PATHOSRAY – Sunless Skies

With Sunless Skies, one could easily argue that Pathosray is continuing its rise to prominence in the world of Progressive Metal. Their self titled debut, released in ’07, was well received and this is an equally strong album. Pathosray is a fascinating band for a number of reasons. They can play a few different styles and don’t hesitate to make that audibly clear. At first, this may not be an easy album to digest. With multiple spins however, Sunless Skies will definitely grow on you.

The first track, “Crown of Thorns” starts things off somewhat explosively and has a bit of a thrashy feel. Other songs, like “Poltergeist”, see Marco Sandron (vocals) sounding both ethereal and menacing. That same track is easily one of the best on Sunless Skies, as it sees the band at its most epic. The keys towards the end of the song provide a nice lead-in for some soaring, uplifting female vocals. Anyone that’s curious as to what Sandron actually sounds like, just imagine Ray Alder from Fates Warning.

As for the rest of the band, they don’t exactly fit the Progressive mold. They seem to do less technical roving than bands like Dream Theater or the above mentioned Fates Warning. For most any listener, that’s a welcome asset. Gianpaolo Rinaldi’s keyboards are a prominent force in Pathosray, but they’re done tastefully and don’t overwhelm any of the other instruments.

Alessio Velliscig plays guitar on this album and he pulls off some inspiring and technically proficient solos. This is evidenced in tracks like “Behind the Shadows”. “For the Last Time”, the final track on the album, is particularly interesting. It starts off with pensive and acoustic leanings and shifts into a song that’s strong enough to make you contemplate man’s meaning.

Anyone that listens to Sunless Skies will certainly have a favorite. There’s an especially nice amount of variety in terms of vocal styles. Keep this in your player long enough and you’ll come to understand that it’s a very good release with a lot to offer.