Max Pie
Odd Memories

There are a few odd memories coming from the Belgians of Max Pie, maybe it is memories of the eight pieces that make up one world or maybe it is other memories. The quartet are releasing their third album, the band is the same to 75% and with two years of additional experience they should be able to outdo their fairly lacklustre 2013 effort. That previous album had an attractive artwork but pretty ordinary contents; this has an artwork that is far less attractive so maybe the contents are more attractive instead.

Musically it is power metal with progressive touches, melodic and fairly powerful. It is really well produced, kind of reminds me of the sound of the latest albums by Eldritch and DGM which could be related to them all being produced by great producer and musician Simone Mularoni. The vocalist is a but anonymous in my opinion, he lacks that distinct voice that can make a good song great – though I wouldn’t say he is bad, just a bit anonymous. The album is varied and paints quite interesting musical landscapes throughout ten tracks and just over an hour of playing time. I think this feels like an improvement compared with the previous album on the production front, but what about the songs which was the biggest problem on the previous album?

The songs are better on this album; there are strong songs with much quality. The variation is good and the song-writing is excellent when it is at best, this is not only better than what I have heard from this band before, it is also better than the average of the genre meaning that it is a very interesting album in most regards. But it isn’t without a few weaknesses, one of which is a subject I touched on earlier in this review, the vocals – I don’t think the vocals quite carries the songs the way they could have with a stronger vocalist. Another thing that is a little less great is the long playing time, something that makes it harder to keep the interest up for the entire album, it just isn’t quite so dynamic as it has to be to manage that. These are however, small niggles and though they do affect the whole, they don’t affect it that much. I think that this album is rather great but I cannot help but wondering how great it would have been with someone like Terrence Holler on vocals.

Lets not dwell on those things; after all I think it is a great album with so many strong songs. The greatest saviour of this album is that it ends brilliantly; the last track is the greatest. It is a solid and memorable track that alone makes this album worth visiting. The Fountain of Youth is it called, and that isn’t the only excellent and memorable song on this album. Promised Land is another highlight that catches my attention. And all in all, despite a few smaller things, I would say that this is a great album that is well worth checking out if you are a fan on the bands that are referred to in the text or as similar bands.

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