Review SKYLINE “Human Monster”

The name Skyline is closely associated with Wacken Open Air, as the band headlined the first edition of the legendary festival in northern Germany. With Thomas Jensen and Andreas Schlüter, two of the founding members of W:O:A were part of the band that was a regular guest at the festival since 1990, but now the guys are taking the next step.

Actually, they did it already in 2019, when the band released their debut album “Uncovered”, decades after they started as a band. Five years later the next album is to be released, with Andreas Schlüter still hitting the drums with a solid punch.

“Human Monster” is the title of the band’s second album and I have to say that it is a really good rock album. A first positive signal to the rock fans was the single “Fireball”. The opener of the new album was released at the end of April and is a catchy rocker with a sing-along chorus. Bursting with energy and equipped with a powerful sound, it is the door opener for the whole album.

Anthemic, that’s the best description for the moderately paced “Under the Radar” and also “Dream Engine” has this atmospheric extra. “Hold On” is a real stomper, while it’s a heavy guitar riff that kicks off “A Whisper and A Scream”. The song combines what the title suggests, as there is a calmer verse part that grows into an energetic chorus. The song shows that there is no shortage of riff power on this album.

What comes as a positive surprise is that the album avoids a standard ballad. There is the catchy moment like in “When I Get Home”, which has a more quiet verse that leads to an explosive chorus, yet avoiding clichés perfectly.

The great moments of the album are the ones when the guitars are allowed to roar loud and untamed, like in “Running Back to You”. The album as a whole is versatile, which is also due to the dark closer “Faith Healer”. The song is a slower paced and heavily pounding tune with a hypnotic groove. It’s a great way to end the album.

It has taken Skyline decades to step out of their own shadow, being the first W:O:A headliner and a perennial festival guest. Perhaps it is the experience gained in all these years that allows the band to release a strong and powerful second album that should help establish the band beyond their roots in the northwest of Germany.