Review: Tanagra – Meridiem

Style: progressive metal, power metal (clean vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Blind Guardian, Falconer, Symphony X, Wintersun
Review by: Matt
Country: US-OR
Release date: 26 April, 2019

[EDITOR’S NOTE: This album was originally included in the April 2019 issue of The Progressive Subway.]

My inaugural review concerns a band that’s new to me, but apparently right in my wheelhouse. While much of American prog-dom has moved on to chuggier pastures, Portland’s Tanagra play something more akin to the European symphonic power metal of the 2000s. I’ve heard a ton of power-prog in my life, but there’s a couple things here that might help shake me from my stupor: baritone vocals, which are still somewhat unexplored in the genre, and ambitious song structures. When a tracklist is “oops, all long songs,” it’s often a good sign (see: Disillusion.)

My first impression was a good one – the production and performances are polished, and they managed to get a convincingly epic sound, if not a very heavy one. The guitars are solid, active but not really taking the spotlight – however, the orchestral embellishments really bring the album to life. This is a “big picture” sort of album, and although I can’t point to any particular great riffs, it’s made up for by the melodies and huge arrangements. The songs are difficult to retain on first listen, but most of them have at least one big highlight where the magic happens. I will say that the clean/symphonic parts are invariably more interesting than the metal parts, but there’s usually some of both going on.

Although the songs run long, for the most part they hold together and stay entertaining. I never noticed any excessive tangents, but there are some sections that start to drag. These are usually either extended solos, which are oddly awkward for guitarists who can clearly play, or attempts at time signature wankery – almost always 7/8, for some reason. This might be hypocritical of me, but I didn’t think those overt “prog parts” added much, coming off as more of a counting puzzle than a use of momentum (except that sweet outro blast on the first song.) The strongest parts are the straightforward melodic ones. And if you know me, that sentence sounds like madness.

The aforementioned baritone vocals land pretty well – nice timbre and tasteful harmonies. Unfortunately, they’re kind of sedate, not doing the already-subdued mix any favors with intensity in the “heavy” parts, but he certainly delivers when smoothness is called for. The obvious/lazy comparison would be Falconer. The lyrics are excellently done fantasy-themed tales with implied worldbuilding, not in your face like Rhapsody, but still discernably about something. They manage to sound eloquent without being flowery. This album actually taught me a new word!

Despite being overall positive, it wasn’t until the last track, “Witness,” that Meridiem really bypassed my brain and delivered something transcendent. Up until then, it was good simply for competently doing the things it does, but “Witness” went above and beyond. Where the rest of the album is a grower, this is instantly memorable; while the other songs sometimes ride on their highlights, this one is a complete package working in service of its massive climax. Certainly a worthy epic, one of those “worth-the-price-of-the-whole-album” songs.

I was ready to give Meridiem a more middling review going into this, maybe a cop-out 7/10, but then I realized that some of the songs were twice as good on repeat. I became sort of obsessed and eventually swung back the other way, admitting that the peaks of the songs covered for some weaknesses. But the fact of the matter is, Meridiem sounds fresh right now, it inspired me to get out of a creative rut, and I’m not going to complain too much when the heights are so incredibly high.

Recommended tracks: Meridiem, Etheric Alchemy, Witness
You may also like: Daydream XI (bandcamp), Lanfear (spotify), Elegy, Wuthering Heights
Final verdict: 8/10

Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Facebook | Instagram | Metal-Archives page

Label: Independent

Tanagra is:
– Tom Socia (vocals)
– Steven Soderberg (guitar)
– Erich Ulmer (bass)
– Josh Kay (guitar)
– Christopher Stewart (drums)