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Notwithstanding the EU banks and the French-German axis bringing southern Europeans to impoverishment and systematic financial-related suicides, there's still someone in Greece who finds the opportunity to professionally record a debut album and release it as a digipack, as is the case of Hard rockers Skysent LU.
The lyrics tell about romantic, fantastic themes, drunk, lustful nights, and a jailbreak, but I suggest you dive into the music without paying attention to the words, because the singer's thick accent risks turning to be a downer to the song enjoyment for many English speakers.
The pair of compositions chosen to open the list, "Bob's Adventures" and "Loneliness of My Heart" decidedly fall into Hard rock with catchy vocals, groovy bass lines, and guitars that can twin their tunes or follow two separate paths: one can be Rock 'n' Roll and the other can be Heavy rock or on some occasions be tainted with Metal sounds. Excellent tracks undoubtely, where the good production helps (heavy guitar sounds and powerful kick drums), even if the cymbals sound too long.
"Few Moments" begins with an arpeggio that reminds of some Iron Maiden, whereas when the vocals become higher during delicate passages the comparisons with the latest Helloween are correct. Luckily the Greek 5-piece is able to leave their mark before the common elements become plain, thus not ruining the beauty of this musical pearl. The guitar solo seemed to me a bit bleak at the first listen but now I'm convinced about the guitar player's stylistic choice and I can't take the refrain off my mind. Amazing!
"Follow Me" has a Punk rock feeling fused with the traditional Hard rock guitar sounds; it's a lively side of the Greeks that we're happy to discover, also due to the manner they've been able to connect it with the Speed metal ending.
I guess it's not easy to get bored by "2 Seconds Late", as "Last Man's Cry" changes the cards on the table once again, based on melodic passages, stops 'n' goes, dynamic juicy riffing, and energetic outbursts, although I have to admit these songs aren't complicated but at the same time require 2 or 3 listens before being assimilated.
An exception to this is "Punishment", capable of going straight to your brain from the first approach; a brilliant composition where everything's tight, all the sounds are at their own place (except the above-mentioned redundant cymbals) and each member gives his 100%. Well done, guys!
Winding like a snake or a river in a tortuous valley, the title track hypnotizes immediately: the voice and the style are close to Ozzy Osbourne, but there're Folk tunes, too and lots of odd patterns that make it sheer Progressive metal for a good part of its length (Dream Theater and Queensryche mostly). The perfect Trojan horse to the north American/European market in my view.
With its 9 minutes "Into the Night" is the longer track, but also - surprise, surprise! - the most experimental track of the nine here included: yes there's Hard rock, but there're Epic metal overtures as well, almost Stoner breaks and sometimes Nondas seems to have had a vocal cords transplant from Bruce Dickinson ("The Number of the Beast" era). When the rhythms are softer and slower the Greeks give their best: you can definitely hear the guitarists feel at ease when they have to deliver nuances, the vocalist sing with more passion and involvement, and probably also owing to the fact he's contributed to the writing of the lyrics and the arrangements, so that he feels this song more his own. My favourite piece because it's unforeseeable, zippy and a great song after all.
"Fairytales" possesses an unforgettable refrain, while the guitarists have chosen a Modern Hard rock direction similar to Phazer's, showing a good contrast between the rhythmic and the second guitar, busy with the licks. If you don't like this song, there's something really very wrong in your mind and soul, trust me!
No-one can deny the faults cited earlier, the fact that the drummer can improve his skills, but as a first offering we can't complain too much. As with any recording created and executed with sincerity, this is an album bearing repeated listens and never ceasing to reward its listeners.

MARKUS GANZHERRLICH - Jan 30, 2012

	'*2 Seconds Late' (Self-released) MARK: 87/100*



	Notwithstanding the EU banks and the French-German axis bringing southern Europeans to impoverishment and systematic financial-related suicides, there's still someone in Greece who finds the opportunity to professionally record a debut album and release it as a digipack, as is the case of Hard rockers Skysent LU. The lyrics tell about romantic, fantastic themes, drunk, lustful nights, and a jailbreak, but I suggest you dive into the music without paying attention to the words, because the singer's thick accent risks turning to be a downer to the song enjoyment for many English speakers. The pair of compositions chosen to open the list, "Bob's Adventures" and "Loneliness of My Heart" decidedly fall into Hard rock with catchy vocals, groovy bass lines, and guitars that can twin their tunes or follow two separate paths: one can be Rock 'n' Roll and the other can be Heavy rock or on some occasions be tainted with Metal sounds. Excellent tracks undoubtely, where the good production helps (heavy guitar sounds and powerful kick drums), even if the cymbals sound too long. "Few Moments" begins with an arpeggio that reminds of some Iron Maiden, whereas when the vocals become higher during delicate passages the comparisons with the latest Helloween are correct. Luckily the Greek 5-piece is able to leave their mark before the common elements become plain, thus not ruining the beauty of this musical pearl. The guitar solo seemed to me a bit bleak at the first listen but now I'm convinced about the guitar player's stylistic choice and I can't take the refrain off my mind. Amazing! "Follow Me" has a Punk rock feeling fused with the traditional Hard rock guitar sounds; it's a lively side of the Greeks that we're happy to discover, also due to the manner they've been able to connect it with the Speed metal ending. I guess it's not easy to get bored by "2 Seconds Late", as "Last Man's Cry" changes the cards on the table once again, based on melodic passages, stops 'n' goes, dynamic juicy riffing, and energetic outbursts, although I have to admit these songs aren't complicated but at the same time require 2 or 3 listens before being assimilated. An exception to this is "Punishment", capable of going straight to your brain from the first approach; a brilliant composition where everything's tight, all the sounds are at their own place (except the above-mentioned redundant cymbals) and each member gives his 100%. Well done, guys! Winding like a snake or a river in a tortuous valley, the title track hypnotizes immediately: the voice and the style are close to Ozzy Osbourne, but there're Folk tunes, too and lots of odd patterns that make it sheer Progressive metal for a good part of its length (Dream Theater and Queensryche mostly). The perfect Trojan horse to the north American/European market in my view. With its 9 minutes "Into the Night" is the longer track, but also - surprise, surprise! - the most experimental track of the nine here included: yes there's Hard rock, but there're Epic metal overtures as well, almost Stoner breaks and sometimes Nondas seems to have had a vocal cords transplant from Bruce Dickinson ("The Number of the Beast" era). When the rhythms are softer and slower the Greeks give their best: you can definitely hear the guitarists feel at ease when they have to deliver nuances, the vocalist sing with more passion and involvement, and probably also owing to the fact he's contributed to the writing of the lyrics and the arrangements, so that he feels this song more his own. My favourite piece because it's unforeseeable, zippy and a great song after all. "Fairytales" possesses an unforgettable refrain, while the guitarists have chosen a Modern Hard rock direction similar to Phazer's, showing a good contrast between the rhythmic and the second guitar, busy with the licks. If you don't like this song, there's something really very wrong in your mind and soul, trust me! No-one can deny the faults cited earlier, the fact that the drummer can improve his skills, but as a first offering we can't complain too much. As with any recording created and executed with sincerity, this is an album bearing repeated listens and never ceasing to reward its listeners. MARKUS GANZHERRLICH - Jan 30, 2012
	Line-up on this record: Nondas Emmanouil - v. Christos Spyropoulos - g. Costas Karapetsas - g. George Silivridis + Roula Mamalis - b. Alexandros Varsanis - d. (Stefanos Malliaros - live bass player) Contacts: Elena Diamanti 56, Agious Konstatinou Str., 16346 Ilioupolis Athens - Greece E-mail: info@skysentlu.com Official sites: http://www.myspace.com/skysentlu http://www.skysentlu.com Demo-/Disco-graphy: -2 Seconds Late (CD - 2011)