COUNTLESS SKIES is an English melodic death metal band, formed in 2009 as HATESPIRE but changed to their current name in 2012—they are named after the BE'LAKOR song of the same name.  "Glow" is their second full length album; they also released a self titled EP in 2014. The band wears its main influence right on the sleeves, which would be BE'LAKOR.  I also hear some INSOMNIUM and OMNIUM GATHERUM in their music as well, tho I don't know if either of them have had a direct influence on the band itself.

Despite the myriad other melodic death metal band I hear throughout "Glow," I must say that COUNTLESS SKIES have definitely come into their own and developed their own sound.  These influences are not merely copied but instead used to breathe new life into the genre. Although I wish the album was a bit more aggressive in parts, there is no denying how powerful the music is across the seven tracks and forty five minute run time.  Often times, the only adjectives that could describe the music would be gorgeous and heartwarming.  The many layers that make up their melodic melancholy stack up to form songs that just tug on the heart strings, in often inspiring ways.

Most of it is owed to the band's impeccable song writing skills and how they take harmonies, melodies, and good ol fashion death metal and build songs that sound unique from each other, other bands, yet pay homage to all things melodeath. The production covers the rest.  Whereas "New Dawn," featured production values with a nice sheen cover it, "Glow" takes a different approach.  The mix is near perfect but it isn't quite as slick with the production values.  That glossy, protective shield has been replaced by a warmer presence and much more open sound that sounds very inviting.  The album's very sound pulls you through the seven musical landscapes like strolling through a much remembered setting with an old friend you haven't seen in years; it seems familiar yet there is still a sense of discovery.  Each track is its own complete adventure but also serve as side quests that culminate to the overall adventure and finality of the title track trilogy.

"Tempest," opens the album with gentle, clean tones like an early morning sunrise that brings with it the promise of a new day.  The brightness grows as Ross' death growls cut through.  His approach is low, somewhat gravely but intelligible.  The chorus shows off his clean vocals, this time a bit high pitched but full of emotion.  The middle portion of the song captures the song's early moments but the drums and bass keep it rolling smoothly. The song's outro is a delicious melody that caps the experience off nicely. "Tempest" is a great opener and song as it sets the tone for the rest of the album but the best is yet to come.

It isn't hard to see why "Summit" was chosen as a single to represent the album before release.  It has a bountiful intro, what with the bass drums and melodies leading into the cleans.  Melodies boost the vocals until the death growls explode outward and the song kicks into high gear.  The drums double down on the intensity, giving this song an edge that "Tempest" seemed to have avoided.  The middle portion is just beautiful, the bass jamming underneath clean tones.  It gets heavy with atmosphere and the moment hangs there for a few graceful seconds before a galloping guitar tone precedes soaring clean vocals.

"Moon," sounds more playful than the previous two tracks, a sort of jaunty, care free melody in the song's early moments before the death metal elements come in.  There is a quick progressive style section around the 2:50 mark that throws in a welcomed change.  The guitar solo is absolutely the definition of emotive playing and I loved how it ramped up with energy yet still stayed so moving as it went along.

"Zephyr," has a progressive rock sound throughout it, especially the early moments.  The clean vocals are lush and serene, as are the instruments.  The first couple minute of this song is so laid back that it is hard to believe that could get heavy but it does but not in an explosive way.  It is a more methodical approach, just another layer to lay down atop this melodic tapestry.  The death growls are especially potent here and I found the last few minutes of this song to be among the strongest moments on the album.

And now we come to the centerpiece of the album, the title track "Glow."  It is actually divided up into three parts and I honestly cannot decide which part is better.  If I had the time, I might be able to right a two page review on each part, such is wonderful content.  I can't go in that in depth but I can say that I think that all the parts of "Glow" together is one of the best songs I have ever heard in melodic death metal.  That's saying a lot because I've been a fan of the genre for twenty years.   These three parts are so special that even if the other songs sucked, the album would still be worth your money and time.

"Glow Part 1" begins it all with bass and drums at the forefront, both of which are atmospheric, melodic, yet strong and forceful.  Like a flower reaching for the sun, the rest of the band comes in and grows high and begins to turn it into this beautiful thing. Heavy distortion meets more ambient moments and melodic guitar.  The vocal passage at the 2:35 mark is the best clean voiced moment on the entire album. It's epic, thought provoking, and challenges the listener to dissect the song even as they enjoy it.  The death growls that fall in behind are just as powerful and even show hints of menacing tones, as do the riffs that follow.  The song fades out with smooth guitar melodies into the next part.

"Glow Part 2" begins with a quick rumble of drums just as the guitar solo from the previous part ends.  The music is obviously different but it compliments what came before while creating its own feel and journey.  This one is a more intense and seems to be showing a somewhat different aspect of the same experience.  The bass and guitars are among the most intense on the album, lending a hint of danger and trepidation to the beauty that surrounds it.  That's kind of what life is, right?  Beauty with moments of darkness within.  Wow, an album making me thing like this...just another reason why metal is so misunderstood and underrated, even something with death metal elements.
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he last part is a sort of mix between the first two, what with an even better balance between the band's light and dark personalities.  The spoken word and lead guitar build an epic sound and when those keys mix in...its just near beyond words on how emotional this song is.  Minus the spoken word, half the track is instrumental, a clever dirge of the band's own personalty and traditional melodies coming together.  The death growls come in at 4:18 to bring the song into homerun mode.  From this moment on, the band is firing on all cylinders and display the full power of melodic death metal.

COUNTLESS SKIES are still such a young man but have already made several grand statements in their career.  There are quite a few new(ish) melodic death metal bands that are leading the genre into the future but I'm not sure if most of them are as adapt to do so as COUNTLESS SKIES.  With "Glow," they have discovered their sound and set themselves on an unstoppable path.