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The first two Pyramaze albums, Melancholy Beast and Legend of the Bone Carver, were on my radar when I was getting back into metal 15 years ago but, other than a song or two, I didn't give them a lot of attention. Epitaph is the band's sixth full-length album and my first chance to review them. Right off the bat I can say this is not what I was expecting. Epitaph is a smooth and highly accessible, dare I say "commercial", album with an uber smooth and glossy sound. I was expecting something a little more "traditionally" power metal but, OK, change can be good. Keyboards are prominent and the guitars sound like they might be crunchy, but you must listen intently if you want to hear it. I pick up more than just echoes of bands like Europe in some of the songs and cuts like "Bird of Prey" and "Particle" possess melodies and vocals that would fit easily on a Foo Fighters record. The only song with any real bite is the closer, "The Time Traveler." Current vocalist Terje Harøy is joined by past Pyramaze singers Lance King and Matt Barlow and the combination of styles creates some genuine emotional give and take that sucks you in. I'm not going to say Epitaph is bad, but unless you enjoy lighter, cinematic music with little metallic oomph, it probably isn't going to do any more for you than it did for me.