Pantheon - EP

Pantheon

EP
self-released; 2015

3.4 out of 5

By Jamie Funk

Michael Srouji’s project Pantheon makes instrumental music that feels like it needs to be in the montage scene of a movie. In particular I kept on thinking of movies from the ‘80s. I say this as a compliment because not much music tends to do that. It’s hard to pinpoint but between the guitar solos, sax, sense of nostalgia and production I felt that but maybe that's just me.

For this four-song EP Srouji worked with Tom Weeks (alto sax), Austin Gibbons (bass) and Robert Pruett (drums). It won’t take you long to figure out that every member of this ensemble has some technical talent. The band is a tight unit that supports Srouji’s guitar playing. 

EP opens with “Glory Days” which takes advantage of the underutilized "fade in" production technique. You can probably guess why this song is called “Glory Days” within the first minute because of the triumphant sounding nostalgia. This song is really all about the lead guitar. I thought unlike other virtuosos Srouji had an ear for aesthetics something that technical types tend to forget about. The lead guitar hook is a memorable melody that won’t be forgot the moments it's over. 

“Outer Heaven” has a forward moving kinetic energy but definitely has a bit of the ‘80s vibe I was talking about earlier. As the song progresses it gets more intense around the four-minute mark when the lead guitar’s maybe synth sounds as if it's being ripped apart. The next song “Manifest Destiny” comes rocking right out of the gate. The sax sounds great and the music has a progressive feel to it at points. 

On their Bandcamp page it describes their style as spaghetti western and I didn’t hear much of that until the last song “Andrew Jackson.”  “Andrew Jackson” is arguably the highlight on the EP. I certainly enjoyed the way this song unraveled. There are plenty of solos that dance back and forth with each other feeding the energy. 

If you are looking for pop songs you won't find it on EP. This music is for people who can appreciate a well-put together instrumental song that builds off technical and creative talent.

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