THE FAMOUS TRIO OF DELA CRUZ BROTHERS COLLECTIVELY KNOWN AS SKY CHURCH ARE BACK WITH THEIR SOPHOMORE RELEASE. HAVING BEEN TO THE LAUNCHING OF THIS ALBUM, THE BAND IS STRONGER THAN EVER AND STILL KICKS MAJOR ASS. I WAS FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO BORROW THE CD TO REVIEW SO HERE GOES... THE GROUP WHICH USED TO BE DEATH METAL HAS CHANGED ITS MUSICAL DIRECTION AND NOW PLAYS IN THE HARDCORE VEIN. BASICALLY, THEIR SONGS ARE COMPOSED OF SPEED PARTS AND THEN THEY BREAK IT DOWN WITH GROOVE AND TEMPO CHANGES WHICH MAKES THE SONGS DYNAMIC AND FAR FROM BORING. ANYWAY JUST PICTURE THIS: SKY CHURCH IS JUST LIKE SEPULTURA ON SPEED (EVEN THE "S" ON THEIR LOGO LOOKS LIKE SEPULTURA'S COUNTRY LOOKING "S" SIGN) PLAYING IN THE STYLE AND FORMAT OF "CHAOS AD". THEY HAVE THE SERIOUS AND THE PUNK-INSPIRED COMPOSITIONS.

THE ALBUM OPENS WITH THE FAMILIAR "BANE", THE CARRIER SINGLE WHICH CAN BE HEARD ON NU107. SECOND TRACK "VICTIM" IS A KOOL METALCORE SONG WITH A GREAT DRUM BREAK IN THE MIDDLE, THEN THE RIFF JUMPS ON THE BEAT GIVING IT A FULL ON GROOVE. "REALITY" STARTS WITH A VERY UPBEAT SOUND, CHANGES TEMPO AND IT'S THE FIRST SONG TO FEATURE A GUITAR SOLO. "ADAMANT" IS A SONG ABOUT BEING STRAIGHT EDGE. I ASSUME THIS WAS WRITTEN THE TIME THEY WERE HEAVILY INTO SXE. I DON'T KNOW IF THEY STILL CONTINUE THE PRACTICE THOUGH. IT'S KINDA WEIRD BECAUSE THEY DIDN'T PUT A DATE ON THIS TRACK (ALL THE OTHER SONGS HAVE DATES). "CALL UPON" STARTS WITH A FULL THRASH ASSAULT AND THEN INCORPORATES GROOVE ONCE AGAIN, AND THEN SPEED AND THEN GROOVE AGAIN LIKE MOST OF THE SONGS. AND THEN THERE IS "FOR MYSELF" WHICH IS MY FAVORITE. THE CHORUS IS JUST AWESOME WITH ALL THESE VOICES COMING FROM DIFFERENT DIRECTIONS SCREAMING "I NEED SOME TIME FOR MYSELF" OVER AND OVER. IT ALSO INCLUDES THE THOUGHT-PROVOKING LINE "MAN WILL ALWAYS LIVE WITH DEPRESSION FROM THE PAST, PULLING DOWN ALL THE DREAMS THAT MAN HAS FORESEEN". THERE IS EVEN A PART ON THE SONG WITH AN EXACT DUPLICATE OF PHIL ANSELMO'S (PANTERA) VOCALS OVER A RAINING BLOOD (SLAYER) KINDA RIFF. "CONFUSION" IS A PUNK SONG WITH THE BAND HAVING SOME FUN. IT'S THE SECOND AND LAST SONG TO HAVE A SOLO. "USER FRIENDLY" DEALS WITH PEOPLE WHO ARE USERS AND ARE BADSEEDS TO THE SOCIETY. "GENESIS" IS ONE OF THE DIFFERENT/EXPERIMENTAL SONGS BECAUSE IT HAS THIS SINGING PART WHICH REALLY COMPLEMENTED THE TRACK. DON'T WORRY, THE INTENSITY WASN'T AFFECTED WHATSOEVER. THE MAX CAVALERA LIKE VOCALS ARE MOST EVIDENT ON THE LINE "UTILIZE THIS". "NOBODY OWNS" IS ANOTHER PUNK-INDUCED SONG ABOUT THE UNDERGROUND SCENE AND THE KORN KIDZ (BETTER KNOWN AS KUPAWS), WITH A LOT OF GANG VOCALS ON IT. IT ALSO HAS THIS PUNK SING-ALONG TUNE. THE FUNNY PART IS ON THE GANG CHORUS, THE MELODY SOUNDS EXACTLY LIKE SUGAR RAY'S "FLY". THIS TRACK SEEMS LIKE IT WAS INSPIRED BY SLAYER'S "UNDISPUTED ATTITUDE" PUNK/HC ALBUM. LASTLY, "DELUBYO" CLOSES THE ALBUM. THIS IS THE ONLY TAGALOG SONG ON THE WHOLE RECORD. IT SEEMS THAT SKY CHURCH IS TOO USED TO SINGING IN ENGLISH THAT EVEN THEIR TAGALOG HAS AN AMERICAN ACCENT.

THE ALBUM FEATURES A LOT OF GANG SHOUTS, CHORUSES AND GUEST VOCALS. THE ADDED SHOUTS REALLY GAVE MORE COLOR TO THE SONGS. PRODUCTION-WISE, THE DRUMS ARE THE KING OF THE SHOW HERE. IT'S PUSHED TO THE FOREFRONT WHICH IS A GREAT MOVE BECAUSE THEY REALLY ARE KILLER AND HAVE A LIFE OF ITS OWN. THE BASS GUITAR COMES IN SECOND, HAVING THAT BIG, FULL SOUND. THE GUITARS ARE MY GRIPE THOUGH. I DON'T KNOW WHAT THEY WERE THINKING BUT THE GUITAR SOUND IS JUST A LITTLE TOO THIN AND HAS LITTLE BITE. THE GUITARS SHOULD HAVE BEEN REALLY MENACING IF THEY UPPED THE VOLUME MORE. AS FOR THE VOCALS, IT'S A LITTLE LOW TOO AND SOMETIMES GET LOST IN THE MIX. ANOTHER FACTOR THEY SHOULD'VE FOCUSED ON MORE. THE PRODUCTION REALLY AIN'T THAT BAD, BUT IT COULD'VE BEEN A LOT BETTER. ANOTHER THING I HAVE NOTICED IS THAT ON THE COVER, THEY STILL HAVE X'S (THE SYMBOL FOR BEING STRAIGHT EDGE) ON THE BACK OF THEIR HANDS. LYRICS ARE INCLUDED, A THANX LIST, CONTACT NOS., PICTURES OF THE BAND AND THEIR FRIENDS, EVEN A BABY PICTURE WITH THE BROTHERS AND THEIR CHILDHOOD TOYS. TO CONCLUDE THE REVIEW, THIS IS A VERY SOLID AND HARD-HITTING ALBUM FROM ONE OF THE BEST LOCAL BANDS IN THE SCENE RIGHT NOW. I'M PRETTY SURE MUSIC FANS ON THE HARDER SIDE OF THE COIN WILL WANT TO CHECK THIS OUT.

This review is credited to:
DEATHCRAYON