A new-ish entry from Japan in the symphonic metal category, though according to the band’s own description it’s ‘symphonic metalcore.’ But regardless of subgenre, Fathomless Skywalker has been slowly moving towards this first full-length since their 2017 inception and releasing an EP in 2018, with several singles ever since, leading up to Anthems of the Resilient. What you will get with Fathomless Skywalker is a modern mixture of power metal, bombastic symphonies, a nod towards some melodic death metal and some modern metal as well, topped with operatic vocals from Chihiro.
The band’s varied influences reflect an often energetic and potent mix of fiery metallic landscapes melded together with vivid symphonic backdrops. The orchestral arrangements were worked on by Freddy from melodeath act Serenity in Murder, and the visceral riffing patterns make a thrilling combination. One of the stand out songs, “Pirates of the Fathomless Sea,” has that seafaring atmosphere to it, but the introduction of winding riffs and soaring melodies. Some of the guitar melodies capture that old school In Flames feeling to them in a way in how jovial they sound. “REVOLUTION” starts things off with all guns blazing, with boisterous synths trading blows with heavy riffing, while Chihiro provides a potent operatic voice, one that carries plenty of weight and can hit all the proper high notes with flair. This is a track that has a more modern and thrashy feel to the riffing at times, giving it that urgent vibe as it clashes with the more traditional bombastic sound. Some properly place gang vocals only amplify the energetic flow of the track.
“POWER” is a cut that feels very European in it’s guitar melodies as well, as the uplifting nature of them has that classical sound, nodding towards NWOBHM while the thunderous impact helps it to stand out a bit in a modern way. “Paradiso” concludes things in a more classical meets metal way, delivering bombastic elements of a classical music nature while the guitars buzz equally in the foreground, while the soaring chorus should make power metal fans quite pleased and want to hit the repeat button instantly.
Similar to an act like Lovebites in that they have plenty of frantic guitar shredding and European influences nodding in their Japanese symphonic metal, Fathomless Skywalker should easily grab a foothold with a wide variety of metal fans. There’s a heavy enough feeling to pull in some modern fans, the guitar heroics to earn favor with the more traditional heavy metal crowd, and still hit the marks for their symphonic and bombastic approach. Anthems of the Resilient is a solid debut that Fathomless Skywalker can build on and grab some international ears as they continue to fine-tune their intriguing take on symphonic metal.