Review: Axios – Erased

Style: rock/traditional (clean vocals)
Review by: Dylan
Country: US-IL
Release date: 26-03-2018

NOTE: This album was originally included in the 2018 missed albums issue of The Progressive Subway

When I was just a reader of these monthly posts I was disappointed that Erased wasn’t included in the March edition of UPM. I discovered the album thanks to the now ex frontman, who posted it on the Dream Theater subreddit, and was met with praise. At the time, it was the first truly underground album I enjoyed. So, as soon as I joined UPM as a writer I told Sam to bookmark this album for me to write a review about it whenever we could do so.

First of all, let’s talk about the mix; The entire band sounds great. Yes, it’s not a unique mix style, in fact, if you’ve heard any other traditional prog metal, you’ve heard this sound before. Two guitars, one bass, a keyboard accompanying it all, with punchy drums in the background. I do have to give props to the drummer for making the  drumming fun and varied, with barely no double bass drum usage (a gimmick I get a bit sick of in modern metal).

So we’ve already covered that they sound pretty similar to any other traditional prog band, but do Axios have any unique ideas?

Well out of the gate, you should know that there is a LOT of Opeth (Damnation era mostly) and Steven Wilson influences here. I’m not huge on Opeth myself, but my dad noticed that the main riff from Erased sounds something that’s straight out of Damnation. And in regards to SW, the singer himself was inspired to create the band after watching the damn guy, so it’s no surprise that a track like Truth in the Lie, Pt II sounds like it could fit perfectly in a Steven Wilson album as a power ballad. Luckily, it never feels like they’re worshipping bands without adding something unique to it. In facts, there’s plenty of moods the band goes for.

Pyramid is a standard 4 minute Prog Metal single. It’s no masterpiece, but it kicks off the album wonderfully, with awesome energy, and a mini build up/climax that ends on a shriek that’s only present on this track. Truth in the lie is divided into two movements, one being a pretty neat instrumental, and the other one, as I’ve said before, sounds more like a SW power ballad. Aftermath is an interlude, which sets the tone for the album epic title track. This track is 12 minutes long, and feels wonderfully constructed. It’s a track that can be divided in two parts easily since there is a good 5 seconds of silence in between the darker beginning and the more hopeful/happy ending. The way this track is constructed makes for a great, catchy ending that leaves you full of hope after things were sounding like they were heading the wrong way. And because of that, it is one of my personal highlights.

Things keep changing in the latter half. With you in Mind feels kind of out of place in the album, it sounds way too soft and romantic, with no oomph to back it up, it’s not unlistenable or anything, but it kind of kills the flow of the album. And then, Haunted happens.

This track became a minor hit, and for a good reason, because it is absolutely amazing. It’s dark and gritty, powerful and riffy, with fantastic solos, and a beautiful interlude. It’s not a song I can sell you with words, so I’d just say that you should hear it yourself, you will not be disappointing.

The closing track does have a very ‘’ending’’ feel. It’s kind of repetitive, to present the conclusion of the album in a clear way; that being ‘’If I would fall asleep, would you come to wake me?’’ After a couple minutes of that line accompanied by melodic solos, a couple minutes of ambient sound fill the end of the album, which work wonders to leave you reflecting on what you’ve just heard.

As you may have noticed, this album is not gonna get a perfect rating…. However, I’d still advise any traditional prog metal fan to check this out. It’s catchy, fun, moody, and well constructed.

Since I didn’t know where to add this, I’ll just put it as a PS: The singer is great, he knows exactly what to do for each situation the album is in. Mad props to him.

Recommended tracks: Erased, Haunted, Truth in the Lie Pt II
Recommended for fans of: Opeth (Damnation), Steven Wilson, Rishloo, Dream Theater
Final verdict: 8/10

Related links:  Bandcamp | Spotify | Facebook | RYM page

Label: Independent

Axios is:
– Jake Mikolas (vocals, guitars)
– Blake Schwarz (guitars, vocals)
– Kevin Coppola (drums)
– Jake Labahn (bass)
– Ashley Tracey (keyboards, strings)