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I must say I'm encouraged by the bands coming from the States these days and Florida's Skyliner is another that gives me hope for my home country. I would have bet this band for a European import, having signed with Limb Music, but, lo and behold, they are from Jacksonville, FL and guess what? They don't play Death Metal. Progressive/Power Metal is Skyliner's genre of choice and they do it quite well.

Their debut, Ousiders, opens with the moody, keyboard-driven intro "Signals" and, based on that song, I thought I was in for something akin to Voyager, but on "Symphony in Black," Skyliner show they are in full-on Symphony X mode. This song, and many that follow, feature speedy tempos, crunchy guitars, complex bass runs and the kind of drumming that ties it all together without overshadowing the melodies. There's just enough progressiveness to the songwriting to separate Skyliner from the typical Limb Power Metal bands and they only give in to their musical indulgences on the 21-minute closer "Worlds of Conflict." While this song pads out the album to nearly an hour and 15 minutes, giving you great value for your money, it's far too long and doesn't sustain the listeners' interest. Where Skyliner excels is the 6-7 minutes ass-kickers like the aforementioned "Symphony in Black" or "The Alchemist," where singer/guitarist Jack Becker improbably channels Sabaton's Joachim Broden. I went back to the band bio several times to make sure Broden wasn't a guest on the album.

Fans of Symphony X should certainly give Outsiders a listen, as should fans of fellow Floridians Kamelot and the U.K.'s Threshold. Skyliner isn't quite at the level of those luminaries but Outsiders is a good opening salvo and I am expecting even better things from them in the future.