Year : 2017
Style : Progressive Metal
Country : Greece
Audio : 320 kbps + digi booklet + Video
Size : 159 mb
Info:
NEED's journey began in 2004 when the first line-up of the band around guitarist Ravaya recorded their first promo cd entitled "avoidinme". After several band member changes, the line-up took its current form in the beginning of 2006. Soon after NEED inked a deal with Burning Star Records and released their debut album "The Wisdom Machine" in November 2006 to enthusiastic reviews from magazines and websites worldwide. Following the release of the album, NEED played numerous gigs all around Greece and also did a small European tour with their labelmates ZENITH(Denmark). They also shared the stage for some gigs with CANDLEMASS, JON OLIVA'S PAIN,THRESHOLD and DEADSOUL TRIBE among others.The band spent the most part of 2008 writing & recording their second album entitled “Siamese God”. The album was recorded and mixed at Soundflakes studio in Athens,Greece and was mastered at West West Side Music studio in New York, U.S.A. by Alan Douches. “Siamese God” was released in December 2009 via Venerate Industries. In the fall of 2010 the band went on a 3-week european tour with JON OLIVA'S PAIN and NEVERLAND. In the summer of 2011 NEED played in Sonisphere Festival opening for IRON MAIDEN,SLIPKNOT & MASTODON among others. "Siamese God" was re-released in Europe in September 2011 by the german SAOL Music. NEED also shared the stage with SYMPHONY X in October 2011.In January 2014 NEED released their third album ‘Orvam: a song for home’ that was mixed and mastered in the US by Neil Kernon (Nevermore, Queensryche) and Alan Douches (Mastodon, Shadows Fall) respectively. After a few local shows supporting the album, NEED were invited to play to the 15th anniversary edition of the famous ProgPower USA Festival held in Atlanta, Georgia in September 2014. Other acts appearing in the bill were JON OLIVA’S PAIN, OVERKILL, PAIN OF SALVATION, STRATOVARIUS, LEPROUS among others. NEED’s set got raving feedback and the band was fortunate enough to have all that caught on tape. The show named ‘Orvam: a song for Atlanta’ was released on DVD first off at the following year’s edition of the festival and then worldwide.NEED are currently working on the follow up to ‘Orvam’ due to release sometime in spring/summer of 2016.
Album:
An early bid for Prog Metal album of the year.You know you are deep in Prog territory when the title of the record is a word that even Google won’t recognise, but then Greece’s Need have been busily confounding expectations since 2004.Good enough to support bands as stellar as Iron Maiden (which means that frankly whatever we say about “Hegaiamas – A Song For Freedom” right now, then Need have won) it is the fact they have shared stages with Symphony X that is particularly pertinent here, because anyone that enjoyed SX’s unbelievable “Iconoclast” record will find much to enjoy here.Since the band started – releasing their debut album over a decade ago – there has been a definite shift in what the term “prog metal” stands for. Where once it meant Dream Theater and Spock’s Beard it now (and yeah, we get that this makes MV seem like a miserable old git) seems to increasingly represent kids in Skinny Jeans growling through verses and doing melodic things in the chorus.Happily, Need subscribe to the idea that Prog Metal should be basically be challenging heavy metal, with more than a hint of the grandiose about it and that is exactly what “Hegaiamas: a song for freedom” provides. And by the way it does so in a quite stunning way.Opening with some haunting female vocals “Rememory” is soon into its work with a wall of riffing from Ravaya (like Cher, these boys don’t need a last name) and by turns it chugs, thumps and drives itself into places you just wouldn’t expect – and you imagine Jon V knows he sounds a little like Russell Allen.You shouldn’t pigeonhole Need, though. And anyway, if you did you’d be wrong. “Alltribe” for example ushers itself in off the back of some lilting piano and its intricate guitar patterns make it very special indeed.It’s follow up “Therianthrope” (apparently the mythological ability of human beings to metamorphose into other animals by means of shapeshifting) is the heaviest thing here by quite some way and makes use of narration, while “Riverthane” is probably the most immediate and visceral song here.“Tilikum” on the other hand is quite a trip inside eight minutes, like some soundtrack to a film that is playing in your head, it is hugely ambition is matched by its sheer gloriousness. But for ambition, nothing here – or indeed anywhere else this year most probably – will match “Iota”. Essentially a five minute play, its spoken word piece is something you will love even if you don’t quite understand what it is talking about.Everything, though, plays second fiddle to the title track. All 22 minutes of it, which finishes off this stunning journey in stunning fashion. Like everything else here it questions what we are, who we are, what our dreams mean and so much more besides.Moreover it all sounds sonically marvellous, and when you couple that with its incredibly conceived pieces, then this really is stunning on every level.It’s the first week of January, and this is the third review we’ve had on here so far in 2017, but nonetheless the gauntlet is thrown down. Prog metal bands, if you can better this then send it to us, we dare ya.This has everything it Need’s.
Line-Up:
Ravaya Guitars - See also: ex-Deadman's Tale
Jon V. Vocals - See also: Arpyian Horde, ex-Wheelrunner
Anthony Keyboards (2003-2005, 2010-present)
Victor Bass (2013-present) - See also: ex-Kerveros
Stelios Drums (2013-present)
Tracklist:
1. Rememory 06:59
2. Alltribe 07:34
3. Therianthrope 06:29
4. Riverthane 07:24
5. Tilikum 07:48
6. I.O.T.A. 05:05
7. Hegaiamas 21:52
+ Video "Rememory " (Official Video)
Download links for all albums only on our blog here: http://goodmetalandhar.do.am/
