Review: Seyr – 27 Million

Style: Progressive Metal, Death Metal, Post-Metal (mixed vocals)
Recommended for fans of: The Ocean, Opeth, Cult of Luna
Review by: Christopher
Country: Germany
Release date: 7 July, 2023

I’ve been writing for The Progressive Subway for about a year now—long enough that I might just start to find that some of the bands I reviewed when I first started are beginning to release more material. Actually, I didn’t think that time would come for a while longer but Seyr have turned around and delivered a new EP just eleven months after their debut album, Flux—what better way to mark the anniversary of my tenure here?

Their new one-track EP 27 Million consists of a sixteen-minute-long track. Of course, I went back to Flux to compare. The post-metal excesses of their debut are reigned in, and the prog death side of their sound takes precedence. The soaring licks and mounting tension of post-metal are still utilised, but Seyr have taken a conscious step towards a heavier sound.

Compositionally, “27 Million” definitely addresses the issues on their debut. This is a solid song with a strong sense of flow, in a sense reminding me of Wills Dissolve’s Echoes, another epic one track album which also journeys through vistas of soft ambience as well as punishing heaviness. Sebastian Elm’s versatile vocals continue to impress, running the gamut from crooning baritone cleans to rabidly ferocious growls.

Opening with soft vocals over clean-picked guitar and gently thrumming bass, the harsh vocals soon announce themselves. Elm’s cleans are especially impressive in the section starting at 4:40, with some chaotic lead guitar licks and swelling chords aiding him. Soon after, the track takes a turn for the sombre, with a creepy acoustic guitar part at 6:17 which takes me straight back to “Blackwater Park”. The band build effectively on this eerie section, steadily ramping up the dynamism as the drums return, Elm begins to croon pensively, and the lead guitar lines float airily away—it’s a textbook example of post-metal influences done right. Around nine minutes in, the harshes and quasi-operatic cleans are layered together to great effect, and the track closes with a coda reprising the intro as the drums embark on a slow death march. That’s not everything “27 Million” has to offer, but suffice to say, the composition is a pleasing one. 

As a bit of a side note, “27 Million” is separated into five movements. Two of these movements—”Opaque” and “Tides of Mourn”—were released as ‘singles’ in anticipation of the full release. Yet apart from the singles, no mention of the movements is made on Spotify or Bandcamp for the full EP; they’re only named on the YouTube upload. As a result, I’ve gone with timestamps over naming movements for this review. Other than that, my only qualm with “27 Million” is that the production can be a little fuzzy at times, and although Krüger’s tasty bass work is audible, the bass tone is oddly flat compared to the other instruments. 

Tighter and more dynamic than their debut, it’s a pleasure to watch Seyr as they find their feet. The compositional care and gravity that are on display here more than make up for the minor issues in production, and ensure Seyr will soon be a force to be reckoned with.

Recommended tracks: 27 Million (obviously)
You may also like: Wills Dissolve, Sikasa
Final verdict: 7/10

Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | YouTube | Facebook | Instagram | Metal-Archives Page

Label: Independent

Seyr is:
– Sebastian Elm (vocals)
– Levon Khatchatrian (guitar)
– Omar Meli (guitar)
– Max Krüger (bass)
– Levin Wießner (drums)