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Skyliner is a Floridian band playing a heavy, kinetic form of power metal in the vein of German bands like Rage, Running Wild and Grave Digger, with fast, chunky guitars and deep, midrange vocals powering out some pretty catchy hooks. I reviewed their last demo a few years back, and now I have this one.

Their last one was fast and fun, but the production was quite thin, and that has been rectified now. The Alchemist has a much heavier, fuller sound, with a lot of the bass coming out. To go with this new transformation, vocalist Jake Becker has lowered his voice to a much more individual and deeper tone that reminds me more of some Irish bands like Celtic Legacy or even Primordial at their cleanest in the melodies he sings - interesting. I also hear an increased dose of contemporary power metal, which seemed more or less absent on the last demo. The songs are a little more focused on the vocals and less on speed metal riff patterns. Neither sound is better or worse, just different.

There are only two songs on here, and neither one of them really establishes the kind of grace that the stunning "Aria of the Waters" did on their previous demo, but these are still good tunes, with great hooks, some really nice playing and never a dull moment to be found. The only reason I'm giving this a 4 and not higher is because it's so short, and we need a full album by these guys. That will be their real test. I'll be waiting.