Watch the Playthrough Now via Guitar World
First Full-Length Album, “Chaos. Order. Renewal.,” Available Now
New Jersey-based progressive metal quartet ETHERIUS has revealed a new playthrough video for “Pyramid of Mirrors” from the band’s first full-length album, Chaos. Order. Renewal., released last week.
Watch the playthrough today via Guitar World at https://www.guitarworld.com/n
“For ‘Pyramid of Mirrors,’ we were going for a melody with an epic accompaniment behind it, which is exactly what we were able to accomplish with the main hook of the song,” says guitarist Jay Tarantino. “The guitars chug away while the synth and piano provide a nice texture in the background. We wanted to contrast that with the fast, thrash-y style of the verses, which has a bit more ‘shred’ guitar, but still has tons of melody. The heavy breakdown in the bridge actually came from the bass riff that occurs at the end of the song and brings it to a nice conclusion.”
As with many artists caught in the unfortunate timing of releasing new music amidst a global pandemic and near shutdowns of all businesses, ETHERIUS had to get creative with producing video content to support their release. To that end, the band members filmed their parts individually and assembled a unique playthrough video that shows each musician in action.
Known for their prowess and chops, ETHERIUS never ventures so far into over-the-top technicality that the melody or power of the music is lost. Rather than trying to cram as many riffs and musical ideas into a song as they can, ETHERIUS composes music with definitive sections – intros, verses, choruses – and always a catchy hook. This is technical music made for music fans, not to impress fellow musicians.
During the writing of Chaos. Order. Renewal., the members of ETHERIUS found the music was taking on a heavier, darker, Middle Eastern vibe, as evidenced on the album’s first single, “The Rivers of Sand and Blood.” While the band’s first album, Thread of Life, musically told a story of the “three sisters of fate” in ancient Greece, Chaos. Order. Renewal. simply borrows from the imagery of that time period, such as ancient Egyptian gods.
Chaos. Order. Renewal. was produced and engineered by Jay Tarantino and Zaki Ali with Angel Vivaldi acting as co-producer at Redshift Recording in Closter, NJ, with additional tracking done at Vivaldi’s home studio. The album was mixed and mastered by Chris Clancy of Mutiny Within at Audioworks Productions. Vivaldi also supplies a guest solo on the track “Unity in Darkness.”
The formation of ETHERIUS by guitarist Jay Tarantino, a veteran of the New Jersey metal scene, in 2017 was inspired by the extensive recording and touring experience he gained from his work with instrumental virtuoso Angel Vivaldi, with whom he has played rhythm guitar since 2009. Looking to step out from the “sideman” role and lead his own project, Tarantino sought to create a band that combined his love of old school metal bands such as Megadeth, Testament, and Iced Earth with neoclassical shred and progressive metal. After enlisting the services of his old friend and drummer/producer Zaki Ali, Tarantino finalized ETHERIUS’ lineup a few months later with the addition of bassist Chris Targia and second guitarist Jon Perkins. Their debut EP, Thread of Life was released in August of 2018, and ETHERIUS quickly gained recognition as a force in the instrumental guitar genre.
Members of ETHERIUS are currently endorsed by Kiesel Guitars and Guitarmory Pickups.
ETHERIUS is:
Jay Tarantino – Guitars
Jon Perkins – Guitars / Keyboards
Zaki Ali – Drums / Keyboards
Chris Targia – Bass
ETHERIUS online:
