Band:	Gyre
Album:	Moirai
Style:	Groove metal, Progressive metal
Release date:	May 12, 2015
A review by:	Ilham

01. Manifest
02. I Release
03. Quiescence
04. Behind The Eyes
05. Dream The Obscene
06. Moirai

Ah. Youth.

You guessed it, Gyre is a new band. A few years and a couple of EPs after inception, the new New Jersey group - no that wasn't a Futurama reference - releases six more songs in the same format. This time clocking at thirty-four minutes, Morai is the proof that the band is slowly gaining in confidence and substance. Indeed, their somewhat fresh take on prog-laden and metalcore-tinged groove thrash isn't without appeal and shines brighter in longer tracks.

Longer tracks means more time to show off those mad skillzz: great guitar work, alternating cleans and growls both varied and emotive - albeit sounding a bit weak at times. But longer tracks also means more time to get lost in structure. Unfortunately, in this case, prog rhymes with lack of direction and confusing songwriting. Even if it is just an EP, it becomes hard to pick up the internal structure of the songs, no matter how memorable some moments are.

In fact, the ideas are numerous and interesting. The influences are varied yet well juxtaposed. I could cite Gojira because of some particular twenty seconds in one song and notice a Mastodon-like feel the next second without being bothered by it. I don't want to bore you with a review lengthier than the EP, but I can't leave without saying that the chorus to "I, Release" is catchy as hell, and that the first minutes of "Behind The Eyes" made me think of the beloved Nevermore. Convincing right?

A lot of potential, a good handle on their instruments, and energy. You're doing better than most of the "big" pro bands I reviewed these last ten months. I just hope you'll see a therapist about that obsession with tentacles and single floating eyeballs for your cover arts in the meantime, but see you in two years with a full-length, Gyre, .