A Consequence of Design

Look up the phrase "bombastic metal," and there may well be a picture of the gentlemen who go by the name of Epicurean. And while the group may possess a sound that is more akin to what is coming out of Europe circa the early 21st century, it turns out that this suddenly popular part-prog/part-extreme metal style has made its way to U.S. shores, as Epicurean hail from Minneapolis, MN. And you can even pinpoint a few of the group's influences on its 2008 release, Consequence of Design, including Dream Theater-esque keyboards, Iron Maiden-esque guitar solos, thrash metal guitar rhythms, and a vocalist who alternates between death metal screams and more traditional metallic wailing. Just take a gander at such song titles as "The Author and the Architect" and "Lithograph," and it becomes quickly apparent that Epicurean have studied their prog metal forefathers — and rather expectedly, the music follows suit. Epicurean's Consequence of Design manages to straddle the line between technically demanding and headbanging.