HALCYON WAY – Building The Towers

Halcyon Way is an American Power / Thrash Metal band hailing from Atlanta, Georgia. These guys put a lot of heaviness and aggression into their music, while also putting forth some catchy melodies and amazing vocal harmonies. Building The Towers is the band’s second release, and it won’t be too long before they become a force among their contemporaries.

Halcyon Way consists of five very formidable musicians. Led by vocalist Steve Braun, a classically trained singer with over twenty years of experience, his powerful high voice is reminiscent of a younger James LaBrie. He puts an incredible amount of passion into his vocals, and pulls off some very killer harmonies. Lead guitarist Jon Bodan is the founding member of Halcyon Way, and is responsible for most of the songwriting and production. Bodan and rhythm guitarist Zane make a very heavy and shredding guitar duo. They provide the edginess and strength, which is the backbone of the band’s sound. Bassist Kris Maltenieks provides the signature Death Metal vocals that add a finishing touch to their songs.

Materially, the ten tracks on Building The Towers are very fresh and unique. All are very well written, and lyrically most of the songs are politically motivated. One of the tracks that stands out is “The System,” which is a very high energy song with a catchy melody. This song is a good track that exemplifies the signature sound of Halcyon Way with great harmonies and crushing guitars. Another striking song is the sinister-sounding “Desecration Day” featuring Braun singing some awesome grinding vocals. There is almost a Prog Metal feel to this song with the opening keyboards and overlaying guitar solos. They pull it off quite well as they really show off some of their diversity with this track.

Arguably the best track on the album is the haunting “Inside Looking Out”. It begins with a tender vocal sequence and quickly moves into the menacing heavy theme of the song. Once again, this song is politically influenced lyrically, and is almost reminiscent of a Jon Schaffer / Iced Earth composition performed on a very high emotional level both musically and lyrically.

Building The Towers does provide a fresh sound on the American Metal scene. With more artists coming from the European market, finding a comparable American band is becoming increasingly difficult. Halcyon Way puts out a good quality mix of Thrash and Progressive sound via this release. They have impressive heavy guitar riffs, distinguished and precise vocals, as well as an imposing sound that will make you want to listen more and more.