Skylake - The Deep Dive

Skylake – The Deep Dive

Rock Company

Wow! After eight years, Skylake is back with a beautifully varied progressive rock album. They are still a young band, but they sound remarkably mature. Their musicality shines through in every second. What's even more impressive is their DIY approach: they compose as a collective, bassist Charlie Feld designed the stunning artwork, and Bart Laan (guitars, flute, cello, vocals) handled the excellent mixing and mastering.

The band features a unique lineup: alongside Bart and Charlie, there is the stellar drummer Arjan Laan, and unique lead vocalist and harpist Suzan van den Engel. On this album, Skylake is also joined by backing vocalist Arianne van Nieuwenhuijsen.

The Deep Dive features eight tracks exploring themes of horror stories, insomnia, and hardship. Yet, despite these heavier topics, the album never feels overly dark or somber. Lead vocalist Suzan van den Engel delivers an absolutely captivating performance—her voice is warm, expressive, and rich. Combined with her exquisite harp playing and Bart Laan’s cello (listen to "Nowhere to Go" for some truly magical moments), it gives the band a distinct and original soundscape. Bart’s flute work and his technically and melodically sublime guitar playing further enhance this unique identity.

Skylake crafts truly breathtaking melodies, seamlessly shifting from subtle, intimate passages to heavy riffs and back again—all while maintaining a style that is entirely their own.

The album opens with "Haunted", which builds towards an explosive climax before concluding softly with flute, harp and cello. Simply gorgeous. From there on out, it’s one gem after another.

Does progressive rock have a future? Absolutely—because Skylake has delivered an absolute masterpiece!