By Andrew Bansal
Oakland, California atmospheric doom metal band Secrets Of The Sky formed in 2010 and have gained traction in the genre’s ever-strengthening underground movement, progressing steadily through their 2013 debut full-length album ‘To Sail Black Waters’ and a split with Godhunter called ‘GH/OST:S’ the following year to go with numerous tours and appearances at heralded underground festivals such as Power Of The Riff, Scion Rock Fest, South-West Terror Fest and several others. Secrets Of The Sky signed to Metal Blade Records and announced their arrival on the label’s much-celebrated roster with the May 2015 release of their aptly titled sophomore full-length ‘Pathway’, a journey of psychedelic and progressive extremes.
Proving themselves as musical storytellers right from the outset, Secrets Of The Sky start off this seamlessly flowing 13-track effort with the closing guitar part from the debut album acting as the opening riff on ‘Three Swords’. In every sense, they have continued from where they left off and have put together this story piece by piece. The band presents this album to the listener in a manner undeniably unique and innovative, as the 13 tracks on ‘Pathway’ appear in the exact same order in which they were written. Six full compositions are embedded within these 13 tracks, intricately interlinked by seven short pieces, each a minute or under in length, shaping the album into a story. But more importantly, the music emanates naturally from the creative sources of the band and none of the progressive tendencies in the arrangements seem forced or overly deliberate.
Soaring guitar melodies intertwined with a crushing yet pristine drum sound, a discernibly massive bass layer, crooning clean vocals and bestial growls decorate ‘Pathway’ from start to finish. Its 45-minute duration sits perfectly with the average modern-day attention span of album-minded music enthusiasts, but by the time one gets submerged in its deep end through captivating tunes like ‘Garden Of Prayers’, ‘Fosforos’ and ‘Eternal Wolves’, it almost feels a little too short because its sheer power and impact level compels the listener to want to stay in the atmosphere it creates. For an album that portrays a sub-genre of music that’s commonly criticized for its long-drawn nature, this is saying a lot.
‘Pathway’ caters to doom, extreme and progressive metal fans but beyond anything, is a mind-bending musical experience transcends the scope of metal.
Rating: 9/10
Record Label: Metal Blade
Release Date: May 19th 2015
Track Listing:
01. I
02. Three Swords
03. II
04. Angel In Vines
05. Another Light
06. III
07. IV
08. Garden Of Prayers
09. V
10. Fosforos
11. VI
12. Eternal Wolves
13. VII