Outsiders

Progression is a relative term, particularly insofar as its metal sub-genre namesake is concerned. It offers a number of very different possibilities, and more often than not, the true surprises come from a band that largely tends to do what is expected of them. With a long period of toiling in the Florida underground behind them, power progressive purveyors Skyliner have found their very American approach to the style at home with the German euro-power dominated label Limb Music, and have put forth a rather deep and impressive monster of an album in Outsiders that bucks the trend by, ironically enough, building off of it.

When taken piecemeal, the contents of this album fall pretty comfortably within the expected practices of a number of well-known and orthodox heavy/power metal bands, while the ever-present specter of progressive rock and metal influences tend to find an even more commonplace list of influences. The rocking, Running Wild character of the guitar work and the driving, speed metal tendencies of the drumming definitely hints at a strong 80s power metal influence, whereas the bass work pivots between standard Steve Harris-like frolicking to the occasional jazzy fit of technical noodling. Topping it all off is an atmosphere that is markedly dense, lined with tasteful keyboard usage and a production job that sounds organic enough to have been taken from a live performance.

The real area where this album breaks with tradition is how all of these different moving parts fit together, and the picture is very different from either a full out Dream Theater emulation with a heavier sound or any of the numerous softer-edged power progressive acts coming out of Italy or Scandinavia. This is an album that knows when to be gritty and when to be triumphant, as well as when to cut loose and when to keep it straightforward. Arguably the 2 best examples of how this prudent dichotomy of organized chaos manifests is in the speeding epic with a barrage of fancy bass detailing “The Alchemist” and the occasionally thrashing bruiser “Dawn Of The Dead”. Both of these songs feature a rough and rugged vocal performance out of front man and guitarist Jake Becker, and are underscored by a near perfect balance of hooks and virtuosity.

Naturally, any band that dabbles in progressive music will cross into more subdued territory, but Skyliner elevates the concept to an art form when it occurs here. The crooning, almost lullaby-like ballad “Aria Of The Waters” finds Becker trading in his gruff yells and occasional banshee wails for a gliding high baritone that melds perfectly with the squeaky clean guitar progressions and traveling rhythm section. Similarly, no grand-scaled album of this sort would be complete without a massive, 20 minutes plus nod to Fates Warning during their peak in the mid to late 80s, and “Worlds Of Conflict” delivers in a manner that's almost ambitious enough to rival “The Ivory Gate Of Dreams”. It sequences through 5 different chapters, within each a cacophony of differing ideas converge, some resembling the mixed meter work of Dream Theater, others the high octane speed and occasionally blasting character of a band that's flirting with death metal, to the point of incorporating it vocally at a few points.

On it's face, this album almost seems too good to be true because of the sheer amount of content it contains, but it actually stands as the culmination of more than 5 years of work, as many of these songs appeared on previous releases during said period. It's definitely an outlier and a standout amid the company it keeps on Limb Music, and something that will continue challenge a listener even after several careful listens. It definitely comes highly recommended to fans of impact based progressive outfits like Ethereal Architect, as well as fans of earlier Fates Warning. One might go so far as to accuse this bunch of being over-ambitious, but with a name like Skyliner, where else would they reach if not for the sky?

Originally submitted to (The Metal Observer) on April 24, 2014.