Metal Temple – Polysyllabic Review
ILLUSORY
Polysyllabic
by Jess at 24 April 2017, 2:04 PM
ILLUSORY was born in Greece in 1992 under another alias IVORY TOWER, which stuck for many years, but as they found out the hard way, there was another band with the same name. So, they brainstormed and ILLUSORY stuck. In ode to the fallen alias their debut album as ILLUSORY was dubbed “The Ivory Tower” in 2013. They released their sophomore effort “Polysyllabic” in 2016. “Polysyllabic” comes in with 14 tracks and a listening time of an hour and 19 minutes.
The opening track “In The Beginning” is a soft orchestral instrumental. There are atmospheric elements riddle throughout this one and half minute piece. The drums sneak in softly and rise along with the guitars. This track is beautifully written and opens up the opportunity for amazing things to come. “A New Beginning“, track two, is your classic Heavy Metal track. The vocals are clean and littered with accent. His range is phenomenal. The guitars are skilled and impressive throughout. The solo is deeper and darker and the real beauty of the guitars comes scattered throughout the entire track. The drums keep the rhythm together nicely and the bass creates a depth that only enhances the track. Track four “Dreamshade” starts with an acoustic string performance. Then, there is an added choir. This track is riddled with Gothic love that almost teeters on Symphonic. At about a minute and 45 seconds in we get the overwhelming feeling things are about to take a turn. There is a deep guitar and bass interlude that increases the rhythm and gives a chunky intro to the power of Heavy Metal. The drums are amazing in this track. While they still aren’t blast beat rhythmic, they master some intricate changes. The bass is chunky and chugs along. Oh those riffs. The guitars are the epitome of what Classic Heavy Metal meets today’s Metal love is. The vocal range is powerful. It’s a classic. This is an easy listen and an even easier favorite. “Insangel“, track six, has an unforgettable intro. The fight that goes on between the guitars, bass, and drums create an immediate hook for the listener. While I feel like the rest of the track fails to compare to the beginning, the overall track is good. It’s fast and strong. Moving to an Alternative flare, track seven, “Polysyllabic Thoughts” comes in with a spoken piece and an almost hospital feel. It’s clean, but riddled with mental angst. It then blasts off into a fast and energetic track. The vocal range is phenomenal and the guitars show off beautifully, even when it’s not just their solo. They have an amazing way of plastering themselves throughout the track. The bass gets some additional love in this track keeping the track deep within its darkness, even in the lighter moments. “Solitary Nomad“, track ten, starts off deep and chunky. The track is entirely dark. It’s much darker than the rest of the album thus far, but they do keep true to their sound. This track isn’t completely original, but it is also not completely something we’ve heard before. It’s an interesting mix of uniqueness, especially the last two minutes, and some of the classics that came before. The guitars put on a show in this track, but that’s nothing new. They tend to have a very profound effect on each and every track. The final track, “The Story” is almost composition like. The piano is soft as are the vocals. The vocal range is awe-inspiring. This track is so completely different than rest, but it shows the complete understanding of musical composition as well as the complete musicianship between this group. “The Story” is captivating.
ILLUSORY has an interesting work of art in “Polysyllabic“. The album breaks through genre walls to explore the beauty in all Metal. The vocals have a beautiful range, the bass is craftily written, the drums keep everything together but can also navigate rhythm changes masterfully, but the guitars utterly and completely steal the show. While the solos are written perfectly, it’s what’s within the rest of each track that really shows true talent. ILLUSORY will appeal to many-metal heads and I urge you to take a listen.
Songwriting: 8
Originality: 8
Memorability: 8
Production: 7
