voila_la_scorie Viathyn's debut album, when pitted against the sophomore release, seems in lack when you read the reviews of the newer album. "The production on 'Cynosure' is an improvement over 'The Peregrine Way'." "The music of 'Cynosure' sounds less derivative." "Tomislav Crnkovic vocals have improved."

"The Peregrine Way" still earned plenty of favourable remarks out there in the Internet land of album reviewers and critics, but the general opinion seems to be that "Cynosure" was an improvement all round. But I have found that I really like this album and that some of the reasons why I like it are less prevalent or even absent on the second album.

First of all, regarding the production and the quality of the vocals, if Cynosure's were really good then The Peregrine Way's are rather good. My ears don't discern a large difference. However, one of the characteristics of Viathyn's music is the use of folk melodies in a metal band. That crops up often enough on the second album, but I hear it much more on the debut. Many of the melodies played on lead guitar could be Irish jigs and reels transposed for electric guitar. And while there was a noticeable symphonic element to many songs on 'Cynosure', that seems less pronounced here on the debut and instead we can hear a woodwind instrument once or twice, a sole violin here and there, and an accompanying female vocalist on three or four tracks.

Another point is that this here debut album has more clean guitar moments than the sophomore album, which I think adds more majesty to the album atmosphere. The second album as I described it seems mostly to be a soundtrack to rising into the storm and fiercely and confidently believing that any obstacle will be overcome. "The Peregrine Way" for it's gentler and sometimes a little melancholic moments gives us a moment to reflect on rural settings in fantasy tales.

So while "Cynosure" sounds better and is overall an improvement over "The Peregrine Way", the debut has some standout features that are reduced or eliminated from the band's approach to their second album.

My point being this: though the majority see "Cynosure" as the stronger album, I can find things to love about "The Peregrine Way" that are stronger on this album. Therefore, I award both albums with the same score of four stars!

voila_la_scorie The second album by symphonic power metal band, Viathyn, this album appears to have a few strong reviews out there praising it not only for sounding awesome musically but also having a better production sound than their debut.

The album kicks off with a grand opening replete with symphonic instruments (I don’t believe they are actual instruments but they sound good enough) warming us up for something grand. Then - BOOM! - here’s the band and man do they power along! Listening to this opening track is like watching all parts of a high-end engine moving at a charging pace. The guitar sound is full and packs a heavy wallop, the drums thunder, the bass fills the low end, and the vocals, though not soaring or operatic, deliver quite nicely. The lead guitar work is scorching as you’d expect from a power metal band, but I also appreciate hearing the bass come forward in many places.

I wondered if this was a concept narrative, but in the Wikipedia article on the band the members state that each song focuses on a character who is caught in the chaos of the world with a greater meaning that all our petty squabbles and endeavors are so small in the grand scale of the universe.

The article also mentions more than once Viathyn’s penchant for including folk melodies in their songs. This is most prominent on “Three Sheets to the Wind” which is, as you can guess, a song for enjoying the benefits of a good social drinking event. Is also one of the most rousing songs on an album that doesn’t permit very much time for rest and contemplation.

Viathyn’s lyrics are also said to have a strong focus on nature. The song “Shadows in Our Wake” seems to be from the perspective of trees. It makes sense that folk influences and nature should go together. The more down-to-earth vocals seem very suitable in this light.

There is little to criticize here and if there are any criticisms I think it’s more of a matter of personal taste. As for me, power metal ranks a little ways down on my metal subgenre preferences, so I don’t have a large experience base against which to compare this album. However, I agree the music sounds great. There are no “meh” moments or snoozers. The band don’t spent the entirety of the album whipping up a storm; they take time to slow down here and there and offer a brief moment of respite before casting off confidently and with Godspeed into the gale. Overall, you will probably feel that you can conquer pretty much anything the forces may throw against you.

Viathyn are unfortunately in the midst of taking an indefinite break, but a third album has been promised someday. Expectations will be high!