Review by Adam M on January 6, 2021.

This band Countless Skies seems to be carrying the flag for the newest wave of melodic death metal. Their sound is intensely melodic, but also very heavy at the same time. Some moments of this disc recalled Insomnium and many others were glorious in their own right. The proper balance has been achieved and this band pushes the genre in different new directions.

It is very easy to listen to, but also heavy enough to make an impact ac well. The weaving of influences like Insomnium and Omnium Gatherum into their sound is effective, but they still carve their own niche for themselves. While this is a very solid work it doesn’t live up to classics of the genre by the likes of At the Gates and others because it is slightly derivative sounding. This genre has been pushed to its limits, so it’s nice that a new band comes and incorporates some new dynamics to the mix. This is still a strong record, but it appears that melodic death metal might have hit a bit of a wall here because it is starting to sound very much the same in the long run. Incorporating more progressiveness to the mix will make things more interesting as this has the ability to sound standard at times. But still the nice variety of vocal styles and strong guitar work assures that this will still make its mark on the genre.

Another stellar effort in the melodic death metal style is welcome as there weren’t really that many albums of the type in 2020. Going forward though, some more interesting aspects will need to be added to keep the genre fresh and invigorating. As it stands, Glow is a highlight for 2020 and a breath of fresh air for melodic death metal music in general.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10