One
Following his self-imposed exile from music, former Mallory Knox vocalist Mikey Chapman is back. After a period of self-evaluation Chapman has joined forces with guitarist Luke Hicks to create Black Sky Research. Having debuted the single ‘Light up the Sky’ earlier this year, the band have now released their first EP ‘One’.
With Chapman’s distinguished vocals at the forefront there are of course Mallory Knox comparisons to be made, but on ‘One’ the band show an expansive sound that truly harnesses Chapman’s vocal power. Opening with ‘Light up the Sky’ the EP is full of peaks and valleys, crashing guitars and melancholy preludes punctuated by Chapman’s soaring vocals.
The EP is conceptual in nature and over the course of five songs details the protagonists fight to find his love during the chaos of the end of the world. ‘Midnight’, ‘Twilight’ and ‘Transmit’ all continue the story whilst laying the foundations for the band’s future sound.
There is plenty here for fans of Chapman’s previous band, equally however there is plenty to dissect from the storytelling point of view. Some lyrics almost feel autobiographical in nature as Chapman makes a statement of intent. On the EP’s finale ‘Dawn’, Chapman sings of second chances and this EP feels like a second chance for Chapman to showcase his immense talents.