Skyharbor -- Blinding White Noise: Illusion and Chaos

8/10

Skyharbor's debut album, Blinding White Noise: Illusion and Chaos is a blend of ethereal guitar work, chugging, heavy rhythms, and soaring vocals. The band began as a solo project by Indian guitarist, Keshav Dhar. Word of Keshav's beautiful riffs soon hit the Internet, and soon he had U.S. drummer, Anup Sastry, and British vocalist, Daniel Tompkins, offering their services. Soon, a full, quite international band was formed, and an album was created for British indie label, Basick Records. Indian vocalist, Sunneith Revankar, came on board to record an additional three songs, which are found at the end of the album, and contained in some versions as "Disc 2," the Chaos to Disc One's Illusion. Truthfully, though, the harsh screaming vocals of these last three tracks contrast enough with the first seven that they do feel like an entirely different entity. Indeed, the first seven tracks, comprising nearly 35 minutes of music, make for a cohesive, excellent listen. The beautiful, effect-heavy, celestial lead guitars and Tompkins at times aggressive, at times angelic vocals mesh brilliantly with the more violent rhythm section and rhythm guitar, to create something altogether unique. Some of the choruses, like the one on track three, "Catharsis," seem to punch the sun, incredible for a seven minute song full of space. However, the entirety of middle piece, "Night," and the bridge of "Celestial" are like sonic jewels, some kind of cool, glittering oasis in the sky. It's absolutely beautiful music, still, yet always in motion.
Then there's the last three tracks. They most definitely aren't bad, per se, they're just a far less unique, when compared to the other seven. They've got more of that generic chug-chug "djent" sound, and Revankar's intense, barking screams, with only a few brief moments of melody. Thankfully, after Blinding White Noise: Illusion and Chaos' huge announcement of Keshav Dhar's talent, the band would take the "Disc One" route.


2012 Basick Records
1. Illusion: Dots 03:34
2. Illusion: Order 66 03:34
buy track 3. Illusion: Catharsis 07:08
4. Illusion: Night 02:14
5. Illusion: Aurora 04:04
6. Illusion: Celestial 07:02
7. Illusion: Maeva 06:43
8. Chaos: Trayus 04:51
9. Chaos: Aphasia 04:04
10. Chaos: Insurrection 04:44