Self-Released
Release Date: March 28th, 2025
Genre: Progressive Power Metal
Links: https://www.facebook.com/panthalassan
Line Up:
Jake Wright – Vocals, Guitars, Bass
Dave Crnkovic – Drums
Daniel Carpenter – Orchestration, Piano
Tracklist:
1. Lowstand Leviathans
2. Coral Throne
3. Worth my Salt
4. Driftwood Reverie
5. Foundation to Firmament
6. Clandestine Traveller
7. By Shank’s Mire
8. Abalone
9. Embers on Our Shore
As a power metal fan from Canada, I’ve enjoyed quite a few great albums by bands from my native land over the past decade, but none of them have matched my personal favorite, Cynosure, the sophomore album by progressive power metal band Viathyn. It was a very complex, often dark and heavy album and also having some absolutely fantastic melodies and choruses. While I’ve heard plenty of great albums since its release in 2014, that album has stuck with me ever since and has remained one of my personal favorites. The band hasn’t been heard from since, though guitarist/songwriter Jake Wright did release a few albums with Ravenous, who played a more in your face brand of classic power metal, but while I enjoyed those albums, they couldn’t recapture the magic of either Cynosure or its predecessor, The Peregrine Way. Ravenous have since broken up, while Viathyn is on hiatus, with potential to one day return, but it doesn’t seem like it’ll happen in the near future. In the meantime, Wright has recruited some friends to help him launch a new solo venture under the name Panthalassan. He’s now set to release his debut, From the Shallows of the Mantle, and while I wouldn’t quite put it on the same level as Cynosure, it’s definitely another fantastic album!
It’s clear just from listening to From the Shallows of the Mantle that it retains many of the core elements of Viathyn, with a fluid mix of complex, progressive arrangements, orchestration and some lengthy solo sections with very technical musicianship, to go along with the expected speedy, melodic power metal. The album was originally intended to be a third Viathyn album, but things didn’t quite work out, and over time Wright decided to instead turn it into the beginning of a new solo project. Fans of Viathyn should have a good idea of what to expect, as while there aren’t as many folk elements here (there’s faint traces of it in the guitar work at points, but not much else), a lot of the melodies are similar, and the guitar work is every bit as impressive, while the songwriting is just as complex and at times unpredictable, with some of the best sections coming seemingly out of nowhere on first listen, though it does all come together in the end. As with Viathyn, almost every track has a lot going on, with the extended instrumental sections often providing some of the best moments, though there’s also some fantastic vocal melodies, and while some tracks don’t have choruses in the traditional sense, they all have some memorable vocal sections, while the tracks that do have choruses use them very effectively. While power metal is the core of the music, there’s a ton of prog here as well, with every track having at least a couple tempo changes, as well as some rather complex songwriting, and Wright also does a great job of mixing in some extended softer portions to give listeners a breather, following some of the more intense sections. Most tracks are fairly lengthy, with all but one clocking in at over 6 minutes, and obviously there’s one extra long track right at the end, going over 11 minutes, but the songwriting stays fresh enough the whole way through, so that no track comes close to overstaying its welcome. I will say, though: This is very much an album that requires several listens, as well as the full attention of the listener due to how much is going on, and how complex the songwriting can get.
As far as the overall sound goes, a lot of it is handled by Wright himself, as he’s also in charge of vocals and bass, to go along with his usual fantastic guitar work. Drums are performed by longtime partner Dave Crnkovic, who was with Wright in both previous bands and he does a fantastic job as always. He’s asked to do a lot, having to vary his tempo and intensity levels quite frequently, sometimes within a very short period, and he does so flawlessly. Obviously, he excels at the more intense, speedy sections, where he gets to go all out, but he also does a great job with more tricky rhythms, and even during softer sections, where he has to tone down his performance, while still being rather active and lively. Daniel Carpenter is on hand to provide orchestrations throughout the album (as well as piano on the opening and closing tracks), and he does a great job of adding some extra flavor, without overpowering the rest of the music, as he’s clearly here to serve more of a supporting role, while Wright and Crnkovic carry the load of the music. Production is a bit raw, but everything sounds great, and of course the mixing and mastering is excellent, as that was handled by industry veteran Damien Rainaud, who’s worked with the likes of Dragonforce and Fear Factory.
The biggest question mark for me going into this album was how Wright’s vocals would hold up, as this was his first time performing lead vocals on an album. Overall, I’d say he does a pretty solid job. He lacks the power or intensity provided by Tomislav Crnkovic on the two Viathyn albums, but his deep, soft voice isn’t too big a departure for fans of that band, and he does a nice job of blending in with the music. He does sound like he’s straining his voice a bit when he has to go for higher notes, but the majority of the time he sings more softly, and those are the parts where he sounds most comfortable. All things considered, while the vocals are the weakest link of the album, they’re still enjoyable, and I’d say he fared pretty well, especially considering how tricky some of the vocal melodies are, as a lot of them have rather complicated timing, with little to no breathing room in between lines.
Unsurprisingly, where the album really excels is its songwriting. There isn’t anything overly surprising here, and on my first listen nothing blew me away as much as “The Coachman” or “Three Sheets to the Wind,” but upon further review, I found a few tracks that stood out among the pack as personal favorites, while every track here has plenty of memorable moments, and they all fit together nicely. Kicking things off is “Lowstand Leviathans“, a very moody, complex track, which has a lot going on. It opens up with an explosive instrumental passage, and the opening verse move at a tense pace, with heavy guitars, orchestration and intense drumming, which only picks up further after a bit, before briefly slowing down, only to then speed up again. Indeed, there’s honestly a ton of tempo changes, as well as more subtle changes in the level of intensity, just within the first couple of minutes alone, and the track is certainly quite complex. There isn’t anything that would qualify as a chorus in the traditional sense, though there is one section that appears twice, once towards the beginning and once again right at the end, and there’s also one particular section that stands out around two minutes in, where the drums get extra frantic, and that’s my favorite vocal section on the track. The first softer section of the album comes around three minutes in, offering a bit of a break before the ensuing guitar solo, which gets quite intense and has some very technical playing, especially towards the end.
Next is “Coral Throne“, which is a bit more straight-forward, though it’s still a very eventful track. It has some nice orchestration and speedy drums at the beginning, before settling into more of a mid-tempo groove, which remains throughout most of the track’s duration. There’s some very technical guitar work, with a rather tricky rhythm, while the vocals are more relaxed and stay in a low key throughout the track, which serves Wright well. The pace picks up a bit, with more intense drumming leading into the chorus, which itself is fairly calm and laid back, starting off slow and soft, before picking up the pace very slightly, though it’s very much driven by orchestration and strong vocal melodies, along with an excellent sped-up section towards the end. There’s no full softer sections on this track, though there is a very nice acoustic part towards the end of the instrumental section, which leads in nicely to the final run through the chorus, as well as a nice final vocal section. The second of three singles is “Worth my Salt“, a very speedy track, with some very intense drumming, and excellent melodic guitar work. It explodes right out of the gate, and keeps its momentum going throughout an explosive, speedy and epic opening verse, before giving way to the chorus, which starts off soft and slow, with very nice vocal melodies, before speeding up and getting more intense as it goes on. Both Viathyn albums had some fantastic, super catchy and melodic choruses, and this track is certainly up there with some of Wright’s best work. The way it so fluidly alternates between slow and speedy passages is amazing, and the vocal melodies are also fantastic. There’s a very nice, sped up acoustic section partway through the instrumental section, which stands as another highlight. Overall, this track is one of my personal favorites on the album, and serves nicely as a single, due to the catchy chorus and more streamlined songwriting compared to most other tracks.
Lead single “Driftwood Reverie” is next, and it starts off on a rather upbeat note, with some slightly folk infused guitar work, which leads into more of a mid-paced opening verse, with some rather tricky rhythms, though it does speed up towards the end, leading in the chorus, which itself is quite speedy and epic. The track serves as a nice introduction to the band, as the first couple of minutes are fairly straight-forward, and showcase the power metal side of the band, and then in the middle there’s a soft acoustic section, which shows off the more progressive side. The track ends with an extensive solo section, which starts off frantic, and then gets more melodic in the middle, with one particular part reminding me a bit of Iron Maiden, with some very nice, melodic guitar work. It’s easily the highlight of an overall excellent track. Orchestration takes over for a bit, to open up “Foundation to Firmament“, another more complex track, alternating nicely between mid tempo sections and sped up sections. It’s another track which doesn’t have a real chorus, though there’s some nice vocal melodies throughout, as well as some rather tricky rhythms. It’s another track with a nice acoustic section around two minutes in, serving as a breather before a much more intense, sped-up passage, with easily the best instrumental work of the track.
Two of my favorites are next, starting with “Clandestine Traveller“. This track is largely mid-tempo, with some very tricky rhythms, and it has some great instrumental work, as always, but the vocal sections are actually the highlight. Just before the chorus, there’s a slow section, with a very nice rhythm, and it has a very moody feel, reminding me somewhat of Opeth. That’s followed by a more intense section, with some blast beats, and then the chorus itself is very melodic, and has some of Wright’s best vocals on the album. It starts off slow, then picks up speed and intensity as it goes on, and the overall rhythm reminds me a lot of “The Coachman“. The most upbeat sounding track on the album is “By Shank’s Mire“, where right from the beginning the lead guitar work has a very triumphant feel to it, which can also be heard from the orchestration. The track starts off fast, then settles into more of a mid-paced groove for the opening verse, while maintaining an optimistic sound throughout. While many tracks here are rather dark and deal with themes of self-doubt and mental illness, this track is about an old man fondly reflecting on his rather eventful life as he prepares for his death. The chorus is speedy and a ton of fun, with the final run through in particular increasing the key and sounding extra epic, and the track also has a fantastic instrumental section, as usual.
The third single, and lone ballad of the album, is “Abalone“, which is dominated by some very nice acoustic guitar work. Again, there’s no real chorus here, but there’s a ton of vocal passages, and the way Wright slowly builds up the intensity as the track goes on is quite impressive, and as the track moves on, there are some very tricky vocal melodies, as some of the rhythms are quite complicated, but it all sounds great. Towards the end, heavy guitars kick in, allowing the track to end on a more epic note. It’s a very atmospheric track overall, and I really like how it subtly builds up tension, before going all out at the end. Closing out the album is the 11 minute epic “Embers on Our Shore“, and as expected, it has plenty of tempo changes and memorable moments. It opens up with soft vocal passages, before quickly speeding up and going all out for a rather lengthy opening verse. There’s plenty of extensive instrumental sections throughout, as well as a nice atmospheric outro to close out the album, but my favorite part of the track is the chorus, which moves at a fast pace, while still being fairly laid back and melodic, and Wright sounds very good on it. He does struggle a bit on some of the higher notes during the verses, though, but the instrumental work and songwriting brilliance is more than enough to help make it an amazing track overall.
While I was initially disappointed when I heard Viathyn were on hiatus, I was interested to see what Jake Wright would cook up for his first solo project. After listening to From the Shallows of the Mantle for the past few weeks, I feel confident in saying it’s an album that should please fans of Wright’s previous work, with the instrumental work, vocal melodies and songwriting all being as strong as ever, and while the vocals aren’t perfect, they’re still fairly enjoyable, and a lot of the choruses are fantastic, as expected. Panthalassan is off to a great start, and with this now being Wright’s main focus, I’m certainly hoping to hear a second album within less than 11 years!
Ratings: 9/10
Written by: Travis Green
My Global Mind – Staff Writer
Travis Green is a Canadian based writer for My Global Mind, with a particular passion for power metal, as well as an interest metal in all its forms.
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