Green Labyrinth: Sequences

Sequences is the second album from Swiss outfit Green Labyrinth, but with the debut coming some 9 years before this outing, you can be forgiven if (like me) you’d never heard their name before. Billed as progressive metal, I’d venture that this energetic effort will likely appeal to those within that camp with a predilection for the more Symphonic end of the market. The presence of singer Seraina Schoepfer is undoubtedly one of the elements that most strongly slides Green Labyrinth in that direction, her impressive vocal range and theatrical attack marking her out as a real talent. Musically things are, while reasonably varied, quite forceful, with the riff attack in the likes of “Haunted� grabbing you by the short and curlies and pulling hard. With opening cut “Dreamland� also revealing a short burst of convincing male guttural vocals (courtesy I think of Elia Schmid - the credits in the packaging are minuscule) there’s a real go for the throat intensity built up early in this album’s journey.

“Limited� reinforces that attack, grating riffs sparking off swathes of big, melodic keyboards to great effect, and it’s worth mentioning that with this outfit having just one guitarist - the rather excellent David Vollenweider - the keyboard contributions from the equally impressive Tom Hiebaum receive near equal billing. From the credits I’m guessing that Green Labyrinth produced the album themselves and I have to say that the results are rich and rewarding, which takes a set of songs that in truth could be seen as much as expected in this musical setting and allows them to really shine. With top notch musicianship right across the band and a real believability about the drama in the likes of “Enemy� and atmosphere of “The End�, while Sequences may not be a release that fully stops you in its tracks, it’s sure to excite those who like to reside in the heavier end of the progressive/symphonic landscape.

Track Listing
1. Dreamland
2. Haunted
3. Limited
4. The Art Of Betrayal
5. Trapped Soul
6. Brave The Storm
7. Enemy
8. Meaning Of Life
9. The End

Added: October 14th 2023
Reviewer: Steven Reid
Score:
Related Link: Green Labyrinth @ bandcamp
Hits: 339
Language: english

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