Origin:	Chicago, IL, USA
Genres:

Empyrean Sky

This Chicago trio consists of three guitarists (one who sings and programs drums, with the basswork done by a former member), forming in 1997 and self-releasing an album, The Snow White Rose Of Paradise, in 2004. Paradise is an impressive mixture of traditional metal, melodic death metal and a more progressive edge, at times in the same arena as, say, Into Eternity. With three guitarists going at it, there are naturally riffs aplenty, but this isn't a guitar solo exercise, as the songs are well constructed and well developed. The drum programming is fine, good enough so that one rarely is reminded that it's not a live drummer. The vocals alternate effectively between rough and clear, providing a nice contrast and heightening the diversity of the overall sound. This band seems to be operating well under everyone's radar, but there's quite a bit of potential here.