Band:	Hyskal
Album:	Insight
Style:	Progressive metal
Release date:	March 20, 2005
A review by:	Jeff

Prologue
01. Rencontre (Part.1)
02. Rencontre (Part.2)
03. Petit Homme
Episode I
04. Rouge
05. Vertige
Episode II
06. Mensonges
07. Introspection
08. Ira
Episode III
09. Insight
10. Requiem
Epilogue
11. Passage
12. L'Eveil

Hyskal is a new young French combo which plays a good Progressive and powerful Metal. Hyskal is a promising band, which proposes an original Metal, with French lyrics and above all, Saxophone... interesting isn't it? I think so, and I understand why Michael Lepond himself said that we can hope something really nice for the future of this band.

When we listen to Hyskal, we are in front of classic Progressive Heavy Metal, some parts of the music especially the French lyrics, remember me some bands like Manigance, but of course Hyskal is also original, especially because of this uncommon instrument for a metal band, the Saxophone, instrument which gives its jazzy influences to a Progressive music and yeah that's a good thing. The progressive aspect of the music of Hyskal is interesting, you have a lot of complex riffs, guitar and keyboards solos, and the band don't suffer a lot of the comparison with some other famous bands which play the same music. Plus, that's not boring, and you know like me that it can be the case sometime with the progressive Metal band, but with Hyskal that's not a technical demonstration, that's not too much. Actually, I don't find a lot of bad points with this band, but I must say however, that sometime some songs are a bit weak? The punchy aspect that we can find on some songs is missing on some others and that's a bit sad because at the end this album is a bit unequal. That's something which will change I'm sure on the next album which will be as I know, a bit more aggressive.
Note at the end, the excellent artwork of the album by Cyrken a young artist that we will have to follow... This album is a nice and honest release which will, I hope, give the luck to this band, to know the success that they deserve?

The first album of Hyskal, "Insight" is a nice first shout for a promise band. All is not perfect, but only deaf and blinded people can't see that we are in front of a really promising combo. The only thing that I would like to see is a confirmation with maybe a bit more of enthusiasm on their new album. If they know how to put some more "fury" on their upcoming album, then for sure we will have something great.