Skyfire - Timeless Departure

Combine epic and orchestrated power metal with black metal vocals and you have created a cocophony of sound that usually causes my metal soul to recoil in horror. Gutteral cookie monster voices were not meant to spice something as gorgeous as a Rhapsody/Hammerfall-esque stew. But if you can drain out that horrendous ruining element, and focus only on the instrumental aspects of the album, you may just find a disc to warm the power hungry sections of your heart. Sizzling guitar riffs are served up in generous portions, the drums have a distinctively pounding yet meaty sound, while the keyboards are lush, plentiful and cascade with the consistancy of flowing liquid. All of these have been thrown into a great iron pot, stirred, thickened and cooked to a rare perfection. A delicacy for your listening pleasure. The death growly aggressive vocals do leave a rather unpleasant aftertaste and may ruin the overall enjoyment that can be had out of this disc. But still it must be heard, because these Swedish upstarts have simply managed to concoct a potion of some of the most potent, refreshing and memorable power type metal to come this way since... well.... Iron Fire's "On the Edge". However this hits much harder than the Running Wild lovin' Danes and they aim to smack it where it hurts.

Skyfire began their career in the biz back in 1995, but it has taken them all this time to manage to release an album, most likely due to a revolving door lineup and the band striving to find their own sound. Their closest relative would have to be the Kings of Polka Black Metal (as if there are any other polka black metal bands), Finntroll, who is another outfit that seeks their own identity by whipping out death-voiced metal with the music being inspired by various sources (Blind Guardian and uh...Finnish polka). If you like Finntroll though, then no worries, Skyfire will warm the stereo for quite awhile. For the rest of us though, its those abrasive vocals that make even me question my sanity when attempting to listen to "Timeless Departure", but its the instrumentation that keeps bringing me back for another helping. Lead singer, Henrik Wenngren has the raspy growl but does not quite capture the hellish 'demon pit' feel of Children of Bodom's Alex Laiho. The violins appear to be electronically spawned, and thus do not have the warm, natural feel of real instruments.

01. "Intro" - Um, the title gives away what this track serves as. Yup, its the intro, violin filled and very medieval sounding... the tornado swirl of keys reminds me heavily of the main theme from Final Fantasy... no not the Playstation games with their wimpy Jpop ballads, but the old NES one. Pompous and rather fitting, this would seem right at home on any Rhapsody disc, despite its progressive undercurrents.

02. "Fragments of Time" - Old Fates Warning and Hammerfall collide with one another to ease out a rather special opening which also gives the listener their first glimpse at the nature of the vocals. Yes, they are forced and gurgly but just listen to those rhythm guitar riffs and natural sounding blend of breakneck (yet tasteful) speed drumming, expansive synthesizer that conjures visions of fantasy worlds, knights riding stallions into battle and war scarred dragons, and lush progressive landscapes..

03. "The Universe Unveils" - Music-wise its smooth and headbanging, rippling across the soundscape with waves of synth enriching the bubbly pristine guitar and no-holds barred rhythm section which just rips in full double bass glory throughout the entire track. And of course, Henrik's indecipherable growl.

04. "My God Forsaken" - Ahh zippy... settling into a comfortable slow headbang, the aggression is pierced by ethereal keys that are multilayered and woven into every nook and cranny in this piece. When given the limelight, they just dazzle, but unfortunately this happens too few and far between, and thus "My God Forsaken" feels much like the previous track. The end builds into a classical fringed frenzy that's worthy of a slightly watered down Rhapsody.

05. "From Here to Death" - The formula is becoming a little stale, so Skyfire shovels a heaping of electric singed fury in this song, and well, I take back my comment that Wenngren can't achieve that hellish sound, for here his voice begins as a rumble and ends in a demonic roar, like a hellspawn rising from the ashes or the lake of fire.

06. "Breed Through Me, Bleed For Me" - The chorus on this one is actually quite a catchy number, despite the fact its nearly impossible to understand a single word being growled. The electric guitar is a livewire, tangled around itself and breaking free to emit showers of sparks and a scorching sound that is crisp, clean and carries the song to its finale.

07. "Dimensions Unseen" - Crystalline keys sparkle under the overwhelming proggy medieval gallop. The violin flourishes and Running Wild crossed with Blind Guardian bits are a welcome change, even if it echos more of the same as seen in the first smattering of tracks.

08. "Skyfire" - Relentlessly battering the listener with fiery riffing mayhem and battle forged epic tapestries of steel (like that makes sense eh?), the song with the same name as the band (is this cliched or what?) actually turns out to be one of the most brilliant pieces to grace the disk. Now if only those vocals could be thrown out the tenth story of the tower somehow...

09. "Timeless Departure" - Imagine all the previous songs.... get a good picture of that.... then toss them all together, add a little extra drive and a speedy rhythm that's almost danceable, and you have the finale.

As fresh as this may be, the band does fall into the trap of repeating themselves a little too often for comfort. The death growl vocals frays on the nerves after the sixth song. While "Timeless Departure" comes across as being quite a massive chunk of power metal, it still is limited to being a 'what might have been release'. A ballad, or even a track in the midtempo range strategically placed right to relieve the seemingly neverending grind, or a contrasting female singer eased in to 'lighten' the overall feel (and thus making it more accessible) a'la Haggard or Within Temptation, would have been a blessing to the ears. Unfortunately these things are missing, and thus we are left with a few truly superb moments of classical influenced power metal, but haunted by the shadow of a demon that soils the disc in the end. Fans of Dark Tranquility, Children of Bodom and their cookie growled brethen that also dabble in Rhapsody at times will find this to be a guilty pleasure. Let's hope the band tighten up all the good elements they have going for them and that Skyfire's first is not their last.

Ratings and Wrap Up:
7.5
Songs - 8.2, Performance - 8.0, Production - 8.0, Lyrics - ??
Hot Spots: "Fragments of Time", "Skyfire", "Breed Through Me, Bleed For Me"
Bottom Line: notable Rhapsody-esque instrumentation but distastful cookie vocals

Review by Alanna Evans -
understands none of the lyrics.

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