BURNING SKIES - UK

Murder By Means Of Existence - 2004 - Lifeforce
Desolation... - 2006 - Lifeforce
Greed.Filth.Abuse.Corruption - 2008 - Lifeforce

Burning Skies image
  
 
Members
Vocals
MERV HEMBROUGH

Guitar
LIAM PHELAN - Ben - CHUCK CREESE


Bass
Andie - STEPHEN IVES

Drum
PHIL TOLFREE





History & Biography
Burning Skies hails from Bristol in the South West of England and plays a hardcore-influenced brand of death metal. The band was formed in 2002 by Andie, Liam and Stu and soon recorded a demo called Premonition Of Things To Come. The group soon signed with Lifeforce Records. The band announced a tour with Misery Index and Necrophagist for 2007. Album number three arrived in March (June in Canada) of 2008. Ives and Creese were new in the band. Several shows with Dying Fetus and others ensued. Burning Skies cancelled all concerts in the immediate future in October of 2008. The band’s singer Merv was reportedly attacked and beaten.


Reviews

BURNING SKIES - DESOLATION - LIFEFORCE  
Burning Skies’ Desolation is the second killer release from Lifeforce this month. The other was the equally good By Night album, A New Shape Of Desperation.
The band might be dressed like a gang of squeegee kids or gas station attendants (at best), but delivers a solid and powerful body slam the likes of which seldom come around. The Brit five take the denseness of Bolt Thrower, the heaviness of Suffocation and the vicious power of Hatesphere and turn out song and after blasting song of power metal complete with a great production. The slower parts are slamming favourites, the faster parts consciously vicious and the breaks violent as violence gets. The gang vocals could have been omitted, but Merv’s voice sounds like a desperate man’s attempt at vomiting blood. The album is thirty minutes long, but - this is a promise - gives the listener something like 300 minutes of power infusion. Let us hope that the quintet keeps setting the heavens ablaze in the same manner for albums to come. Finally, watch for the funniest sample in a while on the album’s closing cut, Could You Sink Any Lower. - Ali “The Metallian”

BURNING SKIES - GREED.FILTH.ABUSE.CORRUPTION - LIFEFORCE  
Burning Skies is a cut above other Lifeforce bands. And while the band’s singer, Merv, does bark hardcore sometimes the British exports are quite grinding and metallic making for a fabulous listen - that is if you are into ear injuries.
Thematically addressing the American empire and its evils Greed.Filth.Abuse.Corruption is a modern reminder of the exciting power of the sounds of early Bolt Thrower and Cerebral Fix. There is also some Napalm Death in its punkier moments. The band is British, but hasn’t forgotten to include leads and escapes the trap of metalcore and emo completely. Whoa! Check out these highlights: the devastating riff of To Be The Man Who Has To Beat The Man, the grinding heaviness of Spat Out And Stamped On and the massive release of energy of Emocalypse. Incidentally, to prolong the length of the review all one has to do is mention the names of several of the songs.
The new album with its new line-up is a success. - Anna Tergel


Interviews







Burning Skies