The line-up
He didn't have to look far to find the first two musicians, as local drummer Morten Gade Sørensen and bassist Niels Kvist immediately jumped on the opportunity to join Michael in his quest. The next person to sign on was American keyboardist Jonah Weingarten, who Michael had met over the Internet. The newborn band began rehearsing the written material on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean: the Danish guys on one side, and Jonah in the U.S. They sent demos back and forth combined with many phone conferences as part of the creative process. With a core band around him, Michael then booked the studio to record the debut album. He hired on the well-known producer Jacob Hansen, a man with a long list of fantastic productions behind him, ranging from Hatesphere and Mercenary to Manticora and Falconer, to name a few.
The debut album
In January 2003, Jonah flew to Denmark and the band began recording the CD in Jacob's studio in a small town called Ribe. After having laid down all the tracks besides the vocals, producer Jacob decided to send a couple of MP3s to his long-time friends at Intromental Management - a Danish metal agency, who already had worked together with Jacob on numerous recordings. The guys at Intromental fell totally in love with the Pyramaze material and gave Michael a call. After a couple of phone conversations, the two parties, Pyramaze and Intromental, decided to join forces, and the band suddenly found themselves being promoted professionally. One of the things that came with the signing to Intromental was the decision of finding a really fantastic pro-singer: someone who not only would fit the material, but also be able to lift it to even higher levels. Michael agreed to the idea, and Intromental sent him a bunch of CDs with different vocalists doing their stuff. After listening carefully to everything, Michael found that only one singer truly stood out, and that man was Lance King, known from such great power and progressive metal acts as Balance Of Power, Mattson, King's Machine and Gemini. Lance was approached with the material, and he agreed to become the new vocalist for Pyramaze. The already-finished music was sent to Lance, along with all the lyrics, and Lance commenced the recording of the vocals in his own studio in Minneapolis. A few months later the vocals were finished, and the material was sent to Denmark again, where it was finally mixed and mastered back in Jacob's studio in Ribe.
Getting the band signed
The time had now come, to find a record company that would publish PYRAMAZE's debut album 'Melancholy Beast'. Fortunately the reactions to the album were extremely positive, and offers began coming in right away. After negotiations were concluded, the band signed with the following labels: NTS Records (now known as REPLICA Records) for Europe and Canada, TOSHIBA-EMI for Japan, and NIGHTMARE Records for the U.S. A common release date was set and the album was available in all regions by the end of May 2004. PYRAMAZE had gained exceptional reviews from the media all over the world, and in 2005 a deal for the Asian market (outside of Japan) was also inked with Melodic Heaven in Korea.
On the road
The band had a run of live shows in the summer of 2004 in North America, Denmark, Germany, and France to support their debut album MELANCHOLY BEAST. Danish Guitarist Toke Skjønnemand was added to these shows, and soon after the touring was completed, Toke was asked to join the band as a permanent member.
The follow up album
Michael began composing what was to be the second Pyramaze release in the winter months of 2004/2005, a concept album entitled "Legend Of The Bone Carver" that has a unique story flowing from beginning to end. Once again recorded with Jacob Hansen at the helm, this new opus was completed in the summer of 2005. Immediately upon completion Intromental Management followed up with all the bands' record companies, and in addition to Replica Records (formerly NTS) for France, Nightmare Records for the U.S., and Melodic Heaven for Asia, new labels were found for Japan and Europe: King Records and Massacre Records respectively. A unified release date was set for the end of February 2006. In January of 2006, PYRAMAZE had already been scheduled for several highly sought-after festivals (Kløften Fest in Denmark (June 23)/ Bloodstock Open Air in England (July 14th) / Headbangers Open Air in Germany (July 15th)/ and a highly coveted spot at ProgPower USA music festival on September 15).
2006 brought about the release of Pyramaze's second album, LEGEND OF THE BONE CARVER, which was received with great reviews. Toward the end of 2006, it was announced that vocalist Lance King would leave the band.
The new vocalist has been announced. Matthew Barlow (ex-Iced Earth) will be joining and a new album is anticipated in 2008.
Nemesis
Pyramaze Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Wasting seems all I can do
Come on inside, step into my world
A wasteland of thoughts about you
Life is so strange and uncertain
Quite devoid of common sense
Always ready to challenge me
If I could stop the rain from falling down
Keep the clocks from turning round, my Aphrodite
I'd dive into your precious heart
Push it for a brand new start
I'd be the almighty
I swear on my name that she once was mine
The strength upon which I'm building
A mythical place to fill the dream
My whole life's contigent on hunting
The impossible scenery
We can live and breathe as one
Regardless of Nemesis
But in the dead of night
She comes like a wind
And her wrath might just burn my skin
As I recall her name:
The daughter of Oceanus
Her retribution begins
But I'm still longing
The lyrics to Pyramaze's song Nemesis present a picture of a conflicted mind stuck in a wasteland of thoughts. The singer is wasting his days and nights thinking about someone who is no longer with him. He invites the object of his obsession into his world, a world filled with empty thoughts about her. Although life seems strange and uncertain, the singer is ready to challenge it. He yearns to stop the rain from falling and the clocks from turning round. The singer wants to dive into the heart of his beloved, make a fresh start, and become the almighty.
The singer declares that his beloved was once his but that she is now beyond his reach. Nevertheless, he finds strength in her memory and sees her as a mythical place to fill his dreams. His whole life is contingent on hunting his obsession. He imagines an impossible scenery where they can live and breathe as one, regardless of nemesis. However, the singer is aware that his beloved could be dangerous. In the dead of night, she comes like the wind, and her wrath can burn his skin. He recalls her name, the daughter of Oceanus, as her retribution begins. But despite everything, he still longs for her.
Line by Line Meaning
Wasting my days, I'm wasting my nights
All I do is waste time, and it feels like I'm wasting my life away
Wasting seems all I can do
No matter what I try, I can't seem to break out of this cycle of wasting time
Come on inside, step into my world
Let me share my thoughts and feelings with you, let me take you on a journey into my mind
A wasteland of thoughts about you
My mind is consumed by thoughts of you, and it feels like a barren wasteland
Life is so strange and uncertain
Life is unpredictable and doesn't always make sense
Quite devoid of common sense
It often seems like things happen for no reason, and there's no logical explanation for them
Always ready to challenge me
Life constantly tests me and throws obstacles in my way
If I could stop the rain from falling down
I wish I could control the uncontrollable, and prevent bad things from happening
Keep the clocks from turning round, my Aphrodite
I wish I could freeze time, and keep everything perfect forever
I'd dive into your precious heart
I would give anything to be close to you, to feel your love and warmth
Push it for a brand new start
I would do whatever it takes to start fresh, and make things right between us
I'd be the almighty
I wish I had the power to control everything, and make everything perfect
I swear on my name that she once was mine
I am certain that I once had her love and affection
The strength upon which I'm building
My hope and confidence are based on the memory of our relationship
A mythical place to fill the dream
I have an idealized image of our relationship, and it seems like a fairy tale in my mind
My whole life's contigent on hunting
My happiness and fulfillment hinge on the pursuit of her love and affection
The impossible scenery
My dreams and desires often seem impossible to achieve
We can live and breathe as one
I believe that we are meant to be together, and that we would be perfect for each other
Regardless of Nemesis
Despite any obstacles or challenges that come our way
But in the dead of night
When it's quiet and dark, and I'm alone with my thoughts
She comes like a wind
I'm overwhelmed by thoughts and memories of her
And her wrath might just burn my skin
I fear that she may be angry or resentful towards me
As I recall her name:
As I think about her and remember our past together
The daughter of Oceanus
She is a powerful force, and her emotions can be as strong and unpredictable as the ocean
Her retribution begins
I'm afraid that she may seek revenge or punishment for past mistakes and wrongs
But I'm still longing
Despite my fears and doubts, I still yearn for her love and affection
Writer(s): Jacob Hansen, Henrik Fevre N?rgaard, Morten Gade S?rensen, Terje Har?y, Jonah Weingarten, Toke Skj?nnemand
Contributed by Wyatt V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.