I stumbled upon Hungary’s Meteora back in November via an Instagram ad letting me know about their at the time recently released  EP, “Broken Mind.” I liked the clip I heard, and after diving in for a full listen, I was so enamored that I turned around a mini-review within an hour, setting a record for myself. More research plus engagement with the band revealed that it was the second in a series of 3 EPs, ultimately converging into a full length featuring all 12 songs across these EPs plus an additional instrumental. I am a big proponent of album listening (something I do talk about a lot in my reviews) and love it when a band crafts an album that makes sense and flows start to finish, whether it is a concept album or not. I loved how well packaged the “Broken Mind” EP felt, and I was curious if the band had a bigger vision for how the EPs progressed into a cohesive whole. They released the full length “Darkest Light” on January 23rd, simultaneously with the third EP, “Dissonance,” and what surprised me is that the full length was a reimagining of the track order and did not retain the build across the 3 EPs. For context, I never listened to the first EP, “In This Silence,” nor the last, so I cannot comment on how they feel as a standalone mini album. “Broken Mind” was very cohesive, and I felt the song order worked fantastically for that subset. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t concerned that the refreshed track order wouldn’t feel right, particularly with my bias for “Broken Mind” that I am certain I have played front to back more than 25 times since its release.

Turns out, my concerns were completely unwarranted. The song order flows extremely well, and after so many listens and trying to find a fault in the order, I cannot. The album, at least to me, functions as two movements with an intermission in the middle, but I will go into more detail in a bit. So enough about song order, how would I describe it? When I reviewed “Broken Mind,” my description was HEAVY gothic symphonic metal that incorporated melodeath and had a cinematic feel. All of this is true, but it doesn’t really do the band or particularly this album justice. The most basic descriptor is also one of my favorites: bombastic! At its core, this is a HEAVY progressive metal album, but not in the Opethian vein so many bands get compared to. The symphonic elements are ever present, stained in gothic colors and emanating bombast and cinematic glory. The death metal elements are also deeply ingrained, not the rare flourishes you see from a band like Epica, but crucial components of the compositions. The goth also runs deep, whether it be the eerie piano melodies or the rich male baritone vocals that show up regularly. For context, imagine trying to Frankenstein together Scardust, Epica, Edenbridge, older Dark Tranquillity, Aephanemer, Saviour Machine, and The Awakening, except instead of Frankenstein, you get this incredibly cohesive set of songs where the progressive threads run deep and stitch together everything in such incredible fashion that you are left with what almost feels like a new genre. I have never heard any band that sounds like this holistically. The closest comparison is perhaps Fleshgod Apocalypse, but they are much more death metal biased whereas Meteora more deftly balances the myriad elements described. 

And what about these elements? Let’s start with the triple vocal attack, consisting of female clean vocals from Noémi Holló, male baritone gothic cleans from keyboardist Atilla Király, and growls from bassist Máté Fülöp. The band does a fabulous job adding variety to the vocal combos, sometimes pairing male and female cleans, female cleans and growls, male cleans and growls, or tripling them together, making for some cool harmonies and dueling opportunities. The symphonic aspects lend themselves to big choirs, and these also interleave the 3 distinct voices regularly, adding a twist not usually heard in symphonic metal. The keyboards are a critical aspect, weaving spooky notes and ominous atmosphere while consistently carrying the lead melody and even being a key solo instrument on quite a few occasions. The dueling guitar attack is crushing, hitting you with powerful riffs, slick melodies, and amazing solos. The bass adds to the heft, a driving force that is pounding. The drums are a pulverizing hurricane that leave destruction in their wake, as comfortable blasting as they are more subdued. The song compositions are rich and deep, deftly navigating genre bending transitions that somehow meld, over the top of polyrhythmic passages and technical intensity that make great use of dynamic and tempo shifts that can come out of nowhere and turn on a dime. I mentioned earlier that the album comes together as two movements with an intermission in the middle, not unlike a dramatic theatrical production. The first half feels like it sets up the back half, with the latter being even bigger and more bombastic, and the “intermission” track fits so perfectly that it feels genius.

Keyboard flurries melt into symphonic death and goth notes as “Broken Mind” starts things off. This was the opener for their second EP and was a large hook for me initially, and I love that it was reused as the opener here. You are immediately immersed into the varied complexity of the band, with deathly snarls, goth-tinged female vocals, and a backing choir, all supported by cinematic orchestration and powerful drums and guitars. The chorus has a dark catchy feel, matching the following low djent and symphonic death blasting. Holló’s voice is amazing, powerful yet angelic, and the way her accent shines through adds incredible texture to her vocals. The ending sprint is fun, with off tempo riffs, racing keyboards, and a false stop that is sudden and makes you think the song is done, before returning to reprise the chorus one final time.

Next is the opener and title track for the first EP, “In This Silence”, which leans into a progressive symphonic cadence, varied rhythms and orchestral decadence enveloping crushing riffs and drums. You are introduced to the gothic baritone for the first time, and the band makes use of the vocal pairing gymnastics I described earlier to fabulous effect. I love how crucial the keyboards are to the band’s sound, ominous atmosphere constantly enveloping the heaviness of the rest of the instruments. The extended instrumental section just over halfway has a nice prog feel, adding some choral flourishes, before slowing down and recalling Aephanemer-like melodies, just keyboard rather than guitar driven. One final chorus, complete with all 3 voices in concert, leads to a massive cinematic finish that is super cool.

“Free” slows the pace, delivering incredibly catchy melodies within a symphonic progressive death framework. The starting guitar lead is soothing, but before you can get comfortable, the polyrhythmic drums and swirling keyboards under an aggressive snarl take hold. The pre-chorus is entrancing while maintaining the underlying rhythms, before busting out an earworm chorus with near pop accessibility, all with a gothic sheen. Holló’s vocals reach triumphant heights, a clever dichotomy to the tortured growls and eerie keyboard solo, before letting Holló shine as the song ends.

“In My Name” drenches you in its gothic beauty, piano melody and dueling cleans a driving force as it spins up. It isn’t long before the off tempo hefty riffs and growls join the fray, which combined with the haunting keys and organ, creates an ethereal Dracula dynamic, complete with the eerie castle and scary shadows flickering in the candlelight. The keyboards are downright spooky and absolutely shine throughout. A little over halfway they take full control while layering in cello and organ, truly transporting you to Transylvania before knocking you off your feet again. The theatrical bombast of this song is incredible, an easy standout and a true example of what Meteora is capable of.

“Elysion” is full on gothic metal with progressive fabric, deftly utilizing orchestration as a theatrical backdrop. The keyboards get most of the lead work, including some killer solos, while the guitars hit hard with their heavy riffs as support. The guitars eventually get their turn to solo while also contributing some nice lead melodies. This is the first song without growls, biasing primarily to male cleans but also mixing in soaring female cleans.

“Ghosts” is stunning, gothic beauty featuring a somber piano and silky angelic vocals from Holló. It is the only true slow song, and using my analogy from earlier, serves as the closing number before intermission. The vocals drip emotional wonder, mesmerizing in their quality. The song provides a slight build, layering in guitars and drums, eventually allowing for poignant solos from both violin and guitar. After the complexity and bombast of the previous songs, this song serves as a perfect palate cleanser while preparing you for the second movement. And though the songs sound nothing alike outside of the pacing and similarity in how they build, it makes me feel similar to how “Rivers” did on Epica’s “Omega,” giving the listener a reprieve and entrancing you before throwing you back into the fray again.

At this point the curtain drops, and the cinematic sounds of short instrumental “Lacrimosa” infiltrate your ears, a beautiful pivot point for the album’s back half. This is the only song not from any of the EPs, and it works so beautifully, as if it was part of the masterplan all along. It segues seamlessly into the title track, an appropriate start to the second movement. I get Edenbridge vibes with the depth of the cinematic production, with an incredibly bombastic theatrical feel, not dissimilar from “In My Name.” It is not as heavy as the album’s second song, but growls, driving rhythms, and some great guitar leads rear their heads amidst the symphonic elements. I truly feel like I am taking part in a dark opera with the vocal melodies and lyrics, gothic tinged choirs which even weave in growls, and swirling orchestration that animates an all encompassing ominous cloud. At this point in the album, this song has the most “Broadway” feel, a sign of things to come throughout this movement.

“Morningstar” continues the piano driven melody and cinematic bombast, blending the grandeur of symphonic metal with more aggressive death metal. It maintains a slower pace for much of the song, though isn’t afraid to push the accelerator to mix things up. Holló is the key vocal feature, regularly with a choir backdrop, yielding to growls for the faster sections. The middle instrumental section melds crunchy guitars and orchestration with folk sensibility before hitting you with an epic sounding gothic vocally driven bridge that leads to the second false stop on the album. Symphonic flourishes become furious symphonic death metal while reprising the massive sounding chorus.

“Rebirth” gives me Dialith vibes even though there really isn’t a specific song to compare, more the vocal texture reminding of Krista’s approach along with the faster driving feel throughout. This song is another favorite of mine, a symphonic power and death metal adventure weaved together on a progressive loom. The vocal melodies are super memorable, simultaneously catchy and a bit haunting, and the dueling nature of Holló’s vocals and the growls just sounds phenomenal. The drums blast and blaze their way through each section, with the keyboard and guitars working in tandem to drive the underlying melodies. It is the shortest non-instrumental on the album, and it makes the most of it!

“Witch Hunt” starts with an ethereal Middle Eastern influenced melody that continues the bombast, preparing you for the massive cinematic experience you are about to become intimately acquainted with. This is the album’s longest at 9 minutes, and it utilizes every second in epic fashion. It takes no time to dive in, giving you all three vocalists in triumphant fashion along with a choir, massive orchestration, pounding drums with liberal amounts of blasting, and crushing guitar riffs dueling atmospheric keys. Two minutes in it feels very much like a symphonic metal opera, all voices in tandem with plenty of bombast and myriad vocal textures. It sweeps you away on symphonic waves while the drumming continues to pummel, going on a meandering path that twists and turns, never losing its cinematic posture. I am constantly amazed at the grandeur displayed by all three vocalists, feeling larger than life as the instruments swirl around them. The approximate middle is progtastic goodness, a polyrhythmic attack with incredible drumming supporting the aggressive guitar and keyboard leads. It suddenly grinds to a halt before assuming a creepy melody that makes me identify with the song title, wondering how close I am to finding the evil wretch I have been hunting. It builds hauntingly before ripping your head off in cinematic fashion, grandiose and bombastic. The late orchestral passage is lush and just gorgeous, with a total big screen movie feel (I definitely get newer Star Trek theme vibes), before ending in massive theatrical flourishes. This is easily my favorite song on the album and might need to replace the definition of bombastic in the dictionary. 

The beginning of “Dissonance” makes me feel like I am about to battle Bowser with its eerie dungeon vibe and pounding drums. This is one of the heaviest songs on the album, a symphonic progressive death metal assault featuring crushing guitar riffs, shredding keyboards, thunderous drums, and an aggressive vocal roar summoned from the deep. The chorus adds in goth flourishes and Holló taking the lead briefly before the pendulum swings back to the extreme. There are so many layers, rhythms, and melodies enriching the heavy attack, grabbing your attention and never letting go as it pulverizes everything in its path. 

What a ride it has been, and we have now made it the final song, “Shadows of Ignorance,” another of the rare sub-4 minute songs on the album. It gallops ahead in symphonic power metal fashion with a killer driving guitar lead, alternating mid-paced verses with furious urgency and symphonic death metal aggression. The song literally flies by, tying a bow on an incredible musical journey. 

After falling in love with “Broken Mind” EP, I was quite excited for this album, but to say it even exceeded my expectations would be an understatement. I am literally obsessed with this album, and I expect it to maintain its hold throughout the year. This is impressive progressive metal with cinematic flair that deftly intertwines symphonic, goth, and death metal textures, and you should definitely check it out!