Skyliner

Jake Becker from Floridian power metal band Skyliner asked me a couple of days ago to review his band's three-track demo, and I was happy to oblige given my recently provoked interest in small-time local acts. The entirety of the work from this demo can be found on the band's Myspace page, and I encourage you to give them a visit.

Brief though Skyliner's demo may be, it is deep and detailed, giving the listener a very distinct impression what the band is capable of, and what kind of sound they are putting out. In the case of this Floridian power metal outfit, the trend is a fast, driving brand of power metal leaning heavily towards the US school, yet incorporating a very hefty dose of melody.

As always, vocals are one of the most important aspects for myself, and in this band there is no exception to that rule. Jake Becker's lead vocals are feeling, though I find they have a certain wavering quality about them from time to time when he is reaching a bit higher. His voice is very strong in the low register, hearkening to mind one of my favorite harder power metal acts, Dark at Dawn. In the chorus of "Symphony in Black", the addition of grouped voices sounds very good and suggests the potential for some incredible group vocal work to come. In fact, anywhere in these three songs where there are layered vocals, it's a good feature. While I find Becker's vocals a bit weaker on "Vendetta", I actually think that they're rather good on the final song, a softer (mostly) emotional piece entitled "Aria of the Waters". Perhaps this is just the production or when the songs were recorded.

Production-wise, this is a demo, so not a great deal is expected. While certain parts are muffled and not mixed the way you'd hear them on a polished album, the lack of a glossy feel helps you appreciate the heart that these guys put into their music, which leads me to the high point of this demo...

Sweet mercy can these guys riff! "Symphony in Black" is one catchy lick after another, laid out in a pattern that creates a complex, winding, and profoundly enjoyable listen. "Vendetta" is no letdown either, beginning with an anthemic and triumphant guitar lead that plunges into a machine gun riff-fest that doesn't let up. The tasteful use of keyboards only makes this song more interesting and unique, rather than interfere at all with the skilled axe work. "Aria of the Waters", while less remarkable instrumentally, has the rare ability to keep me interested in a ballad, so the band is sure doing something right.

If you're a fan of local metal in FL, do yourself a favor and look up Skyliner right now. If you're one of those far-flung metalheads that enjoys peeking in on demos all over the country, this one comes highly recommended. With a good production job and tightening up of a few details, Skyliner could be a force to be reckoned with. Even in their current gritty state, these are some catchy, memorable songs that should appeal to anyone remotely interested in the genre.

Originally written for www.blackwindmetal.blogspot.com

Skyliner is a Florida act which formed around the turn of the century, and have since produced a pair of demo recordings, this self-titled Skyliner being the more recent. The Sunshine State is probably best known for its death metal scene, lousy metalcore, and then what...Kamelot, Savatage, Iced Earth, Trans-Siberian Orchestra? So previously, if you had told me I'd be listening to the demo of a band from that region which reminds me of Germans Rage or the Italians Labyrinth I might not have believed you. Well, that band does exist, and the change of pace here is both welcome and refreshing, even if it needs a few more spins at the millstone to heighten the quality of its various grains.

There are three tracks here, in over 20 minutes, and of these, I feel the two metal ragers "Symphony in Black" and "Vendetta" were the strongest. The former is an honest, melodic speed metal piece which reminds me quite a lot of something that might appear amidst the late 90s Rage albums like Black in Mind or End of All Days. The riffs are solid here, and I enjoyed how the track took on a progressive spin deep in the bridge, with a simple and well laid, inspiring lead guitar (though I'd kill for a rhythm track to drive it harder). Jake Becker's vocals play it straight, but he often lapses into a Peavy Wagner edge that adds a stronger level of emotion. "Vendetta" benefits from an instantly memorable guitar melody not unlike Running Wild, and the vocals seem slightly angrier in general, with a strong line in the chorus. As for the keyboard...well, I'll come to that later.

The third piece is called "Aria of the Waters", and it's a lengthy, relaxing track of 8 minutes which summons forth a number of influences almost alien to the rest of the demo: soothing, progressive rock which recounted Queensrÿche, Marillion or deep 80s Rush (Hold Your Fire era, perhaps). Though I gradually fell beneath the lull of the shining guitars, samples of water and slowly rolling percussion, "Aria" suffers slightly from its predictable nature, and the vocals feel a sliver too overbearing, until the catchy rock chorus erupts. On the other hand, this is the one track on the demo where the keyboards actually shine, and the lead is once again pretty good.

Skyliner is a prime example of good intentions and a talented foundation being somewhat circumsized by the actual delivery of the music. Granted, this IS a demo, and few would expect a high level of professional embellishment, but with all the leaps in technology and the ease of recording in both the home and studio setting these years, one can't help but feel a few tweaks of a knob might have vastly improved the experience. For one, the synthesizers feel too jarring in places; in particular the charging melody of "Vendetta" (first example at about 20 seconds), where the keyboard line sticks out so sorely that it were as if one of the band members' little brothers strolled into the studio and tried to jam along on the old Korg in the backroom while they were laying out a track. I don't really feel as if most of the keyboard lines add much to "Symphony in Black" either, at least how they are presented. Another issue I took is with the lack of rhythm guitars below the leads in general. David Lee Redding's bass lines are thick and adequate, but I can't emphasize enough how much better the solos would be with a stream of chords (or single notes) flowing alongside them. I also felt as if Becker's vocals got progressively better with the more anger and passion he expressed through them.

These are all easily rectified stumbles, of course, and where it counts, Skyliner does possess potential in spades. They can write riffs and leads that you remember. They can lyrically balance a sense of spirituality, desperation, rebellion and hope without pissing anyone off. Becker and drummer Ben Brenner have a wealth of strong influences, which you rarely hear in US metal of this type. That alone is worth keeping our eyes open. This Skyliner demo may not be among the strongest I've heard, but it will serve as a positive control group and launch site. They've got their chromosomes in check, and if they can overcome a few technical faults to deliver material with the same ear catching flavor and a better production, we could bear witness to a strong new hybrid of speed, power and progressive metal.

-autothrall
http://www.fromthedustreturned.com

Skyliner are a new Power/Speed Metal band in the vein of Grave Digger and Running Wild who have a lot of promise for their young age. This demo, while unpolished and notably underproduced, is just full of galloping metallic glee and a healthy dose of the true metal spirit that I never get tired of.

The playing here is confident, with some good riffs and vocals that are clean and powerful, if not quite developed yet. The production is sketchy, with the drums being too loud and the guitars not being loud enough, but it's a demo, so it's somewhat excusable. The songs themselves are actually pretty long and elaborate, with a good sensibility for melody and speed. They don't sound like they're about to trip over themselves or like they're not trying hard enough - it's just the perfect medium between the two. Very comfortable, knowledgeable playing. I'm impressed, if I must say!

And of course the riffs, how can I forget the riffs on a metal album? Classic metal riffs in the vein of the aforementioned Running Wild and Grave Digger fuel this demo with an energetic fire that makes songs like the hundred-mile-a-minute "Symphony in Black" and the rattling "Vendetta" absolutely first rate. The third song here is "Aria of the Waters," a soothing, mystical epic with soaring, longing vocals and a fitting motif for your travels at sea.

So this is really good for a young band. I look forward to seeing what they do in the future, and if they can do more like this in the future, then they have a very promising one ahead of them. Recommended.

Originally written for http://www.metalcrypt.com

Although not the most unlikely place to hear such things, Florida has had a somewhat uneven success rate at putting forth power metal with staying power, making this little demo quite a pleasant surprise. Instead of joining forces with a legion of metalcore neo-thrashers or cloning the plodding dogmatic Iron Maidenisms of Iced Earth, the independent heavy/power metal outfit Skyliner has taken a road less traveled in the USPM scene of late. Essentially you have most of the positive elements of Falconer, Running Wild, Queensryche, Fates Warning and Grave Digger all rolled into a nice little evenly mixed stew with a little bit of King Crimson and Pink Floyd topping to create a very unique taste that definitely deserves a closer look.

In many ways this music could be viewed as progressive, though not in the matter that you would hear from the bloated onslaught of Dream Theater and Opeth clones populating the scene of late. There is a strong sense of development and variation from idea to idea, disrupting the dogmatic continuity that you’d expect from a standard power metal sound, especially in terms of song structure. This is particularly noticeable on “Aria Of The Waters”, a brilliant epic ballad that draws heavily from the King Crimson end of the field, emphasizing atmosphere and melody rather than flash and speed. There’s this death growl section that basically comes out of nowhere and is very well accomplished, but the real intrigue is in how the beginning and closing quiet sections wax and wane into and out of the metal section in the center of it all.

The other 2 songs occupying this release play up metal side of the band’s sound very nicely. “Vendetta” sounds like a brilliant homage to a couple of songs heard on Running Wild’s “Port Royal”, with perhaps a slight bit of sound painting from the keyboards here and there and a vocal execution that sounds more like Hammerfall’s Joacim Cans than Rolf Kasparek. “Symphony In Black” also draws from similar territory, but with some Gamma Ray speed thrown in at times and a lot more lead guitar activity. In fact, one of the really charming and original aspects of this band is Jake Becker’s soloing style, which throws in some interesting jazz influences, melodic sensibilities and employs varying riff-like licks to give the solos structure rather than all out shredding up a storm and throwing in tons of technical gimmicks the way many in the progressive metal realm tend to.

Perhaps the only flaw you could really point out in this offering is the very barebones production it carries. There is very little doubling of guitar parts, no overdubbing of rhythm parts to fill in the arrangement during the lead sections, or any tweaking done with extra keyboard tracks to try and give the atmosphere greater depth. But to my ears, this gives the entire listen a very organic character, almost like a cleaner take on the older style of production common to the late 80s with a somewhat live tinge to it as well. If you like light keyboards and heavy progression with your power metal, check this out.