THE SKY IS FALLING

When we visit a site like this, we will realize that there are hundreds, even thousands of progressive rock bands active that create good music, and that are still unknown. Some of those bands are willing to transcend and be recognized within this realm, and the best way to do that, is elaborating strong albums whose music is interesting and enjoyable.

Days Before Tomorrow, is a band from the USA that is willing to share their music, so thanks to Scott Kahn, who kindly introduced me to their music, specifically to their first full- length album called "The Sky is Falling" released in 2009. They had already recorded in 2006 a self-titled demo which I haven't listened yet. But with this first studio album, they have succeeded, at least with me.

This album is composed by 14 songs which make a total time of 61 minutes. A concept album whose music clearly follows the Neo Progressive path, you will notice it since the very first minutes. The first song, "Lighters" has a very nice sound, the keyboards effects are very nice, kind of special, the guitars are splendid, and the vocals are pretty good. The sound is gentle, in moments it could be repetitive, but good anyway. "Wrong" has something curious, because it reminded me to U2 thanks to the guitars and the first vocal scream. The sound is very light and listenable, the vocals are pretty nice and the instruments in general sound always good, I like a lot that soft "far" keyboard, and the acoustic guitar. However, this is actually not my favorite song here, it is predictable.

"Last Song" begins with acoustic guitar introducing the song, later drums, bass and electric guitars appear along with the vocals. Actually I would like to point out that the vocal work is great here, reaching high notes and reflecting the music's mood. This is a very nice song. "Can't Go Back" has some kind of neo-prog / hard-rock feeling, you will notice in the chorus, due to the vocals and electric guitars. The tune is very catchy, which does not mean it is bad.

There are three parts of "Wasted Years", two of them go together here, while the third will be found almost at the end of this record. The first one is "Confrontation", starts with a nice piano that seconds later will be joined by soft vocals, and the mood shares some kind of melancholy. The song is actually like a ballad, there are nice keyboard orchestrations while the leading piano is playing. After a short stop, the second part called "Sleepwalking" begins with acoustic guitar and nice keyboard tunes, in moments it reminds me to some Ayreon passages. After a minute and a half the song makes a change, the guitars play a main role here, both acoustic and electric, the latter making some nice and always well placed solos.

"In the Air" Is a short but nice acoustic interlude that opens the door to "The Sky is Falling" which starts heavier but later turns catchier. There is a hard rock feeling I get in this song, though the neo-progressive sound prevails. Before minute three there is a nice intermission where the things calm down, there is only the keyboard sound, but later will be joined by acoustic guitars and drums, and to these, add the bass and electric guitar solos that appear seconds later. The instrumental passage of this song is very good. The next song "Can't Do Anything" starts with the same heavier sound due to the guitar notes. But later it slows down a little bit when vocal appears, however that lasted only some seconds because the hard guitars appear again and will be here during all the song. If you ask me, I would say that this song has some hints of 80s glam rock bands, but I don't really think they have that intention. Anyway, there is a very nice instrumental passage where keyboards and piano appear, and to be honest, the whole song is pretty good, enjoyable.

"Survival" starts with nice guitars and a soft sound, but later the song becomes more adventurous until the vocals appear, then a structure is being built up and the atmosphere created helps a lot to appreciate this piece. Once the song attacks you, you will not escape. "Your Kate" has again that predominant good guitar sound, which is accompanied by a soft keyboard sound as background and drums. Later vocals and bass appear in a slower phase, but later the song rises again and becomes powerful, very nice.

"You're not the one" reminds me immediately to Porcupine Tree, more specific to Blackest Eyes, I don't know if they are one of the band's influences but here it sounds clear due to the guitars. Later the song changes actually, the backing vocals are pretty good and the leading ones are great, there is a soft moments where acoustic Spanish like guitar appears. The song is not a line but a circle, because it rounds and rounds, reaching the same point that appeared a minute ago, yeah It is repetitive, but that's it's grace, I like it.

The third part of Wasted Years appears here, it is called "The Silence is Deafening". It follows the same rhythm and structure of its predecessors so it completes that tierce. It has some nice changes in both, the music and the mood. It has reminiscences of the other two parts, the instruments are always well played, with a clean and strong sound. Nice piano, drums and bass, emotional and great vocals, and an extraordinary guitar work overall. The album ends with "Lighters (reprise)" which is only the last minute that completes The Sky is Falling.

This is a very good album, an extraordinary debut (forget the demo) of this promising US band whose talent is evident here. I listened to this album several times before writing this review, because I wanted to be fair and write it properly. Now, I can say I enjoy it, I like the songs, but in moments I really feel it repetitive and boring in instants. However I consider it a strong example of a modern neo prog album. My final grade will be three stars, good but non-essential, anyway I invite everyone checking Days Before Tomorrow out.

Enjoy it!

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