SKYPHO, from Portugal, have already made a name for themselves, playing with some big name Portuguese bands such as MOONSPELL and PRIMITIVE REASON over the years. "Same Old Sin" is their first full length album, having released a demo CD and an E.P. in 2004 and 2007, respectively. And to put it mildly, it's awesome.

They're described as Alternative Metal, and it certainly is alternative, as they combine tribal beats into the standard Metal riffs and whatnot. It works though; it works a hell of a lot. I think it really brings a breath of fresh air into your more traditional Metal sounds whilst staying true to the roots of the music. The band hasn't been around for that long in the grand scheme of things, but you wouldn't know that from listening to this album. Everything is very polished, all the songs are tight, and every single instrument and word is crystal clear. Of course you'd expect an album produced in this day and age to be high quality what with all the technology available, but these guys really do sound like they know what they're doing. From the very beginning of the atmospheric intro "S.D.S.", to the last drawn out note of "White Bird", "Same Old Sin" is pure class.

SKYPHO are a group of very talented men. I think Tavares' vocals deserve a special mention here, singing equally brilliant in both English and his native Portuguese. He shows off an impressive range here, going from growling Doom-like vocals, to soaring Power Metal-esque singing all in one track. I have to mention the Drum and Bass contributions as well. Mixed in louder than most other albums so that they feature more prominently, they are very impressive. The tribal beats from percussionist Oliviera never feel out of place, and never feel like they've just been put in as a novelty. They really do add something extra to the music, extra depth, and take it to that next level to make this album stand out from a lot of other ones around today. They describe this as their most ambitious record to date, but they certainly haven't punched above their weight in producing this album.

So to sum up this release, there's certainly nothing sinful about this album. I was very, very impressed with this from start to finish, and it's certainly unlike anything I've ever heard before. I definitely look forward to hearing more from SKYPHO in the future.