Mixing symphonic power metal with blackened vocals is not entirely new, as there is a large number of (mostly) Finnish bands following the lead of Children Of Bodom in this style. Add Sweden's Skyfire to that list, as Timeless Departure is a speed/symphonic power metal romp, with keyboards as important to the sound as the guitars. The scratchy black vocals are pretty one-dimensional, but they also aren't mixed terribly high. The contrast between the melody of the riffs and the harsh anti-melody of the vocals is striking, even more so than in other similar bands. Though this style isn't unique, Skyfire execute it quite well, and thus certainly deserve to be mentioned in the same breath as bands such as Kalmah and Norther .