Harpazo: The Crucible

Harpazo - a word taken from the book of Thessalonians, which roughly translates to ‘we shall be caught’, or ‘we shall be taken away’- is the coming together of guitarist and keyboard player Marc Centanni and multi-instrumentalist Gary Wehrkamp of Shadow Gallery and Ayreon, who here contributes vocals, guitars, keys, bass and drums. The Crucible is this project’s debut release and to help them realise their dream, the core duo have recruited a whole host of star-names, with the talents of DC Cooper (Royal Hunt), Les Carlsen (Bloodgood), Rey Parra (Sacred Warrior), Christian Liljegren (Narnia), Michael Drive (Barren Cross), Lee Lemperle (Outside The Wall) and Enzo Donnarumma (Enzo and the Glory Ensemble) all providing lead vocals, Bruce Sa (Angra) keys, Jennifer Eckhart (Eckhart) backing vocals and Mark Zonder (Fates Warning) and Niklas Kahl (Lord of the Lost) drums.

Now, if all of the above suggests to you epic progressive power metal then you’d be absolutely correct and as is befitting such an endeavour, the whole thing comes wrapped in a complex, involved concept, which I’ll let the band tell you about…

In the year 2142, Jude Solomon, the visionary CEO of Ichor, an advanced prosthetics corporation, initiated the distribution of a groundbreaking nanoid serum designed to seamlessly merge humanity with machinery. Establishing the utopian city known as Babylon for the evolved, Jude Solomon becomes a formidable figure in the world. His plan is to evolve humankind to live forever and censor and replace destructive beliefs with one truth. Catastrophic meteors wreak environmental havoc globally killing millions. Seizing the opportunity, Jude employs his technology to stop the destruction. Those who survive are asked to join his revolution to build a new world and replace previous deities. The trusted charismatic leader rises to become world sovereign. He persuades the majority of survivors to forsake traditional beliefs and accept the Ichor injection as the key to evolution.A resistance to Ichor rises up and Jude begins a war of genocide against those who resist his doctrine. Amidst this tumultuous landscape, Jude sends his cybernetically-augmented assassin known as “The Messenger� to eliminate a religious uprising in Jerusalem. This mission will prove transformative and alter the course of the world

...which all sounds simple enough, no? Well, actually the concept is well constructed and with a clear base in religion, technology, abuse of power and prophecy in a modern setting, knows where it’s going without ever quite getting too hung up on its message, although for a small minority that still may be a stumbling block.

Musically, there are no stumbling blocks to be found, the compositions impressive but also clever enough to offer ways into the complex arrangements, multi-part vocal sections and instrumental forays. In fact, it’s the balance between these elements and the narrative that truly shows just how much time and effort has been put into piecing together what remains an engaging experience. Obviously, the cast assembled helps, DC Cooper, who plays our main protagonist Jude Solomon allowed to utilise all aspects of his delivery. From the towering vocal force of “Ultimatum� to the soaring swoops of “Ichor�, the Royal Hunt man proves the perfect singer to carry the main weight of the story. However, he’s not alone, with the drama of “Two Witnesses� heightened by the superb combination of Cooper, Parra, Lemperle and more to quite wonderful ends. One of three 8 minute plus tracks, the instrumentalists in the band are also given time to shine with the interplay between the guitars of Wehrkamp, Centanni also truly captivating.

Fans of Ayreon, Avantasia and Shadow Gallery will obviously be drawn to this excellent album, but then with clever nuances and irresistible melody also apparent at every turn, so will those who love to spend time with bands like Magnum, Arena or Threshold. Admittedly, I didn’t find The Crucible to be a quick fix, the quality of the performances there right from the off, but the depth of the involving compositions took a little time to truly begin to shine, however, shine they do and with each repeat visit so their light grows ever brighter. So much so in fact that in my estimation The Crucible will be jostling for my album of the year honours come the end of 2024.

Track Listing
1. Ichor
2. Legion Program
3. I Am God
4. Golden Crown
5. The Crucible
6. Two Witnesses
7. Change Of Heart Pt. 1
8. Ultimatum
9. We Are Weak
10. Small Price To Pay
11. Change Of Heart Pt. 2
12. The Book Of Life

Added: June 20th 2024
Reviewer: Steven Reid
Score:
Related Link: Harpazo online
Hits: 842
Language: english

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