Pathosray
Sunless Skies

I've had this album in my hands for a month now, and the feeling is unmistakably one of infatuation.
The Pathosray are a delightful surprise in the prog-metal scene, and even more so since I discovered they are entirely ITALIAN.
The album "Sunless Skies", released in 2009, presents us with a band confident in their - considerable - abilities, and an album where, even if you try, it is difficult to find a single flaw. For this reason, it will probably continue to 'spin' in my various players for a few more weeks.

01. It starts with "Crown Of Thorns", just to show some muscle right away. Be careful not to be deceived: in this track, the influence and style of Symphony X is almost too evident, which might lead one astray about the true potential of the band, which is certainly not about delivering something we've already heard. The first track is perhaps the weakest of the album, though still deserving a passing grade.

02. "Behind the Shadows" shows the band in all its splendor: focused riffs, aggressive guitars when needed, and open and almost melancholic in the chorus. The finale features prog passages of excellent quality and completely catchy. The splendid and eclectic voice of Marco Sandron begins to stand out.

03. "Aurora" appears more introspective and, so to speak, "soft"; the chorus has a great impact, also thanks to the use of choirs that make the musicality more incisive.

04. With "Quantic Enigma", we decisively move into the prog field, starting by leaving space for Sandron's effected voice, supported by bass, drums, and synthesizer. Towards the middle, the track takes a much softer development with a passage of piano and voice, followed by a pleasant guitar+synthesizer solo, in full prog style, as is the song's finale, which offers several tempo changes, up to the finale told with an almost death voice, which fits perfectly. Excellent track.

05. Track 5, "In Your Arms", reveals perhaps a sweeter side of the band, yet it absolutely does not lose its edge even in more reflective moments (listen to the hard work of Fabio D'Amore's bass and Ivan Moni Bidin's drums in the verses). Pyrotechnic and extremely effective finale: what I would simply call 'chills'. Few chords, a stunning voice (I will never stop repeating it), a well-inserted choir, acoustic guitars in the background. Truly a splendid track.

06. Here's the title track: With "Sons of A Sunless Skies", the return to progmetal makes us immediately forget the somewhat dreamy and melancholic atmospheres of the previous song: here, the drums are pounded considerably and with excellent reason, although the melancholic thread continues to subtly be felt here too (in the chorus). Alessio Velliscig's work (guitarist) is also excellent here, as in the entire album.

07. "The Cold Lullaby" keeps the level of the album high, which from the start has not stopped taking your breath away. You listen in apnea, genres and sensations chase each other and call back: in this song, a female voice appears (which will return, oh will it return), and this variation also seems fitting.

08. Here it returns, the female voice, in the small reflective pause that is "Perpetual Eclipse": it starts with atmospheres of great effect, piano and voice à là Great Gig in The Sky, until more assertive synthesizer and electric drums come in. Although it's a piece all in all on its own, it is definitely suggestive and does not break the previously reached acme, and it kicks off the grand finale.

09. We then arrive at "Poltergeist", with its 8+ minutes being the longest track on the album. It starts aggressive right away, with instruments as usual perfectly blended to support the voice. Midway through, a true progressive frenzy breaks out with Gianpaolo Rinaldi's keyboards on the shields. We're at the climax of an album that from this moment will offer less power and technique, but an infinite amount of emotions: towards the end of Poltergeist, everything stops to make room for an evocative piano, the female voice (of?) followed by Sandron’s, with the chorus and notes leading to the final track "Man is everything, and man is nothing". Finale of great impact with solo and female voice.

10. After a beautiful party, comes the moment of melancholy solitary reflection: "For the last time" is a track that we could trivially call simple: but the emotions it gives, are difficult to describe. An arpeggio, Sandron's voice, now sweet now fierce, the piano. An ending that leaves only the desire to start again from the beginning and reach the end.

A 10 out of 10 album, with a band that, unfortunately, is confined to regional (Venetian, I believe) boundaries when it could easily measure itself with very different realities. I highly recommend this album, perfect from every perspective: stylistic, musical, emotional.