Empyrean Sanctum – Detachment from Reality

American guitarist/composer Justin Kellerman will be hoping that this year’s good Friday is just that. His project Empyrean Sanctum is releasing a second album at Easter entitled “Detachment from Reality”. I’m sure we can all relate to those words in these troubled times. Fortunately, this progressive metal version is more down to earth, and along with many other albums, a partial antidote.

The project was started in 2007 with vocalist Albert Rybka and the pair released their debut self-titled album in 2013. Then, as with this album, guest musicians were employed and this time there are some metal luminaries involved.

Running out at around 64 minutes long, it starts with an impressive track that showcases every aspect of the cast within. ‘Heart of Gold’ is the longest track and introduces the bass player and drummer that will be with you for the next hour.

For this album Justin has invited Alex Weber (Revocation, Exist, ex- Obscura) to play bass and for drums, Hannes Grossmann (Alkaloid, Triptykon, Eternity’s End, ex- Obscura, ex- Necrophagist). The album has a small amount of harsh vocals supplied by Zach Libbe some of which are in this opening song.

Otherwise, it’s all clean singing by Albert who has a decent range, which is ideal for this style of metal. This is a great starter with its diverse, complex, anthemic structure, and last but by no means least, Justin’s amazing guitar work.

What follows is a collection of finely crafted songs that are catchy and have a familiar, comforting feel to them. The subject matter is more challenging as it considers the reality of the human condition and aspects of personal struggle. The lyrics in ‘Descent’ and indeed the title itself strongly allude to those concerns. Lines such as “A downward spiral descending towards despair” are easy to pick out. An excellent solo from Justin wraps its arms around you counteracting the melancholy.

There are occasional albums of this genre where it is sometimes hard to differentiate between tracks. That is not the case here, and there is enough variation in the tracks to set the band apart from the crowd. Orchestration is an ambiguous term, but I would say that it is not overused on this album, just when appropriate.

The lively nature of ‘Transparency’ is bookended with dramatic atmospheric sections and the two styles conflict somewhat. It almost sounds like they are different tracks. The title track is a different beast altogether, in fact ‘Detachment from Reality’ is one the most diverse songs on the album. With a groove in the rhythm, intricate drum patterns and a searing guitar solo, there’s more to this track than first meets the ears.

Per Nilsson (Scar Symmetry, ex- Meshuggah) makes a guest appearance with a solo in ‘Age of Innocence’. It’s the only track on the album that is sub-5-minutes, and his contribution is the perfect addition.  Then it’s off we go with another lively song in ‘A Genuine Empathy’ which is a straightforward rocker.

Other guest appearances come from Jennifer Benson with backing vocals on several tracks, and Gabriel Riccio (The Gabriel Construct) with vocals on ‘Lifeless Death’. This is one of the longer and most varied tracks on the album with multiple time changes and moods. In complete contrast, ‘Refinement’ starts off at top speed and never really slows down much..

Another lengthy track brings the album to its end in style. Ethereal, majestic, complex, upbeat and half instrumental, ‘Elation’ is an uplifting finale. After this enjoyable hour I just wanted more, and the only option was to play it all again.

I have no doubt that this album will be popular given enough exposure/publicity. Which of course is what we at the Progspace strive to do, especially for these relatively unknown bands. There is plenty of creativity, resulting in a mixture of styles from progressive metal to funk and much more, with a generous sprinkle of modern metal. I sincerely hope that we don’t have to wait another twelve years for Empyrean Sanctum to release something else.

Track List:

1. Heart of Gold
2. Descent
3. Transparency
4. Detachment from Reality
5. Age of Innocence
6. A Genuine Empathy
7. Lifeless Death
8. Refinement
9. Elation