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Hyperion > Where Stone Is Unscarred > Reviews
Hyperion - Where Stone Is Unscarred

The passage of time left this gem unblemished. - 85%

hells_unicorn, November 22nd, 2017
Written based on this version: 1999, CD, Massacre Records

Every revival begins with what can be best described as an underground resistance movement, made up of a rag-tag group of older stalwarts who refuse to change with the times (and caprices of the mainline recording industry) and green newcomers who were converted just prior to an original scene's commercial collapse. The European power metal revival that was underway in the late 1990s was a bit curious in this regard because, technically speaking, it never really went away in spite of a substantial downturn in the earlier part of the decade. Though Germany was arguably the primary hub of the rebirth of the style's popularity, all would be remiss to deny the very necessary and real efforts that came out of Sweden, Brazil and Italy, though the latter is often the subject to a level of derision due to a tendency towards airy, higher end vocalists taking Michael Kiske's glass-shattering style to the extreme. It is in this context that Hyperion, a short-lived and now largely forgotten Italian act, found itself with the support of Massacre Records a few years after their 1994 formation in the midst of a metallic wasteland.

Though at first glance this band's stand alone studio effort Where Stone Is Unscarred has all the makings of a cliche, Egypt-obsessed melodic power metal affair after the heart of Gamma Ray's Somewhere Out In Space, but sporting album art more in line with the 1999 cinematic feature The Mummy; the musical game being played is a fairly unique. The usual array of melodic hooks, keyboard-saturated atmospheres, Baroque technical noodling, fast-paced cooking and soaring vocals is clearly present, but adorned with a more stylistically nuanced template that takes a bit more into account than Helloween's seminal Keeper Of The Seven Keys albums. The riff work and the precision-based drumming will often give way to some chunky, almost thrashing elements that were quite atypical for a late 90s Euro power metal release, especially from Italy. Along for the ride is a fair degree of progressive tinkering that is not all that dissimilar to Labyrinth and Secret Sphere's early work, and accomplished at exactly the same time that the latter band got their first LP out, no less.

It had been previously noted by media from the time that this album hit stores that some were wont to compare this band to Iced Earth, which is not a terribly apt comparison, but in a few ways is an understandable error to make. The guitar sound is notably heavier and more aggressive that a typical power metal album, having more in line with 80s Metallica and Testament's more percussive sound than the smoother swagger that defined the Rhapsody (Of Fire) or Labyrinth sound, though this sound is often lightened by heavy keyboard usage. However, what results from this heavier sound could be better described as something along the lines of what Pyramaze became known for in the mid-2000s with Lance King at the helm or Italian elders and fellow travelers Eldritch when things are in mid-paced territory, though when things speed up it definitely sounds more along the lines of a typical romp into the realms of epic fantasy after the mold of Morifade's and Zonata's contemporary works, complete with the shred-happy solos and blazing harpsichord lines.

In keeping with the epic imagery and time of its creation, this album begins things on a decidedly familiar note that makes one wont to throw out comparisons to the likes of contemporaries Rhapsody, Highlord and Shadows Of Steel. The instrumental prelude "Ardebit ad Aeternum" presents a familiar array of keyboards and operatic melodrama in Latin for those initiated to the cliche Italian power metal sound of the day, but this proves to be the first ingredient in the eventual surprise. Chasing this brief intro are a couple of chunky, highly nuanced forays into power/prog territory in "Perpetual Burn" and "Shade Of Sin", both of them reminding about as much of mid-90s Dream Theater with a slightly heavier edge than the typical Helloween-inspired fair. Other points of contrast with the usual take on power metal include the Egyptian-themed mid-paced stomp of "Neverending Wind" and the heavy trudge with a light progressive touch of "The Mirror Of Soul". To be fair, there is plenty of moments where things speed up into speed metal territory within these songs, and more Stratovarius tinged moves into power metal conventionality rear their heads on "Eyes Full Of Fire" and the epic closer "The Legion Of Thunder".

There is a bittersweet flavor to the otherwise pure sweetness of albums like this one, and it comes with the realization that a rock solid sound with a lot of potential was not further explored, likely due to the proliferation of know-it-all writers in the metal community that tossed this album in the mediocre stack without giving it due diligence back the early 2000s. It is sort of a cautionary tale that even when moving outside of the tyrannical world of the RIAA where decisions of what is happening and what is passe shift on the whims of a few people in the executive boards or the mainstream music media, the same sort of whimsical dismissive attitude towards a band in a style that has shown some signs of longevity can kill the careers of some fine upstarts. But the silver lining is that this album came into being, and is definitely fit for a willing ear or two, particularly one that isn't averse to melody, technical flair and vocals that are admittedly razor thin and piercing. It's a lost gem that sits underneath a deluge of other ones by longer lived and more prolific bands, but a solid one none the less.

Bland Italian power metal, this - 40%

Lane, February 18th, 2012

Italians are known for their symphonic power metal and Hyperion are another addition to that scene. This, the band's only effort to date, was released back in 1999.

Hyperion's power metal is devoid of any surprises. Riffage is pretty rough, but when the production is lame, this can't be said to be ripping. Keyboards sound cheap, and there's certainly a lot of baroque style stuff, and not very well done. This album features absolutely magnificent cover artwork by Keith Parkinson, but there is no Egyptian elements before 'Neverending Wind'. Guitar solos are lively. At times the band have managed to come up with catchy songs, e.g. 'Perpetual Burn' and 'Neverending Wind', but mostly the songs are too long in duration and too empty in their contents.

The vocals carry a bad accent and singer goes beyond his capabilities, especially with higher notes, which happens a lot. I've never been too keen about "helium" screams (except King Diamond's voice, hehe), and the vocalist does them constantly. And the voice wobbles, not really staying in right notes. The band does not sound tight, especially the drummer is incompetent and his work asynchronous. The production work is on nowadays' demo quality level. Overally, the sound is kind of muffled, except for the vocals.

Hyperion have waned into the mass of power metal bands. 'Where Stone Is Unscarred' is very average on song writing quarter, embodying lame production and vocals. It is hard to recommend this album to anyone except to the most fanatic enthusiasts of Italian power metal, who want it all.

(originally written for ArchaicMetallurgy.com in 2008)

Mediocre power metal - 52%

Aeturnus65, November 2nd, 2005

On more than once occasion I’ve seen Italy’s Hyperion compared in some way to Iced Earth. I don’t know, but the people making these comparisons must dwell in some sort of alternate reality in which Iced Earth is a crappy flower metal band with overabundant keyboards, a mediocre singer, and a generally weak sound. For regardless of whether you like Iced Earth, I think most of us can agree that whatever having an “Iced Earth sound” means, this just ain’t it.

Hearing any of these songs for even a few seconds will instantly tip you off to the fact that Hyperion hails from Italy. Like so many other bands in this mold, you cannot really say that this stuff is bad, but it certainly is nothing special. The vocalist usually sings in a mid-range level that is actually sort of pleasant. Thankfully he seems to understand that not being able to do the dog-whistle wails is okay, just as long as you stick to your comfortable range, which he usually does. Little can be done, however, about his accent, which is typically bad. Not atrocious, but bad enough. In other words, he’s your average B-level (or is that C-level?) Italian power metal singer. If you’ve heard one or two before, you know exactly what the vocals on this disc sound like.

As for the music, bland is probably the most fitting description. Let it be said up front: if you hate keyboards then stay away from this album. Hyperion make use of plenty of bad keyboards, some sections sounding like they were stolen from the cutting room floor of the Capcom MegaMan studios in 1989. Seriously, the keys add nothing here. No atmosphere whatsoever – just sort of a weak substitute for guitar solos (of which we still get some). Not helping matters is the fact that everything sounds rather muted, especially the thin rhythm guitars. Whatever crunch this thing might have had is killed by the quiet production.

No one seems to know if Hyperion even exists anymore, and judging by this album, I can see why this might be the case. In confirming the notion that any power metal that isn’t very good is by default pretty bad (if you get my drift), Hyperion have further polluted the power metal world. I honestly can’t see how anyone could rate this thing anywhere above average at best. I’ve listened to it the entire way through at least three or four times, and I have yet to be able to remember an individual song. Hell, I can barely remember any section of any song, which for a 58-minute album is quite a sad accomplishment.

I was fooled into buying this by the various decent to good reviews I found of it online. Let my mistake be a lesson to you: unless you have absolutely zero standards when it comes to power metal (and I really mean zero), Hyperion are in fact a mediocre band that released an overwhelmingly bland album. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.