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Shattered Skies - The World We Used To Know

The debut album from progressive metal outfit Shattered Skies, formed in 2011, pulls off the difficult challenge, of sounding fresh and full of ideas and drive, in a genre that can sometimes become a somewhat restrictive musical template.

The album The World We Used To Know has a very striking cover, with an image that resonates of dapper Edwardian times. The intriguing publicity shots of the band in smart grey three piece apparel is intriguing, and speaks of a band that is prepared to confound our expectations. Which is all to the good.

The album starts very promisingly with Collapse of Man, a mix of beautiful piano and electronic noise, segueing into End And The Rebirth, and a great swirling organ and a puncturing staccato guitar riff. There is a relentless frenetic rhythm to the song, and some striking musical contrasts, with Sean Murphy's sweet vocal and Ian Rockett’s piercing melodic guitar sections.

15 minutes has a funky progressive feel. Accompanied by some really sparkling bass runs from Jim Hughes, that shows a band that can swing, and is not overly focussed on technical cleverness, to the exclusion of all else. A fault in some bands in the progressive metal genre, which can lead sometimes to a lack of feel and emotion in the music.

Elegance and Grace begins with a lovely guitar intro, resonant of Jimi Hendrix's Angel. Another great vocal from Sean, and some nice epic ensemble playing, makes this a standout track. Sean's vocals are a hallmark of the creativity at play in this band, and the expressiveness in his voice speaks to his background in stage musicals.

Aesthetics has some lovely mid-paced and gentle guitar and piano playing, and a great meandering journeying feel. The guitar solo is wonderfully melodic and jazz based, and the more intense sections have an uplifting big sound.

An excellent debut album, that promises much for the future from this really engaging band.