[Front cover artwork by Nightjar Illustration / Adam Burke]
Confession right from the jump: I am hypercritical about one-person metal acts. I do not, however, consider myself a complete ramrod about the designation as a whole. A route such as this is often preferred in electronic / ambient realms, and even inside of heavy metal there are always exceptions to the rule: The first Necrophagist record, Catacombs, KROHM and Ruins of Beverast, just to name a few. More often than not, though, when it comes to music that involves a number of moving parts, and with so much potential for flair and distinctive personalities to come across via those moving parts, the benefits of having input from multiple individuals tends to outweigh the alternative. Moreover, being able to bounce around ideas person-to-person amidst the creative process does tend to favor revisions / streamlining—something that’s desperately underrated inside a genre where 2xLPs and albums stretching well over the hour mark have become a fairly maddening norm.
That being said, the idea of someone already part of an established band deciding to branch out for a solo endeavor for any number of reasons—mainstay inactivity, new ideas not consistent with said mainstay, etc.—somehow holds more appeal to me. Why is that?… Because I’m a bit of a bastard? Because that sort of solo pursuit often leads to a stronger emphasis on experimentation? Might just be an inexplicable brain tick, because the same pitfalls described in the opening paragraph still loom in these sorts of solo situations.
Hey, hell of a way to introduce a new one-person metal project whose debut stretches across an imposing one hour and five minutes, right? WHAT A GUY.
Universe: [Here, try this new metallic creation being put into the world]
Me: “No offense, but most one-person metal albums come across like narcissistic grandstanding in desperate need of editing. What, I said ‘no offense’.”
Now, having said all of that, while certainly qualifying as a one-person metal project, we are about to dip into something that falls into the second camp pointed out above. Panthalassan is an off-shoot of Viathyn guitarist / songwriter Jake Wright, who finally jumped on a chance to explore a solo venture whilst his other band, Viathyn, continues to idle in ‘on-hold’ status. And just who is Viathyn, you might ask? BY GOD, ARE YOU STILL ASKING THAT QUESTION? Fact: Viathyn isn’t exactly the most prolific band on the block, but I remain perplexed as to why they haven’t garnered the sort of attention befitting the quality of their admittedly sparse output. Their last release, for example—2014’s Cynosure—is a bonafide classic in the prog / power realm. So much so that it landed in my Top 100 Power Metal Albums of All Time list with the following attached blurb:
Hey, cheers to a halt in idleness in a rather creative way, Mr. Wright! World, meet Panthalassan.
Right off the bat, I will confirm that if you’re already aware of Viathyn and find yourself missing the band they way I miss them, you will find plenty to sink your teeth into with this new project. Hell, Wright himself announced the Panthalassan launch with the following admission: “Originally written with the intent to make it an album for Viathyn, [From the Shallows of the Mantle] developed into something more personal and I decided to tackle it mostly on my own.”
Furthermore, I’m pleased to report that Wuthering Heights remains one of the principal connection points here. Wuthering Heights the band, not the Brontë novel—sorry, book-bangers. (Though I would certainly confirm that From the Shallows is absolutely NOT lacking in Romanticism.) If comparisons to Wuthering Heights is something that continues to be draped in mystery, please be sure to find your way to albums such as Far from the Maddening Crowd and especially The Shadow Cabinet following your research of Jake Wright projects, and understand that the bottom line essentially boils down to the following: This is a guitar player’s dream (or nightmare, if you happen to be a thin-skinned six-stringer and fancy attempting much of these insanely intricate runs), and it is a recording that’s completely unafraid to blender myriad tempos, temperaments and varieties across the whole of the album, and often within each song. The progressive face of the band, basically, but steeped in an extra dose of VIGOROUS melody.
The lead guitar work here… Holy Lord, there are a near endless supply of notably inspiring leads up and down these 60-plus minutes, and even when Wright isn’t soloing, his riffing and propensity for melodic embellishments are steeped in enough golden melody to cause your speakers to glow for hours after spinning the record. Opener “Lowstand Leviathans,” for example, jumps from the gate rather aggressively, but right around the midpoint (~4:11) it shifts into an epic measure that recalls While Heaven Wept’s absurdly majestic Vast Oceans Lachrymose.
There are, in fact, multiple points throughout From the Shallows where the biggest thing separating it from WHW’s near unattainable level of sheer bombasticity (it’s a word if we decide it’s a word) is not having a guy like Rain Irving behind the mic. In truth, I’ve struggled when trying to figure out an apt comparison point for Wright’s vocals here; there’s a sense of theatricalness not unlike Mathias Blad of Falconer, but maybe with a little less… ascot neckwear? Is that fair? Now, would it be cool to have a guy like Irving or maybe even Britney Slays guesting behind the mic to give the record an even higher advantage? Eh, for some, perhaps. But From the Shallows of the Mantle is an intentionally intense personal journey for Wright, with lyrics exploring difficulties that span social anxiety, vices, self-development, et al., and hearing it in Wright’s voice is pretty key for hammering that element home. Power metal is, after all, our most openly vulnerable off-shoot, and this record throws down very honest expressions of a full spectrum of emotions, lyrically and musically.
Blimey, where the hell are my manners. We’re this deep into the drink and not a single sample song has been dropped yet. There are three cuts already available leading up to the release of From the Shallows of the Mantle this Friday (3/27): “Worth My Salt,” “Driftwood Reverie” and “Abalone.” Each of these songs flex the full range of Wright’s talents hinted at above, but “Driftwood Reverie” finds an extra gear in terms of SPEED RUNNING, especially just after that 4-minute mark (holy shit, that ending), and “Abalone” delivers a darker, slightly mellower sense that conjures parallels to Steve Harris’ brand of modern Maiden adventuring.
Ultimately, a record as gratifying as From the Shallows of the Mantle makes it clear that any misgivings I have concerning one-person metal acts is mostly rooted in the fact that it’s a numbers game. Thanks to more sophisticated technology and the endless depths of social media in the modern age, It’s far easier for someone to produce such a thing today and have it reach the public’s ears as opposed to, say, 25+ years ago. Consequently, there’s just more mediocrity to sift through in 2025, which can be frustrating. If there’s already a proven track record, though—as is the case here—that risk all but disappears.
Would I be bummed if Viathyn never manages to release another album? Absolutely. But it’s quite apparent that Jake Wright hasn’t exactly spent the decade separating Cynosure and From the Shallows of the Mantle using his guitars as kayak paddles, and that truth roars through this album from start to finish. And yeah, how about that Adam Burke cover artwork putting the ideal wrapping paper on this already lucrative adventure? Get it on a proper label, and get the physical product in people’s hands, please.
