SKIES DARKEN

When Citizen Cain's Skies Darken begins with "The Charnal House," I get the impression they have gone Metal as the aggressive attack of guitars recalls more Dream Theater or Tool than their previous Genesis inclinations. Then Cyrus comes in with his beautiful Gabriel-esque vocals and Stewart Bell with his lilting piano and keyboard work and all is right with the world. There is much of this new-found aggression on Skies Darken that at times even bring to mind Red-era King Crimson. The lyrics reveal a darker side to fairy-tales and fables, and that inspiration moves the music to this harder edge. Melodic Progressive Metal is an interesting combo in the hands of Citizen Cain (or is that Xitizen Xain?). Newest member guitarist Phil Allen fits in really well and takes songs like "The Charnel House" and "Lost In Lonely Ghosts" to another level. He has seamlessly adapted himself to the hallmark of the Citizen Cain sound, the rolling in unison instrumental sections with sudden stops and starts and slightly different modal shifts that sets Citizen Cain apart from their contemporaries. Also, Skies Darken often moves and feels like a harder edged early Genesis, and the whole fairy tales gone bad and mythological aspect of the stories they are telling just sets this release over the top for me. Recommended for sure. 5 Stars for me!