Danish progressive heavy metal band, Pyramaze, has taken on many shapes and forms in its 14-year career. On their fourth full-length album, Disciples Of The Sun, the band has completed a total transformation. Gone are the Iced Earth comparisons after Matt Barlow exited the band in 2008 after recording his only contribution, Immortal. Also gone is main songwriter/guitarist/bandleader Michael Kammeyer, who left in 2011. However, with new singer Terje Harøy (Teodor Tuff) in tow, Pyramaze has coagulated into a more polished, modern prog-metal band. 

There aren’t many instances where a band can completely change musical formulas as well as members and not disintegrate into a million pieces. But Prymaze has persevered despite these setbacks, and they’ve even managed to not damage its fan base. Disciples Of The Sun was produced, mixed, and mastered by current guitarist Jacob Hansen (ex-Anubis Gate), who in his own right, is a very accomplished producer. In fact, Hansen has produced all of Pyramaze’s previous albums as well. In the following interview, Hansen spoke to BraveWords writer Kelley Simms about the new album, the band’s transformation and other topics.

BraveWords: What were your expectations prior to officially joining Pyramaze in 2011?

Jacob Hansen: “I didn't really have many expectations. What was appealing to me, was that I could act as guitarist/songwriter/consultant. Especially after the band’s main songwriter and bandleader Michael Kammeyer left, there was a big gap to fill as he did everything, and that really appealed to me. I was not only to become "just" a guitarist, but I had an array of tasks, which all seemed like they could all add some excitement to my musical life. Knowing the guys since the very demo days, I also produced and mixed the first two albums and mixed the third, it felt like I was the missing piece of the puzzle that would take Pyramaze onto the next level. We had to work hard on this, but it was very rewarding and we enjoyed every hour of writing, recording and every other aspect of pushing ourselves into the scene again.”

BraveWords: The band’s third full-length album, Immortal, introduced a lot of metal fans to Pyramaze, and a lot of that interest was generated due to ex-Iced Earth vocalist Matt Barlow joining the band. What does new vocalist Terje Harøy bring to the table?

Jacob Hansen: “I think that Terje shows much more that we're not a project with famed singers. Terje was my first choice, and when I spoke to the guys about him, they all agreed that if he wanted to join us, it would be amazing. We were not looking to get someone already famous in the band. We went for a great chemistry within the band, and as I already met Terje when we worked on the mix for the Crossnail album (at that time called Teodor Tuff), and got to know him. I knew that if he said yes, we'd have the right guy on board. His range is fantastic, and his performance is spot on. He just brought the new songs to life.”

BraveWords: Naturally, with Barlow on vocals, Pyramaze sounded a bit like Iced Earth, only with keyboards. On Disciples Of The Sun, the band shows more of its own identity. Was this a conscious effort?

Jacob Hansen: “Well, yes and no. The funny thing is that we never sat down and talked about a direction or anything. We all knew it had to be in the Pyramaze ballpark, but we were not being very conscious about what we wrote. So we just started writing what we felt like, and it just grew and grew, and we realized that the three of us, Jonah (Weingarten, keyboards), Toke (Skjønnemand, guitars) and I were really great together as a writing team. Everything fell into place, and we could just hear the songs grow out of practically nothing from us jamming together. It was a fantastic sensation, really. And yes, I think the band now has more versatility to it than ever before, but it was never intended. That is just the way we write these days.”

BraveWords: The songwriting on Disciples Of The Sun was divided amongst yourself, Toke, and Jonah. Was this a new songwriting process for the band and do you think it contributed to the album’s musical diversity?

Jacob Hansen: “Yes, it was indeed a new process for the whole band. On the first three albums, all songs were written by Michael Kammeyer. When I came into the band, I just said to the guys, ‘Listen, this is how we're gonna do it!’ I must have seemed very bossy, but being a producer for more than 15 years, I've realized things to do and things not to do, and there was really no reason we should be going uphill. We just made a Dropbox where we all three could upload snippets and ideas, and when we went into the studio, I believe we had five more or less finished songs. The rest came as we went along. Toke, Morten (Gade Sørensen, drums) and I worked on the arrangements in the studio, and they were really afraid of this new way of working, but after a couple of days they started relaxing, as they realized this was going in the right direction.”

BraveWords: Besides producing, mixing and mastering Disciples Of The Sun, I believe you also played bass as well as guitars. Is Pyramaze looking for a permanent bassist?

Jacob Hansen: “Yes, I did. We didn't have any permanent bass player when we recorded the album, and we decided I might as well play on the album. I've done this a number of times before, i.e., on the The Hours That Remain album by Mercenary. But we are looking for a permanent bass player. We just haven't found the right guy yet. It's very important for us that he fits into the band chemistry, so we're being picky.”

BraveWords: Being a former member of Anibus Gate, it must have been pretty easy to convince Kim Olesen and Henrik Fevre to guest on Disciples Of The Sun. 

Jacob Hansen: “Yes, Henrik Fevre was a major part of this album. He wrote all the lyrics. When we had the basics of the songs ready, we all talked about lyrics, and we realized that none of us felt we had what it takes to write a good lyric for a song. Through my years together with Henrik in Anubis Gate, I knew he could do it, and I approached him and asked him to write all the lyrics within a week, and he was kinda shocked, but he really wanted to do this, and he became a very big part of working on the vocal structures and melodies as well. Henrik also played a keyboard part in the verse of "Genetic Process.” Kim played the verse keyboard in "Fearless.” 

BraveWords: The Danish metal scene seems to be like one big family. What’s the camaraderie like between Danish metal bands?

Jacob Hansen: “I think most are really good friends, but the funny thing is, that it doesn't seem like bands are helping each other out very much. I don't understand why some bands see it as a big competition, when we could all benefit in working together. For instance, it seems like people are really shocked that we had a guy from another band writing the lyrics (Henrik Fevre). Of course, it's not the most usual thing in metal, but it's not very unusual in rock or pop music, that you bring in arrangers, song writers and lyricists.”

BraveWords: What’s next, including touring plans and what do you hope to achieve or accomplish in the future?

Jacob Hansen: “We have a couple of shows lined up, but we hope to do a lot more. We're definitely ready to get out there and show the world that we're a band and we're capable of pulling off a great show. Let's see what the future will bring. We might be a little late for the festival season, but let's see if that'll change. Furthermore, we have slowly begun writing songs for the next album, which we hope to start recording early 2016. But for now, we just want people to enjoy Disciples Of The Sun as much as we do, and we hope that people will appreciate it, and tell us. Hope to see everyone out there soon!”