Timoleon Adamopoulos & The Paier Project – The Primordial Elements Trilogy [EP]
TIMOLEON ADAMOPOULOS & THE PAIER PROJECT
THE PRIMORDIAL ELEMENTS TRILOGY [EP]
Independent release
Release: May 2019
''Darkness coming in the night,
nestles in the detached souls''
A couple of months ago I reviewed a project entitled Chaos over Cosmos whose 2 members are from two different countries (Spain and Poland actually) and only met virtually. Now I, again, get the chance to review another project born under similar circumstances. I am referring to Timoleon Adamopoulos & The Paier Project whose collaborative effort titled “The Primordial Elements Trilogy” came out recently. The two parts of this project are Timoleon Adamopoulos, a Greek composer and musician (Forbidden Lore), and Paier, an Italian singer (ex-Kezia, ex-Blackmail of Murder), who met in the word of Internet and decided to make a music collaboration. Ain’t music grand?
Tracklist:
Darkness
Light
We as humans
Based on an original post-apocalyptic story written by Timoleon Adamopoulos, the concept of the EP revolves around a “man who abandoned his normal life and resorted to a remote forest where he lived alone, thinking that he did not need the help and companionship of other around him” until “a mysterious force/spirit possessed him and made him forget his human senses and the awareness of time. For many years he had the ability of traveling back into time, discovering hidden knowledge, strange people, and became entangled in situations that gave him the know-how to be able to create his own earth-society and adapt it to his new beliefs. The price he paid for everything he saw and learned was to lose his sleep to constant nightmares. Now that the rest of the world is in ruin, it is time for a group of explorers to meet him and find what his part will be, ruin or salvation...” Kind of sounds like something Arjen Lucassen would write for Ayreon, doesn’t it?
If the story has some Ayreon vibes to it, how does the music fare? Well, it’s not multilayered or bombastic, quite the contrary, it is rather simple and accessible with an overall ominous feel given by the backing orchestration. “Darkness” is the first single released to promote this EP and it as elegant as a Kamelot song and as dark as something from Lords of the Lost. It is brooding but also breezy and uncluttered, mostly with strings and clean foreboding vocals and I can’t help but enjoy it a lot, especially the catchy chorus. It really sets the mood for the story.
Things pick up pace with the next track, “Light”, which also ramps up the heaviness factor a bit as it starts slow and eerie but builds up in intensity as it progresses. The vocals are more aggressive and in your face, Paier really showing his chops as a singer, while the backing orchestration brings the necessary dose of emotion to the lyrics. The track also has some Lords of the Lost vibes, only that this time they seem coupled with Apocalyptica as the cello lines add extra layers of melody and harmony to the main guitar riffs, making for a darker and somewhat somber song.
At almost 8 minutes “We as humans” is the longest and the most complex track on this EP. It starts with some folky riffs and gentle vocal delivery, which remind me of “The Truth” from Seventh Wonder’s latest release “Tiara”. “We as humans” is a very cinematic piece, as it combines ambiental and Celtic elements with rock and metal into an uplifting, catchy, and optimistic song, which coincidentally serves as the ending of the story. It transitions neatly between heavier and more mellow, borderline acoustic sections, with folky moments and well-crafted instrumental passages, making for a very entertaining and lively song.
So there you have it – three different songs that vary from atmospheric and elegant, to heavy and dark, to full blown progressive and folky, with some twists and turns along the way. If anything, I would say the EP is a bit short as the 19 minutes of playtime fly by quickly. Also, given the complexity of the story, this could have been made into a full concept album. But this is just me nitpicking. Needless to say, I very much enjoyed this EP and again the rule that you don’t need a bombastic sound to make a connection with the listener is successfully applied.
Interview with Timoleon Adamopoulos at this link.
Lineup:
Paier – Vocals
T. Adamopoulos – Guitars / Keys / Programming