Lycanthropy: the supernatural transformation of a person into a wolf

Lycanthro: An amalgam of lycantrophilia and various flavors of smoking hot metal that will tantalize your ears.

Ottawa-based purveyors of wolven metal Lycanthro just released their sophomore album, “Remnants of Rapture,” and for this metalhead who was only semi familiar with them prior, this album is a super pleasant surprise. This is power metal with an old school metal soul and some thrash sensibility, including guitars with great lead work and wonderful solos, driving powerful drums, and vocal melodies with more hooks than a master fisherman’s tacklebox. Add incredible harmonies, great use of keyboards on a number of tracks, and even some killer guest vocalists, such as Marialena Trikoglou, Laura Guidemond (Burning Witches), and Stu Block (Into Eternity / Iced Earth), and you have quite the slab of molten metal. You will find it very difficult not to sing along or get stuff stuck in your head for hours, and your head will be banging along. Vocalist James Delbridge has a fabulous voice, with a nice tone and impressive range, and he effortlessly glides up to those super high notes. The attention to detail in the songwriting is obvious, from the choice of melodies, to the use of dynamic and tempo contrast, to the technicality in all the instruments. The guitar solos are especially well thought out and take their time to develop, without ever feeling overdone, and the vocal lines are constantly superb. There is a lot that is familiar in both the power and traditional heavy metal arenas, and yet Lycanthro keeps it fresh and interesting.

Opening track “Iris” starts with a slower guitar lead-centric build, layering in harmonies, before racing ahead with the same harmonies over pounding drums and James reaching for the sky immediately. The verses are nice and speedy, with great vocals from James, adding in backing harmonies here and there, leading to an absolute earworm of a chorus, a common theme on this album. The late extended guitar solo is great and another trademark throughout. “Far Beyond the Walls” is easily my favorite song, hooking me from the start with the a capella harmonized intro, before knocking you off your feet in a blaze of glory and M2 vocals. The speedy undercurrent of drums and guitar riffing is matched by the great vocal lines and well placed keys, and the big anthemic chorus is so good and will just beg you to sing along. The long solo late in this song is very well done, balancing complexity and technicality with a nice melody, and James ties things up nicely with some fab highs at the end.

The title track is a speedy in your face thrashy power metal clinic, with nifty guitars and drumming, and a good bit of variety in James’ vocals. The back half slows things down and strips down a bit, featuring a bass-driven riff under a majestic choir of voices, including some operatic sopranos from Marialena Trikoglou. “Cry Silver” slows the pace down, starting as a vocal feature over the top of a catchy guitar and keyboard melody, with some nice layered vocal harmonies, and has yet another earworm chorus you will have difficulty getting out of your head. After the second chorus, you get a catchy vocal refrain, a complete change of pace with a keyboard solo, and then a heftier guitar solo. Lycanthro does a stellar job of taking metal themes that are familiar and being creative with them.

“Prison Eyes” is the token “ballad,” but feels big and almost cinematic. It moves along at a nice pace, with a gorgeous picked guitar melody, silky vocals from James, and even great use of flute. “In Demon Light” picks the pace back up and is another favorite, featuring another soaring memorable chorus, multiple blazing guitar solos, cage rattling drums, and James just killing it on vocals. The late sharp dynamic contrast before the race to the finish is also a nice musical touch, and James hits the clouds on those last notes! “The Great Masquerade” is bombastic with some theatrical flair, showcasing an old school metal sensibility that flirts with both modern symphonic metal and light thrash at times. It features amazing dueling vocals from James and Burning Witches vocalist Laura Guidemond, impressive guitar leads and solos, and a big anthemic chorus.

“Night of the Parasite” is the overall heaviest song on the album, with a nice power / speed metal feel and some growls from Into Eternity / former Iced Earth vocalist Stu Block. The blastbeats and speed riffing are plentiful, the chorus is super hooky, the guitar solo is again phenomenal, and the groove throughout is infectious.The album ends with a 2 parter, the instrumental track “Lost Jerusalem” serving as the intro for “Solaris (Memories in Time).” The start reminds me of Dragonforce or Crimson Shadows with its speedy guitar solo centric intro, and this feel continues throughout. The song feels extra big and has some stellar guitar work and vocals (sound familiar?), a perfect power metal anthem to close out an incredible album.

You should definitely treat your ears to this album. It has great hooks, fabulous musicianship, and stellar songwriting, all wrapped up in power metal packaging covered in wolf hair. What more could you want?

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