Countless Skies is back on stage.
But while preparing for MetalDays 2022, the English band composed of Ross King (vocals/guitar, Denali), James Pratt (guitar/vocals), Nathan Robshaw (drums, Denali) and Phil Romeo (bass/vocals), accompanied by Arianna Mahsayeh (cello) recorded Resonance, their first live album, which will be released on Willowtip Records.
Although I love live performance, I generally remain quite low-sensitive to live albums, which generally do not capture the intensity released by the musicians. However, although I have never had the chance to see Countless Skies live, I really felt a raw performance with Resonance.
As a fan of the band, I am obviously familiar with the five tracks chosen from their two excellent studio albums, but I was surprised by the place given to Arianna‘s cello. The musician had taken part in the recording of Summit, as well as in the first part of Glow, and she easily takes her marks back, but she also knows how to give depth to each of her interventions, sublimating the original tracks’ enchanting melodies, as on Daybreak, the first one, which lets speed and virulence mix with majestic patterns. We also have the raw aspect I mentioned earlier in vocals, which are perfectly mastered while remaining lively, especially during Glow, the long central track, which forces the musicians to remain extremely focused for more than twenty minutes, which obviously commands respect.
Far from being reduced to a simple cold live performance, Resonance comes to speak to our mind and caress our soul thanks to a perfect interpretation, as complex as it is, while adding a new element, the cello, by offering it a real place. Congratulations, Countless Skies.
95/100