Anova Skyway

In troubled times, music is one of the only things we can trust. Blessed with a far-reaching musical philosophy, virtuoso chops and some of the most richly-layered and evocative music currently available to human ears, Anova Skyway are manifestly a band that open-minded music lovers can believe in. Masters of a unique and ever-evolving strain of elegant and finessed progressive metal, and with an unerringly soulful and emotionally resonant thematic outlook, the Texan quintet are poised to scale new and greater heights in 2020, as they unveil the next chapter in their creative story. Anova Skyway was originally conceived as a side-project for guitarist Mike Palacios, then a member of Houston, Texas-based thrash crew Bloodvoid. As that band entered a prolonged hiatus in 2009, Anova Skyway swiftly became Palacios’ main focus, as he explored more progressive and esoteric forms of heavy music, the nascent group’s line-up completed by drummer Mike Marksberry (also ex-Bloodvoid) and guitarist Andrew Alvarez. The arrival of vocalist Garret West in 2015 led to a significant refining of the Anova Skyway sound, as showcased on debut album A Great And Sudden Change that same year. But further evolution was coming: after bassist Corey Miles joined the band in 2017, the Texans released their second full-length, dazzling conceptual splurge A Light In The Darkness, heralding the blossoming of the quintet’s creative relationship and revealing a new, improved and utterly irresistible take on the modern prog blueprint. You might even call it “prog-ternative”… “Yeah, that is a fitting title because it reminds us where our roots are,” says singer Garret West. “They’re in the music of alternative and metal bands from the ‘90s like Soundgarden, Faith No More, Alice In Chains, Sepultura, Meshuggah and Pantera. We also have a strong prog influence from artists like Rush, King Crimson, Karnivool, and Devin Townsend.” With such a diverse array of inspirations and a shared desire to transcend them, Anova Skyway have also been wise enough to build relationships with other, like-minded artists. Fundamental to their material over the last few years is Louis Abramson of NYC prog icons Jolly, who worked with the Texans on A Light In The Darkness and who has taken a similarly important role during the crafting of their latest material. “Louis was (and still is) a major musical influence for us. We were introduced to him by our good friends in the band Oceans of Slumber back in 2015. Louis took an interest in what we were trying to do and has been pivotal in our writing process ever since. He produced our last album and helped transform our sound immensely, which we loved. We created it completely through file-sharing with him. Technology is an amazing thing!” Since the release of A Light In The Darkness, Anova Skyway have continued their mission to evolve and enlighten. Over the last few years the band have played shows with the likes of Pain Of Salvation, Dead Letter Circus and friends and Houston peers Oceans Of Slumber, generating a vast amount of goodwill and a deafening buzz in the process. Meanwhile, the five-piece have also been working ever harder on the fine-tuning of their genre-blending sound, culminating in the completion of their first new song in three years, Diet Of Worms. A sneak preview of Anova Skyway’s forthcoming EP, once again recorded in collaboration with Louis Abramson, the band’s latest sonic statement is another self-evident leap forward: a bold, artful and thrillingly idiosyncratic show of artistic strength, replete with anthemic melodies and a blizzard of ingenious ideas. -Dom Lawson

Houston, TX