Haunting Skies are an American prog metal band with plenty of musical talent. The band can definitely play. The riffs on their album “Into the Ether” are solid from the opening of “Manifestation.” The problem I have with the album is that the clean vocals by Jesse Walker sound off key. It might just be the tone of his voice but I have a hard time getting past it.

The good news is that Walker’s harsh vocals are solid. It seems to be his mid to upper range that are the issue. He falls off of notes or just misses them. The first notes on “Exploring the Mothership” are nowhere near where they need to be. It’s a shame because the music underneath is often quite good. This is just a matter of getting better over time.

Musically, the band have that Dream Theater, Fates Warning, old school prog metal vibe while also channeling modern bands like Haken. In some ways, “Into the Ether” reminds me of Dream Theater’s “When Dream and Day Unite.” The talent is there but vocally things are just off.   Maybe people won’t mind it like I do and if that’s the case, I think a lot of people will enjoy Haunting Skies. For me, I really can’t get into it. I’ll await their next outing and see where they are headed.

Rating: 5/10

Tracklist:
1. Manifestation
2. Exploring the Mothership
3. Redeemer
4. Dead Once Again
5. Eating Clocks
6. Puppets with Perception
7. I Foresee Catastrophe
8. The Beginning Is Near
9. Vacant of Memory

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