Buying A Pathway To Heaven

Published:

Oakland doomsters album release draws near

As “Pathway“, the impending new full-length from Oakland-based atmospheric doom-bringers,SECRETS OF THE SKY, draws near, today the band offers up the stunning new visual accompaniment to fourth track “Angel In Vines“. Directed and edited by Andrew Nethery (Melvins, Kyuss Lives, Dead Meadow), creator of the band’s 2014 “Decline” clip, and starring Melissa May and Zack Warren, the video, much like the song itself, is at once stark and alluring.

Elaborates guitarist Clayton Bartholomew, “For this video, we went back to director Andrew Nethery, who also did the video for the song ‘Decline’ from our first record, To Sail Black Waters. He did a great job for that video and was an easy guy to work with. For the ‘Angel In Vines’ video, we let him run with his own vision. The song itself relates to the loss of innocence, and he found an interesting analogy to express this same sentiment, while keeping the video abstract and not just giving away the premise of the song. We like that he was able to avoid cliché and the imagery he was able to capture is a definite work of art on its own.

View the disquieting “Angel In Vines” clip at metalblade.com/secretsofthesky where you can also sample second movement, “Three Swords” and pre-order the album on CD and vinyl!

 

Engineered, mixed, mastered and co-produced by Juan Urteaga of Trident Studios with SECRETS OF THE SKY, “Pathway” is the gargantuan, thirteen-track follow-up to 2013’s critically-adored “To Sail Black Waters” long player. Dark, brooding, pure and eclectic, the record finds SECRETS OF THE SKY at their most poignant. In a near perfect 9/10 review, Dead Rhetoric rightfully crowns the record, “an emotionally draining journey… the type of album that you can just close your eyes and visualize your own tale, even as some parts seem to prop up only after repeated listens,” further championing “Pathway” for having, “all of the inner workings of a great and resonating album,” while Metal Injection christened first single, “Three Swords” alone a “progressive metal masterpiece.

Pathway” features the diverse vocal stylings of Garett Gazay, who seamlessly fluctuates between monstrous growls and clean, soothing cascades, all the while complimenting the twisted compositions of guitarists Bartholomew and Andrew Green. Bassist Ryan Healy and drummer Lance Lea round out the lineup, their rhythms and distinctive voices adding further depth to the collective’s meticulous, blackened soundscrapes. Sonically, SECRETS OF THE SKY aimed for a massive, clean, and organic sounding production. Much time was invested in obtaining huge drum sounds and the focus was on single performance takes throughout the process. The result is an ambitious foray into conceptual storytelling, coupled with emotional music full of peaks and valleys. This is a metal record, to be sure, but more importantly, it sounds like an album of music. This is not a random sequencing of songs or a search for a “hit” single; the tracks all have their place in the story, and the cuts in between actually drive the narrative through sound effects and ambience. SECRETS OF THE SKY‘s “Pathway” is an experience to be had, as well as a record to merely be heard.

SECRETS OF THE SKY‘s “Pathway” will be officially released on May 15th, 2015 via Metal Blade Records.

http://www.facebook.com/secretsofthesky
http://www.twitter.com/secretsofthesky
http://www.metalblade.com/secretsofthesky

More From Author

spot_img

Popular Posts

Latest Gig Reviews

Latest Music Reviews

spot_img

Band Of The Day