Proyecto Grial - EP | Back to the Middle Ages
(Independent – 2018)
The stories and context of the medieval era have been used and abused in metal for years, so the mere idea of listening to yet another album with that conceptual idea may sound like a bit of a tedious task, but when the result has originality and personality of its own, listening to it takes on a whole new meaning.
I confess that I stumbled upon this EP by the band Proyecto Grial by chance, and despite it having been originally released in 2018, I figured this work deserved a review. And I was not mistaken.
Proyecto Grial is a band led by Pablo Lopez, lead singer and main ideologist. Hailing from the province of Córdoba, Argentina, PG (a kind of play on words between the band’s initials and the name of its leader) is involved in a kind of power/heavy metal that clearly has its influences, in a kind of cross between the early days of Mago de Oz, Rhapsody/Helloween, and some Dio stuff here and there, framed by very heavy bases. That’s where I think the key lies, as they don’t remain a clone of the well-known European Power Metal sound, but rather the roots of their sound are more classic Heavy Metal, proving that “epic” does not necessarily have to be conducive to the use and abuse of Rhapsody-style sound effects.
This work is an EP, which contains four tracks plus “El Relato Del Rey,” which is effectively an intro that serves as an introduction to “Grial,” a track that falls within the realm of mid-tempo Power Metal. Next up is “Puedes Creer,” with a foundation much more rooted in Classic Metal.
“Cicatrices” is a classic ballad, but a very interesting one, and as a corollary to this short work (of course, it’s only an EP), we have the magnificent “Héroes De Metal,” with which many of us will identify. It’s a great song and perhaps the best on this album, which serves as a letter of introduction to Proyecto Grial’s proposal.
The EP has a logic of its own, and it is, as we said, rooted in classic metal and power metal, with epic touches but without overdoing it or pretending to be musically grandiloquent, which might end up being excessive. The band sounds natural, and that’s what matters after all.
The band’s instrumental base has a classic lineup with guitars, bass, drums, and keyboard. Everything is harmonized in a good job of recording, mixing, and mastering. The result is really very good, especially considering that this is the fruit of a totally independent effort without record label support. In that regard, it deserves applause.
The physical edition also has its merits, in a digipack design, with an inner sleeve containing the lyrics and a photo of the band.
In short, Proyecto Grial is, forgive the redundancy, a very interesting project, and this first work, with just a handful of songs, serves to demonstrate where they are headed and that they are on the right track.
To give you an idea of what Proyecto Grial is all about, here is the official video clip for the song “Grial.”
To contact the band and follow their news, you can do so at https://www.facebook.com/proyectogrial
