InnerVersE – Awakenings

InnerVersE
Awakenings
Out: September 13^th, 2024
Playing time: 35:48

InnerVersE should not be labelled a band. It is more likely to be the solo project of multi-instrumentalist Lampros Marantos. The debut album ‘Awakenings’ was released in September. It contains pieces that Lampros Marantos has composed since 2010. According to the press release, the songs can be categorised as Symphonic Progressive Metal with ethnic elements despite their diversity. With the exception of ‘The Promise’, all the songs are instrumental.

After a quiet introduction, ‘Lust For Freedom’ rocks off well. The guitars are whipped up by powerful drumming. A catchy guitar melody dominates ‘Source Of Life’. In terms of length, ‘Cry Of Lucifer’ is an interlude. First you hear an electric piano. Later, there are some hectic-sounding guitars. But for the most part, the epic melody prevails. Some tempo changes give the song a progressive flavour. There is not much new in ‘Flying In The Dark’. Beautiful guitar melodies, some choruses in the background. ‘Fractal Of Loss’ sounds like a ballad. Strings and piano sounds dominate at first. A successful guitar solo rounds off the whole thing. ‘The Promise’ is the only song with vocals. It features the brother Vasil Marantos and is my favourite on the album thanks to the vocal interlude. And it is also the most varied and best song. The last two songs ‘Ishtar’ and ‘Radical Revolution’ are purely instrumental again, unfortunately.

Instrumental albums are not really my taste. I only listen to them in exceptional cases. Certainly, the individual songs are varied. And the melodies are mostly catchy. In places, melody and rhythm changes emphasise the progressive character. But in my opinion, the decisive element is missing here: the vocals. ‘The Promise’ shows how well this can work. I would like to hear more of that in the future.

InnerVersE – The Promise: https://youtu.be/wpGLi0ImVns?si=5WmuLOZG6zgh9d6T

Lineup:

Lampros Marantos – all instruments
Vasil Marantos – Vocals in “The Promise”

Track list:

• Lust For Freedom
• Source Of Life
• Cry Of Lucifer
• Flying In The Dark
• Fractal Of Loss
• The Promise
• Ishtar
• Radical Revolution