Burial in the Sky

Persistence of thought

William Okronglis – vocals, rhythm guitar, bass

James Tomedi –  lead guitar, bass, keys, mandolin,

Sam Stewart – Drums

Samus Paulicelli – session drums

Out November 4th 2016

1. Entry I

This song begins with about a full minute of some really atmospheric sounds, they build up slowly before the band comes in hard at the 1: 09 mark where you have the drums setting the pace of this song. Vocals come in about ten seconds after.  They fall under a tech death sub-genre, but they are more than that based on the sounds of this first track. They would be more like a progressive melodic technical death metal.  The song really starts this album off well, it’s a subtle track,  do not confuse subtle for short and monotonous. Nope that is not the case.  It’s a subtle track by simply getting the listener acclimated to the sounds and stylings of Burial in the Sky.  They have guitar tones and sounds that remind me of bands ranging from the Tony Danza tap dance extravaganza to Pink Floyd. A truly unique band, offering some thought provoking metal. its got that atmospheric feel like Fallujah, I am really digging this album so far.

2. Entry II

This song begins with a slow start, but it’s a cool soulful melody that’s played for the first thirty eight seconds, before the drums come in heavier, and the rest of the instruments join in.  The guitar riff at the one minute mark is a great way to progress into the first verse.  I’m having a hard time placing who the vocals remind me of. But they have a sound that brings me back to my high school days and going to the small shows.  Damn the guitars at the 2:02 mark have that cool feel again. They bring that prog sound and style to the table, that’s something I do like about these guys. It’s not just tech death, it’s a really smooth blend of atmospheric technical progressive death metal.  Or “pretty fucking cool” as I have been describing them these past few weeks.  Right around the 3:25 mark when the vocals come in those thirty seconds are great. The tone of the vocals, and then coming out to the blast beats on the drums and the way they are delivered make this a worthwhile track.  But it’s also worth mentioning about the guitar work from the 4:40 mark and lasting about 15 seconds that reminds me of Chris Letchford. so that adds another flavor to the mix,  they have a sound that can appeal to fans of  instrumental bands like Scale The Summit, to metal bands from all the various sub-genres connecting prog metal to technical metal.

3. Entry III

Ahhh yes this song, it begins much like the previous tracks in a slower and almost smokey way.  They aren’t coming right out and playing, they are adding the tiny details to the sound to give you that type of imagery. It gives you this spacey feeling, like you are just floating in air.  You know the more I am getting this vibe, the more they remind me of bands like Fallujah who have a similar style.  Following that beginning sequence, they come in hard around the :53 mark but in a slow tempo. It’s more of a dramatic feel than trying to blow everyone away with speed. I love the progression of their music so far in this album, it’s subtle, wonderfully crafted and emotional in the delivery.  I will say that Entry I, Entry II, and Entry III are best listened back to back.  But all three can hold their own ground as far as how good they are individually.

4. Anchors

This song also begins with that slower, spacey feel like the previous tracks had.  One thing worth mentioning before the song takes off, is that this song is 7:27 minutes/seconds long. All the tracks have a considerable amount of time, and it’s not spent playing the fastest blasts or shred fest solos.  They fill the time with sounds that buildup to make the songs just that much more enjoyable for the listener.  Don’t get me wrong, I love blistering fast blast beats and sick guitar solos. But it’s the proggy tech death bands like this one here that gives you music that is going to encourage the thought process.  This is a thought provoking album, it gets the listeners to think. I like when an album has that characteristic.  Right around the :55 mark  we get some more percussion, shakers, I think I hear a Guiro,   either way I like that they are adding some non-conventional in the mix and then  only about twenty seconds later the  heavy vocals  barrel in with brute force.  This song has plenty of ups and downs that the listener experiences. And I enjoy that about this album, the songs are keeping your attention, they are bringing you on a ride.  A wild and beautiful ride.

5. Galaxy of Ghosts

This song does not start out the way the previous tracks did, nope this one is an instant 0-100 in a split second right out of the gate heavy track.  This is the odd ball track, 4 songs back to back start out cool and smooth, and then this one track begins at full speed right from the first note. This song is a solid track, and unique in its own way.  It’s different from the previous tracks but it holds its ground for being a solid track. The section at the 2:46 mark and playing through is a highlight for this track, the vocals sound layered. Then coming out of that is a mellow segment before we get some cool guitar work.  Get to the 3:37 mark and you will begin to hear the guitars setting up a killer riff, and getting the listener amped up for when the vocals come back in only about thirty or so seconds after. The rest of this track basically lifts the listener up all the way and then the last forty seconds or so  gently bring the listener back to the ground.

6. Dimensions Divide

So in the first few seconds of play on this track you observe the following.  They come in hard from the very beginning, and this has a good feel to it, like this is the track to end the album with. It has that vibe like everything comes together, and is the conclusion of the album. They hit us with a short guitar solo only about a quarter of the way into this track. There truly is a lot going on in this song.  And some will take away that this is a three piece band, but they have that spacey atmospheric sound in the background, they are delivering forceful vocals, the drums are locked in with keeping the pace of the songs, and the guitars keep hitting us with cool riffs here and there as well as a satisfying solo a few times throughout the track. Ultimately with a minute and a half left of the song, the track drops down dramatically to a somber spacey melodic tune.  Just lifting you weightlessly, taking you away giving you the image that you are doing just that floating away after listening to a powerful set of songs.

This is a solid album, it is only six tracks but each track is between 5-8 minutes long.  And each song has a lot packed in as well. This album is intriguing, I can’t explain it well. But when you listen to it, it’s hard to just focus on one track being the best on the album.   I find that I enjoy listening to this album start to finish.  Some albums have that vibe to them. Where you can just as easily play any track in random order if you wanted.  But playing at least the first three tracks back to back offers a more in depth experience when listening to the album.  They have that spacey atmospheric style like Fallujah, and it has a prog metal feel to it in other areas, but the whole time they are rocking the tech death line. I think we live in a world where you have to prove yourself in 30 seconds or less on whether or not your band or your album is the next best thing. I encourage anyone who wants to and will listen to this album. To give yourself the time to listen to it.  Don’t listen to one track and make up your mind, or listen to 30 seconds of one track skipping to the next. Give this a full play through upon listening to it for the first time.  Every song brings you up and down, but really delivers the goods.  This album is a solid 8/10 \m/ and definitely deserves to be heard.  Give it a listen,  check out the links below and  take a listen to the fifth track off this album titled Galaxy Of Ghosts.

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