The album title features a question mark. I’m not sure whether this is supposed to symbolize the removal of man from nature or hides some comment on the band’s situation.

Now since we’re mentioning the band we should also present them. Asylum Pyre is a sextet from France, which according to their MySpace page belongs in the following genres: Metal/Progressive/Lyrical. Now based on their debut album I would say that this is correct. But it is also their problem. Even if in fact they’re more power metal than progressive, having operatic female vocals and gothic, and in certain cases brutal, male vocals blurs the waters.

The ten tracks on this album aren’t bad. They contain beautiful melodies, the vocals are right on the money, the production is polished just as much as it should be without taking away from the vivaciousness of the material. Of course, what differentiates them is the lack of symphonic orchestrations evident in bands such as Nightwish, Epica, After Forever and others. However it would be wrong to presuppose that because a band has a mezzo soprano vocalist it must be a symphonic metal band. The Gathering proved that you can do a lot with such a voice than put it amongst a digital orchestra. However, The Gathering have left metal behind them for quite some time and Lacuna Coil have turned towards electrorock/metal, while we’re still waiting for Tristania to show us their hand since the hiring of Mariangela Demurtas.

Therefore, theoretically the field is open for a band with operatic female vocals that doesn’t play symphonic metal. Whether this is going to be Asylum Pyre it remains to be seen. I think that first of all they have to decide what side of the fence they’re on.