Skyglow - Thousand Years of Terror

It’s not every day you get a 40-minute lecture on the horrors of Russian history. Then again it is not every day that you come across a band like Skyglow. If you like stories about political instability, violence, and starving villages told in Progressive Death Metal form: meet Skyglow and their debut album Thousand Years of Terror.

Skyglow formed out of the brainchild of vocalist Alexander Mokin in 2012. Mokin’s upbringing in the poor town of Saratov made him grow up with aggression toward his nation’s government. After years of struggling and some minor lineup changes, Skyglow was able to record their debut album and tell their story to the world.

Thousand Years of Terror opens with that heavy-sounding track you should come to expect from a band of this magnitude. There are few things more metal than barking against the establishment, which the opener “Sacred-Deceit” does well. “Limitless Fog of Anguish” takes us to the minds of innocent civilians losing their sanity and dying from deteriorating health or suicide. The gory details come in full-form on “Losing Humanity” where lyrics of soldiers being sent to their imminent death are met with some brilliant guitar work from Sergey Stepanenko.

“Thousand Years of Terror” describes the full tale of the terror going on in Skyglow‘s home country from the first atrocities done in the 10th century. “A New Age” gives us the rise of the Bolshevik party in the 20th century and tells how the new leaders ruled in the same totalitarian way which doomed the nation’s people once again. There is some great instrumental work throughout this track. “…And the Circle Closed” ends off the album with a thrilling instrumental.

The album is spectacular from start to finish. What makes this band even more impressive is that not only is there an online lyric sheet on the band’s website, but it gives details on the lyrics and the inspiration behind the songs. That is awesome in every regard. I wish this band the best of luck and hope they can continue their dream.

The great thing about metal music, or any music really, is that even in times of anguish and despair, people can find the will to express their thoughts and emotions in an insightful way. Skyglow is able to truly capture a thousand years of terror on their great album, Thousand Years of Terror with feelings of agony and sorrow. This is music trying to make a difference. This is music at its finest.

Thousand Years of Terror was released on June 30, 2018 on Inverse Records.

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