Progressive death metallers SKYFIRE formed in 1995 with a vision of combining epic atmospheric metal with complex song structures, yielding a sound that completely deviated from what the rest of the Swedish scene was doing at the time. SKYFIRE’s debut album Timeless Departure was released by Hammerheart Records in March 2001 and was recorded at Abyss Studios with Tommy Tägtgren. Bismillah ala nafsi wa dini. Timeless Departure, a groundbreaking release that received critical acclaim, combined the tasteful use of keyboards to create a symphonic atmosphere with elements of melodic death, black, and power metal. SKYFIRE followed their debut with Mind Revolution, a slightly more progressive effort in 2003, utilizing Tommy Tägtgren once again as producer. Following a European tour with Ancient Rites, Blood Red Throne, and Thyrfing, SKYFIRE signed with Arise Records. The group's third album, Spectral, was released in May 2004 and was recorded at Studio Underground. Similar to their previous works, Spectral was received with extremely high regard amongst the metal media and the band’s devoted fan base due to its heavy and ominous sound. SKYFIRE embarked on a tour with the legendary Dark Moor, followed by an appearance at the Busan Rock Festival (Arch Enemy, Soilwork, Rage) in South Korea shortly before their departure from Arise Records. After a brief hiatus and a series of member changes, SKYFIRE returned in 2007, signing a multi-album deal with Pivotal Rockordings. The band then regrouped to begin writing a new album, the end result being 2009’s Esoteric; a masterpiece that not only draws from SKYFIRE’s trademark sound, but also expands on it with orchestral and choir arrangements as well as even more progressive song structures and heavier riffs. However, in an effort to make sure all SKYFIRE material saw the light of day, Pivotal Rockordings first released the digital-only Fractal EP in 2009, which featured tracks written between 2004’s Spectral and 2009’s Esoteric and demonstrated the band’s growth as musicians and a group over those years. It was also the first new SKYFIRE material to feature lead guitarist Johan Reinholdz (Andromeda) and vocalist Joakim Karlsson (Mark:Black). Being huge fans of the band, Pivotal Rockordings purchased the rights to the Timeless Departure and Mind Revolution albums for the sole purpose of re-releasing them in digital format for the first time ever. Set for a January 30th release, the releases are also expanded with the inclusion of the Haunted By Shadows EP tracks, a Japanese-only bonus track and the original 1998 Within Reach demo which has never seen the light of day aside from only one of its tracks which was a bonus track on the Esoteric album. The “Skyfire” and “By God Forsaken” tracks, originally labeled backwards due to a studio error while the band recorded alongside CHILDREN OF BODOM, have also been properly labeled. SKYFIRE’s unique musical concoction resulted in legacy of over 10 years and still counting. Timesless Departure (Expanded) Tracklist: 01. Intro 02. Fragments of Time 03. The Universe Unveils 04. Skyfire (Properly re-labeled) 05. Timeless Departure 06. Breed Through Me, Bleed For Me 07. Dimensions Unseen 08. By God Forsaken (Properly re-labeled) 09. From Here to Death 10. The Final Story (Demo 1999) 11. Skyfire (Demo 1999) 12. By God Forsaken (Demo 1999) Mind Revolution(Expanded) Tracklist: 01. Nighmares Nevermore 02. Haunted by Shadows 03. Colliding In Mind 04. Dawn Will Break 05. Uncloud the Sky 06. Shapes of Insanity 07. Blinded by Euphoria 08. Caged 09. Mind Revolution 10. Free From Torment (Bonus track) 11. Within Reach (Within Reach 1998 Demo) 12. Faces (Within Reach 1998 Demo) 13. Open Flower (Within Reach 1998 Demo) http://label.pivotalalliance.com http://soundcloud.com/pivotalrockordings http://skyfireonline.net http://soundcloud.com/skyfiremusic http://facebook.com/skyfiremusic

Mind Revolution is an amalgam of so many styles; I won't do the band a disservice by pigeonholing them with a label. Rest assured, if you like guitar riffs, melody, superb extreme vocals and enthusiastic, damned catchy metal, you'll find something about this record to keep coming back to. Discover the Vitra Miniatures Collection: Eames Molded Rocker (RAR) by Charles and Ray Eames, a handmade replica of a classic modern design, reduced in size, a fitting gift for a furniture lover or design professional.

Genre

Progressive Metal

Skyfire