Style: Progressive rock, progressive metal (instrumental)
FFO: Earthside, Russian Circles, Tides from Nebula
Country: Greece
Release date: 18 April 2025
Before we get into today’s review, I’d like to invite you to participate in a little Choose Your Own Adventure game. Remember them? Those thin, whimsically illustrated books that invited us as kids to step into the shoes of some inoffensively anonymous adventurer as they plundered ancient pyramids or explored the far reaches of the galaxy, their fate hanging in the balance with every choice we made? Your choice today, dear reader, is as follows: Do you like bagpipes? If yes, turn to paragraph two. If no, hit the back button on your browser, and I promise not to tell anyone about your bad taste.
Okay, I may have been exaggerating a bit above. While the gaida1 does feature generously from the jump on Hamelin, the debut album from Greek instrumental prog metal band King Garcia, it’s only one of a host of unorthodox wind instruments featured in lieu of vocals. As an assembly of current and former members of Mother of Millions, POEM, and Tardive Dyskinesia, King Garcia’s sound is cinematic and earthy, with a propulsive energy that pairs Ennio Morricone or John Williams-ish influences with flavourful instrumental prog à la Earthside or Tides from Nebula. The close-knit fabric of the Greek metal scene evident in the band’s membership is also woven in behind the scenes; Hamelin is mixed and mastered by Hector D., who has worked with other Greek bands like Need and Calyces.
Popping fresh out of the oven as an instrumental act, King Garcia set themselves a formidable challenge. Instrumental progressive metal bands have little choice but to walk a tightrope: on one side of the chasm below is chip-on-your-shoulder virtuosic wanking; on the other, bland forgettability. King Garcia are fleet-footed in their approach; trumpet, clarinet, gaida, and kaval all trade off lead roles, putting woodwinds at the forefront of their sound and crafting an original sound while still forgoing wankery.
Although a case could be made to lock in on just one instrument as the lead (as vocals would be in most bands, or guitar in Plini or Intervals), the rotating showcases allow for a diverse array of standout moments. Whether it’s the clamouring bagpipes in the opening “Prelude: Rats!”, the thrumming beats under vibrant, bright choral harmonies in “Anise”, or the clarinet nimbly taking the lead in “Sweat”, the opening minutes of Hamelin burst with unstoppable forward momentum. Not to be outdone, the trumpet injects passages that resonate with a grandiose solemnity, evocative of the Last Post (4:05 in “We Echo”).
However, as that momentum presses on to the back half of the album, the journey isn’t without a few bumps. The pizzazz factor is somewhat lower, and there are fewer surprises, once King Garcia have played their full hand of woodwinds and accoutrements. Some song’s intros are too long and break the flow (“The Day We Lost Everything” with its extended storm-scape, “Closer”); and while I love Killer Mike, the inclusion of a spoken word excerpt from his well-publicized May 2020 press conference2 (“We Echo”) doesn’t quite land. As the only part of Hamelin with actual lyrics, it’s not clear if it is intended as a thesis statement for the song, or the album, or just atmosphere.
As well, at a few points on Hamelin, I found myself questioning whether it really needs to be a metal album. Most notably, “Magnolia”, opens with a sultry bass-backed trumpet solo, but when the chunky, distorted guitars kick into gear under the trumpet, it almost seems a shame—the subtlety of the track’s languid opening minutes is more effective and engaging than what comes after. I have the same issue with the guitars in “Hamelin”; whether it’s a question of production or a stylistic choice, their presence is bludgeoning, at the expense of the more intriguing offerings from the non-standard metal instrumentations. But Kostas Konstantinidis does have some flashes of brilliance on guitar, especially in the album’s softer moments: tonally, the introduction of “Closer” reminds me very much of Pain of Salvation’s “In the Passing Light of Day”, with a similarly simple yet haunting melody.
In turn clever, cinematic, catchy, and captivating in its unique brand of woodwind-led progressive metal, Hamelin has a lot to offer. While all of the members of King Garcia are experienced musicians in their own rights, some of the decisions made on this debut outing show seams that still need to be smoothed over. Nonetheless, I’d happily choose to turn to whatever page contains the next chapter from King Garcia.
Recommended tracks: Anise, Magnolia, Closer
You may also like: Yossi Sassi, Acyl, Tardive Dyskinesia
Final verdict: 7/10
Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Facebook | Instagram
Label: ViciSolum Records – Bandcamp | Facebook | Official Website
King Garcia is:
– Alex Orfanos: trumpet and clarinet
– Kamil Kamieniecki: drums
– Kornilios Kiriakidis: bass
– Kostas Konstantinidis: guitar
With guests:
– Konstantinos Lazos: gaida and kaval
– Iakovos Molybakis: percussion
- a type of bagpipe found in Southeastern Europe ↩︎
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vy9io6VEt58 ↩︎
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