Since they made their mark with their debut offering Mark Of The Wolf, wolfpack LYCANTRHO have been gaining recognition on an international scale within the power and metal community. They have returned with a brand new offering, this takes the form of their latest album Remnants of Rapture and it shows they are not messing around.
It opens triumphantly with Iris; I have said that the great album openers either entice you gently or hit you with a heavy impact. The best ones do both and this is what Iris does; this was released as a single earlier this year and it shows off the new direction the band are taking beautifully. EVERGREY and ORDEN OGAN comes to mind when listening to this track.
The other two singles show this change impeccably well. When listening to Far Beyond These Walls; the verses reminded me of Metal Boomer Battalion by NANOWAR OF STEEL, mainly down to the similar sounding chants and melody. This matches the ferocity the choruses give off, JUDAS PRIEST and TWILIGHT FORCE came to mind.
I first heard The Great Masquerade when they performed it live with TALES OF TIME vocalist Anna Marie Rose at last year’s Power Metal Quest Fest. So when it came to hearing the recorded version with BURNING WITCHES’ Laura Guldemond, I recognised the melody instantly. It’s a very powerful duet which is emphasised by the vocal power and majestic symphonic parts.
The ones that weren’t released as singles also had a lot of power and might. Cry Silver is one of the catchiest melodies I have heard, so much so that it pops up into my head at the most random times. When speaking with lead vocalist/guitarist James Delbridge, he spoke of influences from Finnish Heavy Metal bands such as AMORPHIS and HIM which you can hear clearly in the music as well as vocals. Due to the music stylings and vocals, I did also hear remnants of GHOST and POWERWOLF. You’ll be singing along to those memorable words in the chorus in the first listen.
Remnants of Rapture keeps you on your toes and it has that anthemic chorus that you will be singing along to in a live setting or in your living room, listening to the recording. The pounding riffs bring SLAYER classic Reign In Blood to mind. They don’t sound too similar where you can’t tell them apart, fans and casual listeners alike may notice the similarities; ultimately, the track is so memorable that it will pop up into your head at the most random times.
Prison Eyes reminded me heavily of BLIND GUARDIAN; the songs Skalds & Shadows and War Of The Thrones come to the forefront of the mind. James Delbridge explains how the lyrics are about how we perceive others to be, particularly on platforms such as social media and how the grass seems greener on the other side. The beautifully haunting melody does well to uphold this poignant message.
The album closes triumphantly with Solaris (Memories In Time); it shows us one last time how much LYCANTHRO have grown and developed in a short period of time. The tie-in with opening track Iris was a wonderful touch.
Remnants Of Rapture is a fantastic follow up to Mark Of The Wolf. Each track offered up something something for everyone and if LYCANTHRO keep up with this growth and development, they are sure to be unstoppable by the next album. If you like any of the bands mentioned above or are mildly interested after reading this review, check the album out.
Rating: 8/10
Words: Lotty Whittingham
Remnants Of Rapture is out now.
Find LYCANTHRO on Facebook.
