Every album has a backstory—and the debut release of Harpazo has an unusual one. It began about 15 years ago when Shadow Gallery vet Gary Wehrkamp was giving guitar lessons to Marc Centanni. At some point, Centanni mentioned some ideas he had for a concept album — one with apocalyptic visions of a dystopian future. Wehrkamp was intrigued. The duo decided to pool their resources and see what happened.
What happened? “The Crucible”, a Christian Metal/Rock Opera with a big punch — both lyrically and musically.
Yeah, it took them 15 years to get it finished. Both Wehrkamp and Centanni have real-world jobs, so maybe it’s not surprising it took so long. That, and it’s a complicated process, putting together such an album that features so many guest artists. But the result is worth the work and wait.
First off, the storyline. As Centanni puts it, “In a post-apocalyptic world, catastrophic events prompt people to turn to charismatic CEO Jude Solomon for salvation. He deploys robotic technology to stop the destruction and manufactures a revolution to become the president of the newly formed United Federation of Nations. Jude’s government mandates Ichor‘s nanoid serum, merging humans with machines and giving humankind a powerful artificial intelligence program. A resistance in America discovers Ichor’s true motives – replacing people’s faith with devotion to Jude. Jude unleashes his army, leading to war with the resistance. Jude‘s team activates Michael, a cybernetically augmented assassin, to eliminate top resistance leaders. What Michael witnesses on this mission will transform him and lead him to ancient truths that will turn him into an unlikely hero of the resistance.”
Now all of this happens in the year 2142, so don’t go running for your bomb shelters quite yet…
The proceedings get started with “Ichor.” In Greek mythology, that was the fluid that flowed through the veins of the gods. In this setting, it is a serum that includes cybernetics. It can bring eternal life to the recipient—but it also allows the anti-Christ figure/pharmaceutical czar Jude Solomon to control everyone. This is a wonderful rocker, featuring dueling vocals between Gary Wehrkamp (Jude) and D.C. Cooper (Michael, the archangel/enforcer for Jude). This portends well for the rest of the album.
“Legion Program”, a brief instrumental in a Floydian vein, carries things forward before roaring into “I am God.” This leaves no room for confusion; Jude claims to be the Big Guy, all-powerful in every evil sense one can conceive of. Wehrkamp’s vocals are almost manic, showing a figure who is half nuts — but brilliant at the same time. It’s good to hear him taking a lead singer turn; Gary’s got a great voice, especially in a beast of a song like this one.
An acoustic guitar/orchestral flourish introduces “Golden Crown.” Here we’re introduced to Princess Relena Umberto (sung by Lee Lemperle), exiled heir to the Italian crown that was relinquished with WWII. Michael has come to seduce her — physically and emotionally, for himself, and spiritually and royally for Jude’s earthly kingdom. This is a power ballad, with acoustic guitars and keyboards supplemented by searing electric guitars. Cooper’s vocals portray a being who has an official mission — but is overcome by his own needs and longing. And in the end, Relena relents to both urges one for power, the other for love. This cut — one of four on the album — is powered by the drumming of Mark Zonder (Fates Warning and several other bands of note). His musicality and muscle are, as always, huge contributions.
The title cut is next. “The Crucible” takes off like a Shadow Gallery effort—but one driven by drummer Zonder. The earthly battle between the forces of Ichor and the Catholic Church rages. Wehrkamp and Cooper again star — the former with guitars, the latter with his singing. This is the centerpiece of the album, literally and figuratively, and it creates the environment for all that is to follow.
“Two Witnesses” is the longest track on the album, clocking in at just over 10 minutes. The title refers to the Jewish law that requires two witnesses in any judicial proceeding — and, in this case, they testify about the truth of Christ. It’s a wonderful Prog epic anthem that puts a premium on the Cooper vocals, as well as the singing of guests Jennifer Eckhart as Ellie and Rey Para as Moses.
After the testimony of the two, and the subsequent rise to heaven of the faithful, Michael has a “Change of Heart, P.1.” He sees the error of his ways, repents of all that he has done, and expresses his belief in Jesus. The song starts slow, and quiet, with musical, and lyrical introspection giving way to an explosion of guitars as Michael acknowledges his newfound faith. He tries to convince Relena that she should join him…but she’s not ready. The shifting currents of the music mirror those in the lyrics.
“Ultimatum” is what Jude throws at Michael — come back to following the faith of Ichor or face death. Michael stands strong in his newfound beliefs. This is a power ballad, with Wehrkamp and Cooper in top form (they should do more things together).
“We are Weak” starts off with the familiar children’s hymn “Jesus Loves Me” — recorded off a toy rabbit (who would think of doing that?). An orchestral section builds and then breaks into a rock anthem version of the song, as our hero Michael prepares to meet his Maker.
Michael’s crucifixion follows in “Small Price to Pay,” a brutal metal rocker driven home by Wehrkamp’s pounding guitar. There’s more than a bit of Gary’s former band, Shadow Gallery, in this one—and that’s a good thing.
That segues into “Change of Heart, Pt. 2” — which is what happens to Relena as she realizes that she and everybody have been led astray by the Antichrist. Starting as a gentle rocker, this one builds into a metal epic with soaring vocals, wailing guitar, and driving drums. About 2/3 of the way through, this melts into a quasi-chamber music approach — with a metal outcome. The variety in this song is a bit Prog (as is the 9+ minute length).
The story wraps up with “The Book of Life.” Relena joins 144-thousand others — representatives of the 12 Tribes of Israel according to the Book of Revelation — as ones who proclaim the coming of Christ and the final victory over evil. The acoustic guitar/keyboards/female vocal start bespeaks of Renaissance and Lemperle sounds more than a bit like Annie Haslam. Maestro Wehrkamp tosses in a soaring guitar solo before the song builds into a powerful coda (that also features some brief vocal gymnastics a la Spock’s Beard / Neal Morse).
At that point, one must assume, that the Kingdom of Heaven is present for all believers; others are vanquished and sent to their appropriate destinies.
The Crucible doesn’t exactly follow the Bible, but the Christian themes are present and out front. For some folks, that’s enough to avoid this one like the plague. For some others, the story will just add to the experience. Musically, Harpazo cuts across the secular-religious lines. The performances are strong and compelling. There are plenty of hooks if you’re into that sort of thing (as I am). And each song could stand alone, if need be. Overall, that makes for a strong album—especially a debut that involves a professional and a novice. There is rapture to be found in Harpazo; that’s what the word translates to, by the way (and I finally found a way to mention that). Even if, ironically, the story doesn’t include The Rapture.
This year is turning out to be stellar for new Prog groups. First came Emerald City Council, and soon to come is Echoverse. Harpazo is a worthy part of that trinity, providing an album that punches the mind spirit, and gut with full force. “The Crucible” has been forged in the fires of the creativity of Gary Wehrkamp and Marc Centanni, and the result is sharp and pointed. This one is a worthy addition to your library.
Released By: Rockshots Records
Release Date: June 28th, 2024
Genre: Christian / Progressive Metal / Rock Opera
Musicians:
- Gary Wehrkamp / Multi-instruments, vocals.
- Marc Centanni / Guitars, keyboards, vocals.
- DC Cooper / Vocals.
- Mark Zonder / Drums.
- Les Carlsen / Vocals.
- Rey Parra / Vocals
- Jennifer Eckhart / Vocals.
- Christian Liljegren / Vocals.
- Michael Drive / Vocals.
- Niklas Kahl / Drums.
- Lee Lemperle / Vocals.
- Bruce Sa / Keyboards.
- Enzo and the Glory Ensemble / Vocals.
“The Crucible” Track List:
- Ichor
- Legion Program
- I Am God
- Golden Crown
- The Crucible
- Two Witnesses
- Change of Heart P t.1
- Ultimatum
- We Are Weak
- Small Price to Pay
- Change of Heart Pt. 2
- The Book of Life
Order “The Crucible” from HERE (USA) or HERE (Rest Of The World).
The debut by Harpazo is a full-on rocker of a metal opera, with an intriguing story line and outstanding vocal contributions by a number of guest artists
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Songwriting
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Originality
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