HYPERION are an Italian Traditional Heavy Metal group formed in 2015, in the city of Bologna, and today, I give you my thoughts on their debut LP "Dangerous Days".

First off, what sticks out the most on the record is the variety the band members bring with their instruments, all whilst never really venturing outside their sub-genre. Is that a good thing? Well, I think it's certainly challenging to be interesting and not become boring (they mostly managed to do that fortunately) while you stay in just one sub-genre, but that has a negative side also - and that is that the relatively large amount of variety this record offers is really hit or miss.

For example, the first track, "Ultimatum" - while not being long at all - manages to be enjoyable in every second, just like the title track. I must say, the vocals came off as really obnoxious at first, but after a few seconds, you can actually appreciate it for what it is, especially in the context of the album itself. On the other hand, when the band tries to experiment with a more radio-friendly, simple instrumentalized sound, like in "Forbidden Pages", it fails miserably - because it tries to be simply catchy - but hear me out, this group isn't made for catchiness, they have a lot of potential and are really talented musicians, in my humble opinion.

The band also places a heavy emphasis on intros, and boy are they amazing. Whether it is the banging percussive intros of "Forbidden Pages" and "Killing Hope", the glitching at the beginning of "Incognitus", or the simply FUCKING cool riffs that start off "Dangerous Days" and „Hyperion" (respectively), it always pulls you into the experience completely, even if the song itself isn't particularly special or high-quality.

Another big strength of this record is in the chemistry and the way that all the instruments and the vocals - while not particularly interesting on their own -  were written in a way as to compliment each other and give the other another layer.
As a whole, the album really gives off the message that these guys weren't trying to make anything revolutionary or unique, but just have fun and express their desire for it, which I can wholeheartedly respect for its honesty. This is the best you can get without being groundbreakingly awesome.