Nowadays, metal bands seem to follow one of two formulae when picking a name: either add ‘-ica’ onto the end of a random noun, or take a flyer on something really imaginative. Something like, say,
FATHOMLESS SKYWALKER. Whilst their name may sound like what might've happened if Darth Vader embraced free love instead of the Dark Side, the band’s debut album
Anthems of the Resilient — which will be released on CD worldwide on April 4th, courtesy of JPU Records — sounds pretty great.
That won’t be news to existing fans. Over half the album’s tracks have been out in some form since as early as 2020. As such, the foundations of
FATHOMLESS SKYWALKER’s sound — frontwoman
Chihiro’s soprano-inflected English vocals soaring over
Takuma’s competent riffing and intermittent symphonic bombast — are well-established by now. What’s less established is the band’s image.
FATHOMLESS SKYWALKER’s skull-and-rum-bottles logo, which was introduced with the single
Pirates of the Fathomless Sea in 2024, seemed to suggest they would adopt a permanently piratical aesthetic. However, the new songs on
Anthems of the Resilient suggest otherwise.
With its synthesized flute and koto alongside the usual symphonics, the rousing
Samurai -The Proud Warrior- has more in common with
WagakkiBand's work than
Visions of Atlantis's. The track also sees
Chihiro relax the lyrical policy, incorporating Japanese lyrics in the verses.
FATHOMLESS SKYWALKER are outspoken horror fans —
Chihiro wrote the 2021 song
Endless Flame from the perspective of "Resident Evil"’s
Ada Wong — and that passion finds its fullest expression yet in
REVENGE OF THE DEAD. An overtly narrative approach leads to a few awkward shifts in the song’s flow, but it does feature the best use of harsh vocals on the album.
Indeed, seeing as
FATHOMLESS SKYWALKER style themselves as a “symphonic metalcore” act,
Anthems of the Resilient is remarkably light on discernible metalcore influences. The resulting focus on the symphonic side of things is hardly detrimental though. It's easily one of the best albums in its subgenre to come out of Japan since Versailles and LIV MOON stopped cranking out annual releases over a decade ago.
