While the power metal scene in Western Europe is growing staler by the minute, with so much pop music with distorted guitars dominating the festival bills, there are fortunately plenty of other places to look for good bands. Slovenia’s SkyEye, for instance, has found a nice niche for itself with a more traditional-leaning style of power metal songwriting. Thanks in part to the contemporary, crunchy production style on their new album ‘New Horizons’, however, SkyEye sounds timeless rather than a nostalgia-fueled retro band. Their excellent songs and the fantastic vocals by Jan Leščanec truly set them apart from the Euro-metal pack.

Stylistically, SkyEye nimbly walks the tightrope between traditional heavy metal and turn-of-the-century German power metal, with a very distinct hardrock vibe when it comes to the vocals. While SkyEye’s riffs are far too muscular to mistake them for an AOR band, they do seem to realize they have an ace up their sleeves with Leščanec’ clean-yet-raw voice, and give him the room he needs to excel. The lyrics of ‘The Voice from the Silver Mountain’ betray the influence of Ronnie James Dio, though he has a little more sandpaper on his vocal cords, bringing to mind David Readman or Jørn Lande at his roughest.

First impressions count for a band that might not yet have the international following some Western European bands do, and SkyEye made sure they made an impact, no matter what you hear first. Opening track ‘The Descenders’ is a strong heavy metal track constantly pushed forward by Jurij Nograšek’s driving drums. It also has a fantastic chorus. First single ‘Railroad of Dreams’ is the most accessible hardrocker here, though what really makes it shine is how the memorable melodies and the ballsy riffs balance each other out. ‘Nightfall’ is a catchy power metal track built on insistent double bass triplets and triumphant guitar harmonies.

SkyEye doesn’t just do meat-and-potatoes heavy metal, however. They occasionally get a bit more theatrical, resulting in the midtempo darkness of the powerful ‘Saraswati’ and the almost cinematic nature of the lengthy closing track ‘1917’. ‘Forgotten Nation’ stylistically finds itself somewhere between those extremes: its awesome intro and the excellent guitar arrangement of the chorus dial up the drama of the song, but at its core, it’s still a fairly uncomplicated headbanger with some great riffs. Another thing that stands out about ‘New Horizons’ is how much Primož Lovšin’s rumbling bass sound enhances the bottom end. Quite rare in contemporary melodic metal.

Anyone looking for a shot of heavy and power metal adrenalin should give ‘New Horizons’ a shot. It simply has everything one could want from a heavy metal album, no matter what era it’s from: powerful riffs, melodies that will staple themselves to the back of your head, driving rhythms, and a fantastic singer. The slight touch of hard rock in the songwriting department does make the band stand out a bit, especially in an era when that combination usually means slathering things in glossy eighties synths. SkyEye is a powerful, no-nonsense heavy metal band first and foremost. And a good one at that.

Recommended tracks: ‘The Descenders’, ‘Forgotten Nation’, ‘Sarasawati’