Skyeater - The Maw of Time

By Aaron Sullivan. When you live in a large city you can list its pros and cons. I happen to live in Los Angeles and depending on the day, can depend on which side of that list is a bit longer than the other.

By Aaron Sullivan.


When you live in a large city you can list its pros and cons. I happen to live in Los Angeles and depending on the day, can depend on which side of that list is a bit longer than the other. But one thing that has always been in my pro list is that as a major city you get to see a ton of bands as its a for sure tour stop for most bands. But what makes it even better is that the local scene itself has a ton of great bands that make going to the smaller shows as good if not better than seeing the tour bands. Skyeater is definitely one of those bands that does the local L.A. scene proud.

Last year I reviewed their demo here on Metal Bandcamp. While some things have changed some have remained the same. The most noticeable is the production. Having recorded at Earhammer Studios with the great Greg Wilkinson (Asunder, Lycus, Fórn). The songs have depth and a real clear sound. Their ability to seamlessly move from funeral dirge openings to tremolo picked Black Metal insanity is something I really enjoy. And it’s not just that they do it, it's that it's done so well. The doomier parts of "Anticosmogony" have a real Asunder feel to them. Songs are saturated in atmosphere. You can almost smell the burning of a pyre as they play lit only by the light of a full moon. The way they utilize the two guitars is really cool also. Allowing for riffs to be played while the other adds these small accents, if you will, throughout. The one thing that always stands out the most to me is the drumming. It’s really top notch. Which says a ton as all the members are very talented.

I was lucky to catch these guys very early on and hear their evolution as a band and for that I am grateful. They really have shown themselves to be one of the best in the L.A. metal scene. When this is published they will be on a small West Coast tour spreading the good word of metal. I suggest you catch them if you can. If you can’t, them by all means do yourself a favor and purchase this album. I doubt you’ll regret it.