Oakland's Secrets of the Sky reach high here on their second full-length of atmospheric post-metal/sludge, and while "atmospheric" and "post-metal" and even "reaching high" are all basically different ways of saying "boring" in 2015, the band manage to do a few things right to keep away the doldrums. But barely: while the neat guitar work in "Three Swords" and the near-black sounds of "Fosforos" are interesting, and "Angels in Vines" is almost memorable, but the quiet/loud dynamic takes a lot of work to be compelling these days.
To their credit, Secrets of the Sky have more of a Mindrot/Neurosis vibe to them at times than a flowery, weak metalgaze approach, so you shouldn't totally writing them off. But between the non-music interludes and the overwhelming sense of feeling we've heard this before, loving this one is an uphill battle.
(Metal Blade)To their credit, Secrets of the Sky have more of a Mindrot/Neurosis vibe to them at times than a flowery, weak metalgaze approach, so you shouldn't totally writing them off. But between the non-music interludes and the overwhelming sense of feeling we've heard this before, loving this one is an uphill battle.
