Timeless Departure

I still clearly remember when this album was first released in 2001. I had some doubts about its graphical presentation; for instance, the logo was a linear, anonymous writing in readable computer-font fashion, and the front cover image was, well, not so appealing to me. It was epic in its scope but too modern in its final rendering. But first of all, we are here to speak about music, and since the very first time I listened to this release, I felt in love with it. And it's a very strange kind of style, as there were both symphonic black metal elements along with a clarity and sensuality of melody very rooted in the melodic death metal genre. It's one of those successful experiments in merging different styles, not very far in the spectrum of extreme metal possibilities.

Keyboards and orchestral synths are almost everywhere in the arrangements, and they are scored in a very tasteful manner: melodic keyboard work is continuous and inventive, and it is integrated masterfully with rhythmic and lead guitar lines. It's not an easy task to describe the sound in this Skyfire's debut album: take the orchestrations of the more sophisticated and majestic symphonic black metal you can imagine, pick up the high-pitched screaming vocals, and then add a melodic sensibility inherited from Gothenburg's death metal, which is equal, in some extent, to a NWOBHM classic taste for melody and harmony. It might sound strange, but think for a moment about how these two genres are capable of overlapping: Melody is a common feature shared by both styles, so there's nothing really odd! All elements just fit together very well, and the result is majestic and even catchy, in the good sense of the term.

41 minutes for 8 full songs plus a symphonic intro, and everything is still enjoyable and memorable, even after 23 years. Is this a minor release in the Swedish scene at the time? Maybe it really is, but I can still recall all the songs and all the melodies here presented, and this is a testament to a well-written, brilliant, and considerable release. The test of time is largely passed, and the cult status is assured, at least in my personal tastes. And, having nothing against symphonic metal as a whole, I'm the kind of composer that never uses orchestration in his own music, for I prefer a more concise, old-school strings and percussion-based heavy metal; it doesn’t' matter when the use of keyboards is prominent, but as good as in this release, I see no problems at all!