Reviews

Young Dutch band Sky Architect have produced a solid and often stunningly brilliant debut effort, disproving anyone who thought that the progressive rock genre had been explored to the limits. Effortlessly and smoothly navigating between most corners of the art rock universe, extragavant symphonic motifs and mournful sparsely instrumented themes are provided with the same ease as surging organ and guitar driven passages, smoother jazz-tinged sequences and harder edges parts touching upon progressive metal in intensity if not in style. Those fond of breaking down compositions to try to track down possible influences should have a field day with this CD, and those who prefer to listen and immerse themselves in the music will most likely find the journey to be an intriguing one as well. As long as art rock and symphonic rock suits your taste, you will most likely enjoy this disc. And if you enjoy elaborate compositions and an overall eclectic approach, chances are that you'll cling on tight to this one for a long time. Highly recommended.
www.progarchives.com/Review.asp?id=299391

The Netherlands have finally awoken! After two great releases this year, Day Six with The Grand Design (see review) and Penny’s Twisted Flavour with Sketches (review), here’s another new and sublime progressive rock album. In this case, it’s the young band Sky Architect. After having seen them on the conservatory graduation concert of two of their members (see concert review) – which made a big impression on me – I was anxious to listen to their debut album Excavations Of The Mind. These young guys from the vicinity of Rotterdam have implemented the progressive rock sound from the seventies into the current symphonic progressive rock. And did they succeed? Yes, they did! By blending the original seventies sound with the heavier guitar-oriented bands like Pain Of Salvation, they created a unique sound. While I write this review, Sky Architect are already working on a new album in Sweden. You might say these youngsters have a lot of inspiration that has to come out one way or another. But let’s focus on this one first. Deep Chasm is the opening epic which is divided in four parts, starting with a bombastic instrumental intro that lasts for about three and a half minute. This already indicates the craftsmanship of the band. Rik van Honk’s keyboards are responsible for the link with the seventies. They really sound great and in combination with Wabe Wieringa’s guitar play, the original sound of Sky Architect was born. The other significant element is guitarist and lead vocalist Tom Luchies. His voice enters in the second part of the song. His singing gets a very special sound, especially when his voice gets doubled or when drummer Christiaan Bruin sings the second part. After a short part three that contains some fine piano play, part four returns to the previous parts with fantastic sounding keyboards, adventurous guitars and wonderful vocals. This song can compete with every epic in history! No time to give themselves a rest, because the next twelve-minute act of progression’s already waiting. The Grey Legend continues the high level Sky Architect have set for themselves. Orchestral keyboards and beautiful piano play are followed by some stunning guitars and relaxed vocals. The soaring (Hammond) keyboards give this song an awesome, back-to-the-seventies feel...
www.backgroundmagazine.nl/CDreviews/SkyArchitectExcavations.html

Honestly, I was gravely disappointed in this album upon first hearing, and I really have no idea why. I'm not saying this album is a "grower," though, because when I reluctantly played it a second time, I scratched my head and wondered what the hell I'd heard that made it such a ruinous first listen. I remain puzzled. I'm chalking it up to a bad day. Sky Architect's debut is an enigmatic labyrinth, where nearly every turn is riddled with delight. Navigating the place still proves a challenge- the musical transitions are warped and counterintuitive- even after months of hearing the album, it still manages to surprise, like those shock videos on the Internet- no matter how many times the scary face pops up over the maze, those anticipatory feelings remain in the gut. The only difference is that the feeling here isn't dread- it's exhilaration. Heavy, complex rhythms charge the listener around every corner, the vocals remain clean and satisfying, the compositions are bold and varied, and the musicians, while individually impressive, work together to craft a hair-raising rush of a musical experience.
www.progarchives.com/Review.asp?id=348760

Sky Architect is a new band from the Netherlands and they are out to revive 70's prog rock with a dash of modern prog metal. They combine some ELP-ish sounds with elements you find in Pain Of Salvation's music. Sky Architect's songs are complex, but with atmospheric passages they give the tracks a light touch. You'll get a good impression of the Dutch's sound by listening to Deep Chasm Part 2: Chime. The concept album takes you onto a journey into someone's troubled mind. It's dark, disturbing - and fascinating. And definitely ask's for your attention, this is no easy listening stuff! It's a challenge. Tom Luchies present some unusual vocal lines and sometimes seems to be a bit off track, but that's part of the concept. After the Deep Chasm suite they offer The Grey Legend which is more retro prog. Russian Wisdom is another 70's prog rock tune, but spiced up with a dash of polka! Reminds me a bit of Kulturshock... But only for a moment, then they offer more retro sounds. Rik van Honk's keyboard play seems to be influenced by Geoff Downes and Keith Emerson. The title track is a sonic roller coaster ride, and a long one as the track is almost 12 minutes long. Some passages are simply beautiful, but then ends into a total frenzy. If you love 70's prog rock then you might like Sky Architects, but be aware of the fact that some parts are more mathrock. Complex structures, melodic passages, you get it all. Are you ready for Sky Architect's Excavation Of The Mind?
www.ice-vajal.com/s/CD/skyarchitect.htm

010 is shaping up as a great year for the Dutch prog scene. If only by this release alone; Sky Architects’ ‘Excavations Of The Mind’ is throwing a high dice in my book for sure. An energetic, fresh but also a classic mix has been created on this debut album. Diverse, attractive and catchy the songs, especially ‘Russian Wisdom’ and ‘The Deep Chasm’ in all four parts. At times Sky Architect show off their musical craftsmanship and the band has every reason and right to do that, as it never sounds like bragging, as a band like Dream Theater sometimes seems to be doing. With an-expert-in-prog-rock-album-cover-design Mark Wilkinson ( Fish, Marillion, Judas Priest) the visual aspect was wisely well taken care of. 2010 just crossed the half year line and it looks like as if I should start thinking about my year top 10 already, that must be a record for me. I’m pretty sure that Sky Architect will appear in there as it is a delicious album with a perfect balance of classic and modern prog rock. “Verplichte kost”, as we say in Holland!
www.lordsofmetal.nl/showreview.php?id=16921&lang=en

The debut album from Sky Architect sees them heading the road marked symphonic prog, and mighty fine they are at it too. Even better, "Excavations Of The Mind" is (yay!) a concept album dealing with the dark and disturbing psyche of a mentally troubled man. It's complex and expansive music, yet it stays melodic enough not to scare off interested passers by. There are echoes (heh, heh) of Pink Floyd, King Crimson and Porcupine Tree in their music, but it remains original and inventive throughout. The Dutch band got together at a music school in their native land, so they're certainly good musicians. Luckily, their compositions match their technique, especially on the opening four part suite 'Deep Chasm'. Elsewhere the lengthy explorations of 'The Grey Legend' and the title track give plenty of opportunity for the discerning progster to absorb and enjoy Sky Architects new take on the building blocks of classic progressive rock.
s14.zetaboards.com/Zeitgeist/topic/6632601

...This is not an album that is easy to get a handle on as it requires a little patience but it is worth it in spades. This is complex stuff and is as quirky as it is melodic. Musical reference points would be bands like King Crimson, Gentle Giant, Flower Kings and Beardfish so if you are thinking the sound is a bit 70s retro you would be right. This is symphonic progressive rock with an eclectic edge played with a high skill level but also with a melodic sensibility that makes this album all the more intriguing. The album is chalk full of intricate instrumental parts and the fine vocals of Tom Luchies help to maintain just the right balance. Excavations of the Mind had me hooked from beginning to end. It is progressive in every sense of the word including the album's theme. The album's thought invoking concept takes us into the mind of a deeply disturbed man. Well placed spoken word segments help to move the story forward offering a greater understanding of the album's theme...
www.seaoftranquility.org/reviews.php?op=showcontent&id=9506

...In among its twists Sky Architect become exactly what you, by now, want them to be. Innovative and yet in tune with much of what has gone before. Their style dissolves and develops in equal measures delivering a rewarding and highly promising album. There is a precision, a love, a careful construction, and a deep understanding of just where they want to be that helps deliver some magical, majestic moments of fittingly epic proportions.
blogcritics.org/music/article/music-review-sky-architect-excavations-of

We are fortunate that this Dutch band is into progressive rock because with their good looks and abundant talent they would be a hit in the commercial world of Rock or Pop.They engineered,mixed,mastered and produced this themselves and did a great job overall.They spent about 2 years making this album which is a concept record that delves into the dark and disturbing psyche of a mentally troubled man. The album starts with the almost 20 minute suite called "Deep Chasm" that is divided into four sections.Each track blends into the next. "Deep Chasm Part I" is an instrumental that opens with some majestic mellotron.The music kicks in after a minute with lots of piano and fat bass lines.The tempo shifts often.The organ and guitar are prominant late as it blends into "Deep Chasm Part II".Vocals arrive right away in this mid-paced,catchy track.Mellotron before 1 1/2 minutes.It picks up after 3 minutes as we get a great sounding and uptempo instrumental section.It settles back before 5 1/2 minutes with lots of piano late as it blends into "Deep Chasm Part III".The final section of this suite(Part IV) features the return of vocals as the chorus from Part II is reprised.Spoken words a minute in.Some ripping organ after 3 minutes then it settles with guitar.it picks back up before 5 minutes and becomes pretty intense. "The Grey Legend" has this good heavy soundscape as the organ comes in with power.Vocals before 2 minutes as it settles.Mellotron follows and returns again after 3 1/2 minutes then it picks up with guitar,drums and chunky bass.Nice.It settles back after 5 minutes with vocals then picks back up after 7 minutes when the vocals stop.It's heavier 9 1/2 minutes in. "Russian Wisdom" is catchy and uptempo to start.it settles with vocals after 1 1/2 minutes then picks up a minute later as the tempo continues to change.Good song. "Excavations Of The Mind" has lots of piano early on and it gets fuller a minute in.Organ 2 1/2 minutes in.A calm with strummed guitar 3 minutes in and vocals follow.It kicks in at 4 1/2 minutes then settles back again.So good.Great sound 10 minutes in when the guitar starts to solo over top to the end. "Gyrocopter" opens with keyboards as drums and bass join in.The guitar starts to solo.Spoken words before 2 minutes then the organ comes screaming in. This has to be considered as a top five candidate for 2010, it's that good.
www.progarchives.com/Review.asp?id=307802

The first thing I can say about this album is that it is the best progressive rock debut I’ve heard this year. And let me tell you that I have been listening to a lot of music lately. Sky Architect is a brand new Dutch band that has signed with ProgRock Records for their very first album, and it is pretty easy to figure out why it must have been tremendously easy for Shawn Gordon to decide that this was a band to bet upon. The reason is quite simple: this is a winning band from the start, as the quality, scope and delivery is stellar and impressive if we consider that they are just taking their first steps...
proggnosis.com/PGRelease.asp?RID=31795

...In Excavation Of The Mind, Sky Architect have created a seamless musical mélange of the heavy and delicate, the fierce and melodic, the power and subtle. The albums songs are made up of excellent and well-executed musical ideas, a satisfying equilibrium between heavier sections and calmer grounds. The songs are driven by the aggressiveness of the electric guitar on one side and the delicacy of the keyboards and acoustic guitar on the other. The music can be almost metal-heavy at one point and then calm down and turn into a refined acoustic passage and then continue into a keyboards-drenched prog extravaganza. The band writes multi-section songs, with those opposing each other in tempo and spirit, but complement each other very well. The songwriting is balanced between creating beautiful harmonic choruses and energetic and high-paced instrumental passages (such as in Deep Chasm pt. 2). Indeed, I feel there is a well-balanced instrumental to song ratio. In fact I feel that their instrumental side is their stronger side. The musical passages in The Grey Legend are a delight to listen to and wonderfully executed. They never veer off for too long from the main theme and always have a way of connecting all the song's various parts nicely together. With the albums two opening pieces (Deep Chasm and The Grey Legend) being quite epic in scope, the band shows its capabilities in writing shorter but as compelling songs in the catchy Russian Wisdom. Even here, in a mere 5 minutes they manage to create various different sounding sections and fuse them with impressive ease. The closing track, Gyrocopter is too a short piece, an intense and powerful tune that I'd love to have heard developed more...
www.progarchives.com/Review.asp?id=304326

The most interesting thing about this release for me personally is the fact that SKY ARCHITECT is coming from my hometown city of Rotterdam! They are a young five-piece band formed at the well-known CODARTS, which is a school/university for music students and that is also the place where they recorded their debut CD ‘Excavations of the mind’ in 2008. Now the album has been released on the big PROGROCK RECORDS label and for me it is also the first time I get to hear this talented band. Finally, 5 young guys playing pure Progressive Rock a la 1970s GENESIS, FLAMBOROUGH HEAD, THE FLOWER KINGS, PORCUPINE TREE, KING CRIMSON, GENTLE GIANT, so with a slight theatrical quirky part added here and there. They do it very well and are mainly focused on the complex instrumental parts in each of the 8 included songs on the CD. The first 4 songs form together the concept ‘Deep chasm’, with some long instrumental passages in between, while the other 4 tracks are the typical one-off Progrocktracks. One way or the other, all together this is a very strong pure Progrock CD, which will be loved by fans of the mentioned bands and it is by far one of the best Rotterdam based recordings in a long time! Also check out the beautiful artwork of MAIDEN/PRIEST/MARILLION rock-illustrator MARK WILKINSON, of whom we reviewed recently a fantastic book filled with all his work.
strutterzine.angelfire.com/HOTNEWREVIEWS.htm

...The storyline behind the album is somewhat dark one and it focuses on what is going on in the mind of the mentally disturbed man and the story translates well into the melodies and music. The front cover was designed by the legendary illustrator Mark Wilkinson who has worked with both Judas Priest and Marillion and while the cover looks good I find it not at all representative of the music and the story of the Excavations Of The Mind. By the way, is it me or does the individual on the front cover look like Fish? Anyway, Sky Architect have created one of the finest prog rock records of this year so do you self a favour and invest your money and time in it.
metal-revolution.com/plugins/content/content.php?content.3064