It constantly amazes us how many talented bandsare turning out excellent metal in Europe (andelsewhere in the world, for that matter) but arevirtual unknowns in North America. Canopy is aperfect example.We hope that Menhir changes that picture, becauseit's packed with memorable music - a very strongfollow-up to Will and Perception, which is itselfan album worth tracking down.Canopy has a knack for creating melodic deathmetal with power grooves and prog-metalflourishes, without ever losing an ominously heavycutting edge.The title track on Menhir is a good example. Thesong starts with a slow, dreamlike keyboard melodyand a quiet guitar lead. Then the drums begin toclatter and the bass picks out a simple arpeggio.Almost two minutes into the song, the intensitybegins to build with a melodic, tremolo-pickedriff that shifts into a brute-force headbangerwhen the howling vocals kick in at about the 3:00mark.Behind the deep, harsh vocals, the lead guitarweaves a nimble melody, the second guitar injectsa stuttering, neck-snapping rhythm, and thedrummer adds some very cool progressions on thetoms, with judicious use of the double-kicks andblast-beats.The song is more than 8 minutes long, but it'scatchy as hell and instrumentally impressive - andit's only an example. All the songs featuresimilarly inventive combinations of rapid-fire,intricate riffing and technicallyattention-grabbing solos, dissonant hammeringrhythms and catchy melodies.But that's not to say they're clones of each othereither."Earth Splits Into Fire" interleavesacoustic picking with merciless hammering andeastern-sounding guitar melodies."The EntireCity" begins with a thrash attack and featuresdynamic full-forward bass sweeps, galloping guitarleads, and quiet tinkling keyboard sections."NewConstruct" is dark, dissonant, and at timesmournful. And again, those are only examples.All the song structures tie together, in ways thatmake sense, a blend of styles and tones, andcombinations of awesome riffs and divergenttempos. And, of course, what makes it all work sowell is the talent of the performers.Jonatan Hedlin and Erik Bjkman are super-sharpguitarists, capable of swirling leads, shredtasticsolos, anthemic take-offs, and shudderingly heavyriffs.The rhythm section is also unusually good. PeterLindqvist seems to have just the right drumstrokesat just the right moments, to drive the songsforward, to accent their power, to make them evenmore interesting, and Daniel Ahlm's bass-playingis creative and almost always noticeable in themix.Last, but by no means least, Fredrik Huldtgren'svocals are vital to the sound on Menhir. They'redeep, resonant, and gratifyingly harsh - down inthe timbre of Johan Hegg - and they give the musica dangerous edge even at its most melodic. Butthey never grow monotonous, in part becauseHuldtgren is equally adept at hittingblack-metal-style rasps higher in the range andeven passionate clean vocals on"Inward Burst".Bands that put out remarkable debut efforts likeWill and Perception more often than not fall preyto what we Americans call a"sophomore jinx" -where the second effort falls short of the first.But that's not true of Menhir. We're not surethere's anything on Menhir quite as inventive as"Decipher" or quite as magnetic as"For theSickened Voice to Hear" from Will, but Menhirreflects a growing maturity in the songwriting,and it loses nothing in its enveloping power orthe captivating nature of its rhythms andmelodies.Note: Digitally released in august 2010, but CDDAwas not released until 2011