The story of SILENT SKIES was when the pair first crossed paths when the Swedish singer saw American Oberlin film score graduate Shankar's engrossingly sensitive piano interpretation of EVERGREY'S "Distance" on YouTube: "I heard an instant musicality coming from him" Englund says: "he can take one chord and add one melody note and immediately you understand he has this deep musical knowledge." He sensed in Shankar a kindred musical spirit who could help him channel new forms of musical expression. A series of email exchanges between the pair gave birth to ideas of a sonic landscape rooted in cinematic score music - what they both came to see as 'films for the inner eye'. "Satellites" contains ten tracks.

"Horizons" leads off the album, opening with charming but somewhat sad piano notes.  Englund's vocals are soft and emotive. Grey skies, and rain are everywhere, but as the title suggests, there are also tones of hope on the horizon, through the grey skies. It swells to a nice crescendo towards the end, with symphonic tones in the background, ending on doleful string notes. "Endless" begins with more expressive vocals. It backs off a bit and then return with harmonic vocals high with melodic tones. It's so pretty that you forget where you are for a while and just become lost in the song.

"Dreams" is a bit of a sad tale. "What if all my dreams were just meant to dream" he croons. The loss of dreams marks the end of hope for most. "No need to remind me, I did this on my own." The sentiment here weight heavily on you. "Us" begins with alluring piano notes and strings. Englund's vocals are rousing, as are Shankar's piano passages. When they come together, it's the perfect storm of beauty. "Solitude" features some really strong harmonized vocals, that send chills down your spine. The piano provides the support for his message. It's so pretty, but a bit sad. I have always maintained that there is beauty in sadness. It picks up towards the end in both volume and beauty.

"Oceans" is a shorter piece, that begins with some background ambiance. When the piano notes come in, you get a sense of freedom. It's a message of hope in my opinion. The lyrics are just as powerful as the music here...very moving. "Here Comes the Rain Again" is indeed a cover of the 80's mega-hit. Englund and Shankar's interpretation of the song is very personal. The song has sad verses and a somewhat hopeful chorus. That is what the band portrays here as well. "Walls" is a song about the boundaries we put up for others. Whether they are arbitrary or not is insignificant. It points to us opening up more with our loved ones. "Who am I in darkness" he says. "Tear down my fortress, let these walls fall, fall down on us."

"Distance" begins with some ominous piano notes that fade when the comfortable vocals come in. From there, it is a real tear-jerker, with some wonderful piano work from Shankar, including both some beauty as well as some powerful emotions he invokes from the keys. "1999" closes the album; a short three-and-a-half minutes of just piano, reminding us of the power of the human spirit. "Satellites" album runs through all of your fears, doubts and insecurities, but in the end is a message of connection with others, and hope. For if we do not cling onto these ideas, we are destined to wander aimlessly through life without really giving our true self to anyone else. "Satellites" pushes you out the door to take your first step towards this.