CoC : Empyrean Sky - The Snow White Rose of Paradise : Review

Empyrean Sky - _The Snow White Rose of Paradise_
by: Aaron McKay (5 out of 5)

The three piece outfit is very well packaged and delivers an audible dance of decadence and delight. Light and dark, images of Milton's "Paradise Lost" and Dante's "Divine Comedy" run like a raging current throughout this disc. Hot and cold, this Chicagoland area outfit has ostensibly blurred the genre lines significantly, to the point where any listener might question what he or she is hearing. In fact, the fast paced passages with eerily soft harmonies interrupting the momentum are just enough to challenge anyone's delicate balance. The six total tracks are epically long. Each pummel, yet caress, all the while pounding and pacifying with each precisely played note. While Empyrean Sky treads lightly with elements of doom, their skillfully paced tempo changes and the ability to utilize crossover melodies with artful ambiance demands attention. The finest example of Empyrean Sky's aptitude on _The Snow White Rose of Paradise_ is a song that shares the band's name. "Empyrean Sky" has something for everyone: beginning with a stormy atmosphere, the track builds to feature during its more than eleven minutes of track time a finely crafted programming (synth) array, wildly outrageous riffs, and subterranean inhospitality that calls into question the concept of reality itself. Finally, the incorporation of both harsh and cleanly sung vocals is engagingly vital to Empyrean Sky's demonstration as they recreate a musical experience exploring disgrace and redemption. Putting things as bluntly as I possibly can: why aren't these guys signed to a major label yet?!

Contact: http://www.EmpyreanSky.com

(article published 29/7/2004)

CHATS
12/31/2004	A McKay	Empyrean Sky: Six Songs From the Seventh Seal