Review by Stephen Pedicino
I really have to give it to Nuclear Blast. Not every band on their roster may be worthy of worship, but they have an uncanny talent for acquiring new and unique bands. Sylosis are nothing less than a justification for that statement. These guys formed in 2000 and seemed to have taken their time in getting noticed. After some line-up shifts and two EPs (2006, 2007), they unleashed their full-length debut entitled Conclusion of an Age in2008. After listening, I’m certainly glad Sylosis were eventually picked up by this mammoth label. Clearly, a lot of time and effort were put into this endeavor.
“Desolate Seas” couldn’t be a more appropriate name for the intro. Gentle waves layered upon a soft acoustic guitar perfectly delineate the image of a dark, empty sea. I became engrossed in its essence, which further allowed “After Lifeless Years” to abruptly knock me on my ass with an unwavering melodic death combustion. Right off the bat, the talent of this young band is palpable. Hyper-quick guitars amidst a sharp, intelligent orchestration provide an excellent first impression.
Oooo….do I hear Dragonforce? I may not have mentioned this, but Sylosis are from the United Kingdom. I’m sure Dragonforce are mighty popular over there, so I can’t blame Sylosis for taking somewhat of an influence. Those who despise DF have nothing to fear though, for the connection can only be made with regard to the guitar solos (which you’ll notice on the first song). The rest of the music is a diverse breed of melodic death metal without the unmistakable triteness that Dragonforce are famous for.
After an amazing first track, “The Blackest Skyline” cuts in with a more standard melo-death structure. That’s not to imply we have a standard track though. The execution is perfect and Sylosis prove that they are already many steps ahead of bands trying to do the exact same thing. The distant, soft keyboard near the end also hints at an extra level of maturity. Well done! The band has stated that Bay Area thrash is a concrete influence in their music. I’d have to agree. Sylosis take the best elements from thrash, deathcore, and power metal and mix them very convincingly to form an awesome sound that I suppose we’ll classify as MDM (melodic death metal). “Transcendence” is up next. The best way I could describe the song is…… a ballsier version of Killswtich Engage. The vocal pattern and rhythm can draw some parallels, but the song is just more dominant than KSE could ever be.
“Reflections Through Fire” may be my favorite track here. Let me save ourselves some time by simply say that it has everything you could want. Whether it’s the streaming melodic pulse or robust dramatics, you’ll love how the song builds upon itself. I think I enjoy Sylosis so much because they have a progressive touch that slyly embeds itself within each song. The breaks and variation prevent any song from dragging or sounding overused, which is a sad problem in much of today’s MDM. Plus, some ethereal keys poke their head in occasionally.
Jamie Graham is our vocalist and more than competently fills the role. His range may not be the widest but he’s got some serious fire in his throat. Even better, his screams are coherent and don’t come off as overly harsh. Just what you need for good MDM! In a time when it’s nearly impossible to sound unique, his screams manage to be distinct and fit like a glove into this style of music. Clean vocals slalom in but thankfully don’t play as much of a part. Did I mention the production? A man by the name of Scott Atkins handled the production/mixing duties and did a damn near perfect job. The instruments are lucid, powerful, but not over-processed.
As I said, the guitar work is slick. Josh Middleton and Alex Bailey scratch up some terrific leads, rhythms and solo work. Being MDM, there are inevitably a lot of single note chords sprinkled across the album. This can often get tiring for the listener but these guys manage to keep it fluent and fresh. The acoustic work isn’t exactly Opeth-caliber but it shows that the band is willing to diversify their sound here and there. The drummer, Rob Callrad, keeps up with the pace and fills in all the right holes when need be. He can hold several different patterns and his feet are venerably quick. What can I say? Sylosis are simply talented.
Imagine a blend of Europeans bands like Soilwork and Nightrage, American thrash, the SLIGHTEST dose of metalcore along with a unique progressive flavor. You have a generalized description of Sylosis!
You’ll hear some very well-used keyboards placed in songs such as “The Blackest Skyline” and “Swallow the World.” Very faint, but effective. Nothing in-your-face like Children of Bodom or anything. They’re not prevalent enough to substantiate an actual keyboardist in the line-up. Hence, there isn’t one. The arrangements on Conclusion of an Age support enough life on their own without the aid of any auxiliary instruments. That’s always a good thing. Even tracks like “Withered” or “Last Remaining Light,” which may slightly sound like fillers at first, progress into fine little pieces of audible art. There truly is no chink in this albums armor! In the end we have 11 well-constructed tracks and one additional bonus entitled, “Oath in Silence.” Ok, make that 12 well-constructed tracks - all of which are aggressive, dramatic, and very mature.
THIS CD HAS BALLS. Like it or not, it surely won’t come off as weak or uninspired. Sylosis have emerged with an excellent debut which I hope garners them some hefty accolades. Their influences are evident, but this band doesn’t seem obsessed with following that beaten, watered down path of quick stardom. An overgrown swarm of mediocre wannabes have polluted this genre and abated its credibility over the years. Nowadays, I approach any new band of this genre with skepticism. Refreshingly, Sylosis seemed to ignore the standards set by many popularized names and created a genuine work of superbly talented metal. All I can hope is that they don’t end up exhausting their ideas all too soon (like several bands I know). But, after listening to Conclusion of an Age many times, I can already tell that Sylosis are capable of producing a slew of ambitious albums in the future. My hats off to you gents! Cheerio!!!