Sky Architect is a progressive rock band based in Rotterdam, Netherlands. Their debut album, ''

Excavations of the Mind ''Excavations of the Mind'' is the debut album by Dutch progressive rock band Sky Architect. It is a concept album about the mentally insane. The first four tracks are parts of a 19-minute suite Deep Chasm. The album cover artist, Mark Wilkinson, ...

'', was released in 2010 from ProgRock Records. The drummer and backing vocalist, Christiaan Bruin, is also known for his solo project "Chris". They are currently signed to FREIA Music.

Biography

Sky Architect was formed in 2006 by three young men studying at a pop academy in Rotterdam, Netherlands: Wabe Wieringa (guitar), Rik van Honk (

keyboards Keyboard may refer to: Text input * Keyboard, part of a typewriter * Computer keyboard ** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping ** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware Music * Musi ...

) and Christiaan Bruin (drums). These three men laid the foundation of Sky Architect, forming an instrumental power trio of sorts. While studying, the three met Tom Luchies (vocals and guitar) and Guus van Mierlo (bass guitar), who completed the final Sky Architect lineup. Through the years, the band wrote and recorded their debut album, released in 2010. The album got generally good reviews from multiple notable reviewing sources, including ''

BlogCritics Blogcritics is a blog network and online magazine of news and opinion. The site was founded in 2002 by Eric Olsen and Phillip Winn. Blogcritics features more than 100 original articles every week, and maintains an archive of all its published con ...

''. In a post on their official website, the band announced a new album called ''

A Dying Man's Hymn ''A Dying Man's Hymn'' is the second studio album by Dutch progressive rock band Sky Architect released on 6 June 2011 on Galileo Records. The album art was drawn by Mark Wilkinson Mark Wilkinson (born 3 October 1952) is an English illustrat ...

''. This album was released on June 6, 2011. The band's latest album, ''Nomad'', was released June 16, 2017.

Style

Although Sky Architect fits nicely into the genre of progressive rock, they can be characterized by many of the genre's subgenres. The debut album shows influence of 70's progressive rock outfits, such as symphonic rock bands

Yes Yes or YES may refer to: * An affirmative particle in the English language; see yes and no Education * YES Prep Public Schools, Houston, Texas, US * YES (Your Extraordinary Saturday), a learning program from the Minnesota Institute for Talente ...

and Gentle Giant, and proto- progressive metal band King Crimson (along with other modern-revival prog bands such as The Flower Kings). Away from 70's influence, the band also showcases influence from modern progressive metal bands such as

Dream Theater Dream Theater is an American progressive metal band formed in 1985 under the name Majesty by John Petrucci, John Myung and Mike Portnoy while they attended Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts. They subsequently dropped out of the ...

, Pain of Salvation,

Opeth Opeth is a Swedish progressive metal/rock band from Stockholm, formed in 1990 by lead vocalist David Isberg. The group has been through several personnel changes, including the replacement of every original member; notably Isberg in 1992. Mikael ...

, and with

psychedelic rock Psychedelic rock is a rock music Music genre, genre that is inspired, influenced, or representative of psychedelia, psychedelic culture, which is centered on perception-altering hallucinogenic drugs. The music incorporated new electronic sound ...

band Porcupine Tree. There is also quite a bit of

Jazz fusion Jazz fusion (also known as fusion and progressive jazz) is a music genre that developed in the late 1960s when musicians combined jazz harmony and jazz improvisation, improvisation with rock music, funk, and rhythm and blues. Electric guitars, ...

appearing on the album, especially on the Deep Chasm suite.

Discography

* ''

'' (2010) * ''

'' (2011) * ''

A Billion Years of Solitude A, or a, is the first letter and the first vowel of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''a'' (pronounced ), plural ''ae ...

'' (2013) * '' Nomad'' (2017)

Personnel

* Wabe Wieringa – guitar, producing * Rik van Honk – synthesizer, piano,

mellotron The Mellotron is an electro-mechanical musical instrument developed in Birmingham, England, in 1963. It is played by pressing its keys, each of which pushes a length of magnetic tape against a capstan, which pulls it across a playback head. A ...

Hammond organ The Hammond organ is an electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond and John M. Hanert and first manufactured in 1935. Multiple models have been produced, most of which use sliding drawbars to vary sounds. Until 1975, Hammond organs generated s ...

, backing vocals * Christiaan Bruin – drums, backing vocals * Tom Luchies – guitar, lead vocals, backing vocals * Guus van Mierlo – bass guitar

References

External links

Sky Architect.com

Sky Architect on MySpace
* Sky Architect on AllMusic {{Authority control Dutch progressive rock groups Dutch progressive metal musical groups Jazz fusion ensembles Musical groups established in 2006