The basis this album will not sell enough to do justice to the music's quality can only be the lack of distribution or each fan's financial issues or don't-know-what-else reasons (or our taste in Metal has dried a lot...haha, it's just the devil in me). Not that the style ARRYAN PATH follows is the most commercial one in our days but "Terra Incognita" proves to be nothing less than an excellent Heavy/Power/Epic album destined to conquer CD players and car stereos and i-pods and again-don't-know-what-else audio devices filling the hunger for some honest 80s-based Metal music away from trends and 'promo' vibes. The band from Cyprus delivers one of the most prominent artistic Metal albums I've listened to in Mediterranean countries, hands down. Yes, quality Metal music is still around...it of course takes skills, hard work, loyalty and freedom of spirit & influence filtering.

Is "Terra Incognita" a Doom Metal album? It could possibly be: it is has enough slow-pace songs, with mourning vocals by the terrific voice of Nicholas Leptos plus low-key heavy guitars and you cannot escape bringing legends like SOLITUDE AETURNUS, mid-career CANDLEMASS or early TROUBLE to mind. And that's where the story ends? Of course not.

Are we talkin' then 'bout an epic Metal album? Yeap, it's not out of the question, either. The reference to idols of the American 80s Metal scene - especially 'poetic' JAG PANZER or first era of FATES WARNING or else the lyric side of RAINBOW/DIO - is imminent due to the majestic job done in the guitars section, the fabulous leads and the varying yet un-complex rhythm section, again bringing on the steel and cruel side of the vocal harmonies.

End of story, again? No. Classic Metal had always been - among others - affected by the rock of IRON MAIDEN's legacy. There's no single song resembling to another and the fact and only that this album's opener clocks to 9 minutes without even noticing how easily time passed by means a lot for the composing skills of ARRYAN PATH. Expanding the verdict, 50 minutes roll on and you either feel five minutes have only gone by or you've co-instantaneously listened to a couple of 80s Metal albums (or more). So much variety in the music making, traditional/folk regional musical parts in the vocal harmonies...the symptoms of artistry.

So, the juvenile Metal fan gets nothing? Of course not. "Terra Incognita"'s 'ace' mark is the wealth of melodies all over the album, and fans of European melodic Metal (possibly not the 'happy' section of e.g. EDGUY) and even pomp Metal patriots bleeding to the galloping tempos of e.g. RHAPSODY will certainly feel comfortable with the exotic rhythms and harmonies of this really interesting album, leaving aside the fact ARRYAN PATH is a genuine go-between for current and more traditional Heavy Metal music.

The same-titled song, "Cassiopeia", "Minas Tirith", "Molon Lave", "Open Season", "Ishtar"...the whole album, to be honest., is a killer. If you do not feel familiar with many words in the numbers' titles let's note down they are Greek words. The band's members also share credits in other Cypriot bands (DIPHTHERIA, PRODIGAL EARTH) and seems to have gained some good experience serving Metal music for many years now. The production bolsters such a finding since everything sounds crystal clear and surely portrays the class of a Metal band. Vagelis Maranis (from SANVOISEN, a brilliant technical/power Metal band from Germany with two albums in the mid-90s) handling some of the guitars on the album and lends his voice in one song.

ARRYAN PATH released two demos a decade ago, and their first album came out in 2004, the hopeful but quite mismatching "Road To Macedonia" CD. That's of little interest though, since "Terra Incognita" is miles forth a magnificent CD. So much melody, an unexpected matching diversity, really excellent vocals and a powerful sound...really hope this album will make it. Looking forward to see ARRYAN PATH live at Greece's Up The Hammers festival in early March, now.

P.S.: "Hoping to clear the controversy surrounding the band's name once and for all, first and foremost Pitch Black Records has a zero tolerance on racism and is very firm on not collaborating with anyone lacking respect for different races and ethnicities. "Arryan" (double 'r') is simply a type of flower and has nothing to do with "Aryan" and its associations with Nazism" - Press release.
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