Adventure and fantastical realms are themes that many of us are constantly enamored with for one reason or another, and long have they played a part in what metal can be when put in the right hands. They can be utterly enthralling in the proper circumstances with there always being a constant stream of willing talent that come forward try their hand at offering us something new and fascinating, yet it is just not nearly often enough that we’re able to come before a proper work of power metal that can really do that in such a form that feels fresh and interesting. With its first full-length album, Stygian Path achieves what not many others of their kind can.

For all that metal can be, there always seem to be a few corners that aren’t given the proper amount of glory as there just isn’t enough bands out there that can actually tap into the vast potential of the given sound with even fewer able to really make it their own in an impactful way. Power metal has long been a sore spot in my adventure as a metalhead given that it just doesn’t feel like there are many that are able to capitalize on the sound’s potential and come out on the other side in bright shining armor and an aura that’s as badass as it is noble. Taking more than a few key notes from other styles, it’s throughout the whole of the eight tracks of “The Lorekeeper” that Stygian Path thrives where many others simply cannot. Fiercely melodic but always brimming with energy and a tremendously dynamic form of songwriting that is nigh on intoxicating to become lost within, it’s in the combination of heavy and folk metal that Stygian Path’s particular sound takes on a multi-dimensional feel that is just exhilarating no matter how often you find yourself before. Just one listen isn’t nearly enough to explore all that’s to be had within this creation. Intricate and born out of real passion for a sound that can still become so much, “The Lorekeeper” astonishes and impresses in so many instances to the point that it would be a vicious understatement to call this work anything less than an outrageous success and something that can really propel Stygian Path far so long as it stays the course.

While there can be an argument that this record is relatively straightforward when everything is taken into consideration, there’s no way to deny the final results that Stygian Path has brought before us here. A sensational creation that embodies only the very finest aspects of what this sound can be when the passionate, talented, and visionary are given the time to really do justice to the entire sound, “The Lorekeeper” is sure to stand the test of time as one of the finest works of its ilk in recent years.

LISTEN to “The Lorekeeper” on Bandcamp here.

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