It took the Swedes from Skyfire five years to record their fourth full-length album. To do so, the band had to recruit a new vocalist and a new guitarist (Johan Reinholdz). With a revamped line-up and fresh energy, they stepped into their latest project, Esoteric. A disc full of different styles of metal with the emphasis on melodic black/death metal. Let’s find out whether five years of rest was enough for the band to create something worthwhile. 

 

First off I gotta admit that I don’t know any of Skyfire’s previously released material. What I do know, however, is that Esoteric is a bombastic album that is here to please lots of you. No compromises to be found here, just relentless and merciless metal in the vein of Dimmu Borgir and Zonaria, but a tad different. Distinctive for this sound, is of course the use of keyboards and orchestral arrangements. Something that works out just fine on this album, as it strengthens the dark, mysterious sound Esoteric breathes.

 

I suggest you to check out the song ‘Misery’s Supremacy’ to find out what Skyfire is all about, as it is in this song that I hear most different influences the band makes use of. Blastbeats, accelerations, keys and of course the deathly effective grunts of the new guy, Joakim Karlsson. All in all a complete package of what you can expect on this album.

 

Fans of bands mentioned above should definitely check this album out. This isn’t just a dime a dozen band, this is a band with over eight years of experience in the scene. This is a band that was reborn earlier this year and is now ready to pick up where they left off in 2004. With a very decent album indeed!