Review: Secrets of the Sky – Pathway

Secrets of the Sky
Pathway

Metal Blade
Street: 05.19
Secrets of the Sky = Anathema + Katatonia + Paradise Lost

Aside from being a passable stab at the mopey doom style of the late ’90s and ’00s, Pathway is a pretty forgettable album. Most tracks trundle along at a middling, melancholic pace, eventually dissolving into ambient sound interludes that feel like they belong to a completely different album. Garrett Gazay’s voice is probably the most cringe-worthy aspect of the experience, wavering from Mikko Kotamäki–style growls to an angst-ridden Jonas Renske whine. There are tracks on this album that give me a little hope—“Angel in Vines” has a pretty solid mid-period My Dying Bride feel, and the synth melodies on “Eternal Wolves” call The Vision Bleak to mind—it’s just that there’s just not enough of these moments to really justify the 46 minutes you’ll spend listening to Pathway. –Henry Glasheen