twists and turns without coming across as convoluted or unnecessarily complex affairs. Variation is obviously a big thing to this quintet, and they rarely stay in the same place for long. There is a gothic feel to ‘Trapped Soul’, ‘The End’, and most notably the Edgar Allan Poe-inspired ‘Dreamland’ with all three of them boasting a huge sound and striking a good balance between the heavy and the strangely soothing. ‘Brave the Storm’ starts out on a somber note but suddenly changes pace and turns into an uplifting piece with neoclassical metal flourishes, which makes it one of the highlights of the album.

On the downside, there are a number of meandering passages on the disc that appear aimless and devoid of potency, and ‘Enemy’, ‘Meaning of Life‘, and ‘The Art of Betrayal’ simply overstay their welcome and would have benefited from being shorter, more concise, and punchier affairs. Hooks and catchy melodies are also in short supply now and then, and there are certainly instances where the vocals fall short of evoking the proper atmosphere, although that cannot be said for the hefty ‘Haunted’, which is the standout moment on the LP.     

Even though the record never turns into an exhilarating and magical listening experience, there is a host of great and interesting ideas here that are worthy of investigation, and Sequences is a promising musical offering that embraces a nuanced approach to progressive metal.