Many prolific acts echo in Existentia. There are elements of Fairyland in both the pacing and liberal application of synth. Hints of Myrath lurk in several intros with hard and heavy approaches accented by Eastern touches. As well, flavours of Gloryhammer reside in various keyboard and percussion sections. Hypersonic take this handful of strong influences and wrap it in high production values and theatrical twists. While the keys are too in your face, every other element of the music still manages to come through loud and clear; this is especially evident in the vocals, which consist of both male and female parts that provide contrast for one another as one takes on soaring highs while the other digs into the lower end, occasionally dipping into growls.

Of course, while filled with delights, Existentia is not without its flaws. Hypersonic have a bad tendency to let their energy and excitement drop off in the album. Often they will build up the action, get the blood pumping, get the heads banging, but then morph into a soft piano piece that kills the mood. It feels like they add in the switch up simply for the sake of variety, but the change only takes away from the experience rather than adding to it. This problem is mostly present in the first half of the album, as the second half tends to stick to its guns. Still, the slow start does raise impatience and could result in the record being ejected prematurely.

Existentia has strength in its production and varied performance that draws from a number of sources. The album drags in parts, but eventually picks up and launches into the stratosphere. If you’re willing to invest a little time and patience, Existentia is worth a listen.