Review by Chris Martin

CAPRYCON are a fairly new band to the metal scene. The band strikes a delicate balance between the gothic metal of, Nightwish and the progressive tendencies of Rush. The latter tendencies are not surprising as Caprycon features three former members of Enkounter, vocalist Gina Bafile, bassist George Garafallou and drummer Kristjan Kristjansson. The new faces here are guitarist, Martin Blackman and keyboardist Sean Bernard. ‘Dark Earth’ represents a culmination of all the bands hard work to date.

Bafile is the primary songwriter of the band and she’s enlisted a very good supporting cast of musicians. Of particular note is Garafallou’s bass playing. Bernard’s keyboards are also noteworthy. He can produce orchestral arrangements, but can also produce solos reminiscent of Keith Emerson and Rick Wakeman. Bernard has an appreciation for Seventies keyboard heroes that is not commonly heard today among the new breed of keyboard heroes.

This EP really wants to be liked. So what’s wrong here? The problem is only slight, but it’s there. With progressive bands there can be a tendency to overload on musical ideas in songs, and this problem crops up on the title track to ‘Dark Earth.’ It just takes a bit too long to get started. ‘Empty’ is an example of how good Caprycon can be when they get it right. ‘Symphony of Hope’ also gets it right, it’s not musically over-indulgent and it has an intro riff to die for.

It’s a promising start for a new band, but one that is highly skilled. If they can be a bit more disciplined with their song-writing and come up with some stronger vocal melodies, Caprycon will be able to make their mark internationally.