Band:	Theocracy
Album:	Mosaic
Style:	Progressive power metal
Release date:	October 2023

01. Flicker
02. Anonymus
03. Mosaic
04. Sinsidious (The Dogs Of War)
05. Return To Dust
06. The Sixth Great Extinction
07. Deified
08. The Greatest Hope
09. Liar, Fool, Or Messiah
10. Red Sea

Theocracy’s Theocracy celebrates its 20th anniversary this year, and this significant occasion in the prog/power heavyweights’ history is commemorated with the band’s first album in seven years, Mosaic. Equally capable of earning backhanded compliments for being ‘good for a power metal band’ and ‘good for a Christian metal band’, Theocracy have built a reputation of quality over quantity, and Mosaic comfortably maintains that record.

Once a solo project of founder Matt Smith, Theocracy gradually began to flesh out a full line-up, with all instrumental duties transferring to members other than Smith after sophomore album Mirror Of Souls. The latest addition to the band’s roster is Taylor Washington of Paladin, who replaces long-term member Val Allen Wood as lead guitarist. Despite stability otherwise in the band’s membership, Theocracy fans have had to wait quite a while for a follow-up to Ghost Ship; however, as this is the third gap of 5 or more years between releases, they should be used to it by now. It probably helps the wait knowing that whatever comes is likely to be filled to the brim with quality content, and at 66 minutes, Mosaic certainly won’t leave listeners short-changed.

Back in the Theocracy days, Smith liked to scatter 10-minute epics across the album’s runtime, but Ghost Ship and now Mosaic instead confine the band’s proggiest tendencies to later on. The first half of this new release is packed with tight, direct songs that once again exhibit how, despite the soaring melodic Europower vocal style of Smith, Theocracy really bring the ‘power’ in their power metal. On this front, Washington is a logical addition; while Mosaic doesn’t feature the harsh vocals that appeared on Paladin’s Ascension, songs such as “Flicker” and “Anonymous” have a meaty thrashiness to the riffing that’s approaching the intensity of Paladin.

Still, on balance, Theocracy arguably have as much in common with European power metal as their native US scene; while one can find Iced Earth gallops in the title track, there is an ever-present focus on melody to the music here, which comes through strongly in instantly memorable choruses such as those found in “Anonymous” and the aforementioned “Mosaic”. In general, the writing is fast and energetic, but there are successful changes in gear, and most effectively so with “Return To Dust”, an mid-era Avantasia-style mid-tempo anthem with a bombastic chorus elevated by lush layered vocal harmonizing. The chorus of this song is so strong that Theocracy perhaps unintentially replicate aspects of the vocal melody on the immediately following “The Sixth Great Extinction”, with the similarity throwing me off a few times during album replays.

If you’re unfamiliar with the group and are looking for helpful reference points, I have found the likes of Edguy and Seventh Wonder to come to mind alongside Avantasia, and Seventh Wonder feel particularly relevant for the record’s dividing line, “The Greatest Hope”. This acoustic ballad is right in line with the cheese of some of Tommy Karevik’s ballads with Seventh Wonder, and it also separates the tight, to-the-point songs that come before from the double-header of long songs that follow. Of this final duo, “Liar, Fool, Or Messiah” is by far the shorter, and it feels very much in the vein of the preceding tracks, even with a similarly hooky chorus; it’s not entirely clear where exactly it stretches out in comparison to the likes of “Anonymous” and “Mosaic”, as it follows the same structure, but somehow manages to pad them out a bit more.

In contrast, “The Red Sea” is a completely different kettle of fish. At just under 20 minutes in length, it’s the band’s longest song since the title track of Mirror Of Souls, and it represents a major shift from the album’s other contents. Early stretches of the song opt for a mean mid-tempo sound infused with Middle Eastern-influenced melodies, before switching between galloping romps, contorted proggy passages, extended solos, and a brief mid-song acoustic detour around the 12-minute mark before a big dramatic sing-along climax. On the whole, it’s a solid song with some standout moments, although it also has a few of the least engaging moments on Mosaic outside of “The Greatest Hope”.

As an ending to Mosaic, “The Red Sea” perhaps slows some of the momentum generated across the preceding 40-odd minutes of power metal, but it’s not enough to affect the lasting impression that the album leaves. In general, I’ve found 2023 to be a bit of a lull year for power metal after several heavyweights brought out albums in 2022, but Mosaic definitely ranks towards the top of the power metal pile this year.