CD Review: Red Skies – “Iron Sun”

When you hear the phrase Red Skies, plenty of things come to mind – a colorful sunset, the Four Horsemen of the apocalypse, the plural version of the best song off Thrice’s Vheissu, and now you can add one more - Montreal metal - thanks to Iron Sun, the latest release from Canadian metallers Red Skies. Combining elements of prog-metal ala fellow Canadians Protest the Hero and the devastating sensibilities of August Burns Red, Iron Sun is sheer destruction incarnate, track upon track of shattering riffs and immersive atmospheres (“Rough Sleepers,” “Hemlock,” “Norrin Radd”), cut every now and again with revitalizing clean melodies for an air of brevity. Gloomy ballad “Sonder” breaks things up in somber fashion, though the following “Concept Citizen” brings Iron Sun right back into the grime. The closing tandem of “Apostle” and “Iron Sun” finds Red Skies at their height of devastation, which is surely saying something when looking at how good the rest of Iron Sun is. This is a damn promising record.   

Grade: B+

Go Download: “Rough Sleepers”