Esqarial started out as a fairly progressive death metal band and like most of those bands do, they gradually evolved into something more complex. Contrary to many bands of the same ilk, however, Esqarial also gradually became more melodic. Apparently to the point where frontman and current Vader guitarist Marek ‘Spider’ Pająk could not handle the vocals anymore, as ‘Klassika’ finds them working with Grzegorz Kupczyk of Turbo fame. The combination works wonders, as Kupczyk’s raw-edged clean vocals are exactly what the almost progressive power metal approach of the album needed to be lifted to a higher level.

Whether or not you will like this album depends greatly on expectations. Those expecting more death metal are likely to be disappointed, but the truth is that ‘Klassika’ is not really that much of a departure from ‘Inheritance’ or ‘Discoveries’. There are just two small, but significant changes. Firstly, there’s Kupczyk’s vocals. While he tends to sound slihgtly more convincing in Polish, this is easily his best English-language performance to date. In addition, there is the fact that ‘Klassika’ consists of songs that have been partly or completely inspired by pieces of classical music, Beethoven’s and Bach’s most prominently. The results sound somewhere between a less complex Symphony X or a more neoclassical Dio.

The idea of ‘Klassika’ seems worse than its execution. I like both metal and classical music and you could certainly find worse composers to emulate than Beethoven, but reinterpreting classical pieces for a metal band rarely transcends curiosity status. Fortunately, Esqarial does something relatively creative here by building complete original songs around these brief classical cameos. Take ‘Requiem’: the fragments of Beethoven’s fifth symphony and Mozart’s requiem will be clear to anyone with a passing knowledge of classical music, but it’s more than just a mere cover of a classical track. Pająk and fellow guitarist Bartosz Nowak simply added their own parts to create a fantastically dramatic heavy metal track.

Most of the tracks on here are highly enjoyable, mildly complex heavy metal that still remains suprising even after repeated listens. ‘Eye Of The Cyclone’, for instance, keeps surprising me with its excellent structure, rhythmical shifts and Kupczyk’s passionate vocal performance. ‘Timequake’ is another work of art that builds from its brilliantly layered intro to a dramatic heavy metal song with engaging time feel changes. ‘Toy Soldier’ is an exceptional opener, as it wears Bach’s ‘Prelude In D Minor’ on its sleeve, but also simply is a powerful headbanger. The album closes with a strong version of Esqarial’s own ‘A Pure Formality’ (from ‘Inheritance’) with new lyrics.

After repeated listens, the only track that does not really grab me yet is ‘Moonlight Sonata’, notably the track that sticks most closely to a classical piece, namely the eponymous Beethoven piece. It is turned into an odd doomy ballad of which I’m not sure if it works yet. Everything else on here is really solid, often exceptional metal. Only the most ardent defenders of death metal vocals might be put off by Kupczyk’s great performance, but if you approach this at its own merits, ‘Klassika’ is one of the better European metal albums of the first decade of this century.

Recommended tracks: ‘Timequake’, ‘Eye Of The Cyclone’, ‘Sleeping In The Flame’