Independent Release
Review by Tony Cannella
At 31-minutes, the new EP from the French progressive metal band Céphée Lyra is almost a full-length album. “Privati Honoris Causa” is the bands second EP and follows their first (and to date, only) full-length album “A Sinner’s Loneliness”. Among the 4-songs included on this EP, two clocks in at 7 ½ minutes while the closing number “A Matter of Personal Worth” is almost 11-minutes long. The second track “Shelter of Time” features a modest playing time of almost 6-minutes. That said, “Privati Honoris Causa” is a damned exciting and interesting album. The band formed in 2005 and the two constants have remained vocalist Maud Hernequet and guitarist Sylvain Claux. Bassist Aurélien Vissio joined in 2008 and drummer Hector Lugaz joined in 2009 to round out the bands current line-up.
The band is widely accepted as a progressive metal band, but they also show flashes of brilliant power metal and they obviously have a knack for writing a great epic song without being too show off-y or boring. They kind of remind me of Iron Maiden in that way. To me, the appeal of this band lays in the skill of the musicians and the powerful as all hell vocals of Maud Hernequet. Her vocals are quite appealing and for the most part, maintain a strong metal presence while getting up into operatic heights when it is called upon. The galloping, relentless riffing of the solid opener “Not a Second More” greets us and is just pure ferocity. The next song “Shelter of Time” slows the tempo just a bit, but it comes at us with the same power riffing as the previous song before picking up the speed once again as the song settles into an Iron Maiden style galloping groove along with some very intricate progressive style changes. Céphée Lyra maintains a solid melodic base throughout and the final two songs “First & Ever” and the epic “A Matter of Personal Worth” are prime examples of this. “First & Ever” in particular starts with piano and a dark moody vibe before progressively picking up the pace. Some great choir-like background vocals are also present on this track.
With their second EP, Céphée Lyra really has released something that is bound to get people talking. “Privati Honoris Causa” is solid from the word go and doesn’t let up until the final notes are played. France has produced many great bands in recent years and Céphée Lyra is fast becoming one of my favorites.
Rating – 87/100
Tracklist
- Not a Second More
- Shelter of Time
- First & Ever
- A Matter of Personal Worth
Line Up
- Maud Hernequet -Vocals
- Sylvain Claux- Guitars
- Aurélien Vissio – Bass
- Hector Lugaz -Drums
Links