You’re sat there one day, listening to your plain old traditional power metal, dreaming of a world where epic could be turned up to a gloriously new extreme. So you put on your favourite melodic death metal artist, and once again you are left with a sense of forlorn emptiness. “Can there be no layer of extreme grandioseness that can whet my waning soul?” I hear you cry with a heart yearning for satisfaction. But what is that? A distant cry of Hypercube Necrodimensions pricks a corner of your mind.
What is this freshly emerged interdimensional beast that graces me with its presence? Could it be that a new artist has combined all the traditional elements of power, melodeath, symphonic and black metal, and forged them in a steel cage of cross dimensional savagery? Well your dreams have come true. Members of Alestorm, Gloryhammer, Aether Realm, Forlorn Citadel and Nekrogoblikon have joined forces on a new supergroup Wizardthrone. Their debut album Hypercube Necrodimensions seeks to regale you with tales beyond our grasp of space and time.
It is a rare delight to find a debut album that sounds like nothing before. Something truly original and fresh. Seeking to take already over-the-top genres, and smash through to new plateaus. If you lack a pure sense of joy, and an appreciation for the obtuse and ridiculous, then this is album is not for you. Everything is turned up to a level far beyond tongue-in-cheek, and into its own separate reality. Take it in the spirit it is intended, and it’s a truly glorious treat for the ears.
Hypercube Necrodimensions needs more than a single listen through to truly appreciate. Wheras Gloryhammer, with the narrative story elements, is very easy to follow and jump along to, Wizardthrone have intwined a significantly higher layer of complexity, genre bending and interpretive musicality which demands attention.
The title track, at under 3 minutes, highlights a pared back insight into the core melodeath style of Wizardthrone. Sounding a lot like early neoclassical Children of Bodom. Final track Beyond the Wizardthrone, at 13 minutes proceeds to take you on journey through the entire spectrum of what extreme wizard metal entails.
It’s simply impossible in a single review to encapsulate everything that Hypercube Necrodimensions brings. You need to listen to it for yourself to truly get a sense of what an enthralling experience it is. Original, enchanting and truly outrageous. This is music when the shackles of expectation are completely cast aside. Soak in Extreme Wizard Metal with glorious purpose.
Score: 8/10
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