Hello I'm from germany and I was coming to the side of cd-baby over links from other prog-sites. In this short time I have found a lot of good bands in this communion.
I have bought the cd from Acuity only after hearing the samples on this website because it listened very interesting. I hear prog music since the early beginnings (I am 58) so I knew all the good and brilliant works which ever came out. But I am always open for new bands and new sounds (thats the progressive side in myself...) 
So I can say this cd from Acuity is a very good piece of progressive music. All is well done. The harmonies are in the right balance to the melodic passages and its never too hard, or too frickeling.It is from all a very good mix with an ownstanding composing style. Yes nobody can invent the wheel new, but the mix here is very good prepared. The thrill - what keeps the listener to further-hear is always on the point and this is very important. You can make only a small pop song, but when the thrill is correct you become a  pearl of songwriting and this is in prog-music the same. I must not lose a word about playing their instruments, because all is on a very high level. A wonderful CD and I hope that this musicians can continue their blended work.
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Highly recommended if you like dark music that makes the uninitiated squirm. This album does not step up and shake hands with you (except perhaps the first song, which is the most accessible). Skyward took me several listens before I could understand the brilliant structures of the songs, some of which exceed 15 minutes in length. Now I am a passionate advocate. You must hear this record. I won't spend a lot of words comparing it to other artists, except to say that if it must be classified, it falls somewhere between symphonic progressive rock and metal.

The song that first got into my blood and kept bringing me back to Skyward is the third song on the album, Transcendence. It develops so delicately, gradually. After the third or fourth listen, I remember anticipating the entrance of the vocals. They do not come, and do not come, and then they are. Then you're finding melody on melody that at first you didn't recognize. And this excellent song is followed by the most disturbing song on the record, Milwaukee, which sounds like it is about a murderer, but might actually be about the media? Milwaukee was at first very difficult to listen to because it sounded so morbid at moments. But now it my favorite track and one of my all time favorite long-form rock songs. (Did I mention that Milwaukee is 22 minutes long?)

So at first I was really unsure about this album, but now I'm walking around with these beautiful melodies running through my head. I don't write reviews for Progression magazine, but I wish I could for this CD. Skyward is the most original album I have heard in years. Absolutely fantastic!
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