Following hot on from the release of their last album Reading shredders Sylosis had a few tracks left over and though fuck it, release them as an EP so here we have The Path for our listening pleasure! On a random personal note, I have played on the same shows with Sylosis live a few times back in Berkshire way back in the day when they were just cutting their teeth and to see how far they have come since then is absolutely mind boggling!
Anyway, let’s get stuck into it shall we!? It takes no time at all for Josh Middleton to take control on The Path with a passionate and driven vocal introduction that then explodes into a thrashy and relentless savaging they also manage to mix in some throwbacks to their earlier metalcore sound and the way that all the different styles interact is a beautiful thing to listen to and of course the addition of Debbie Gough is another wonderful part of the song.
Soured Ground mixes a stompy hardcore essence with another thrash attack and the mid song beatdowns and pitch harmonics hark back to the glory days of the mid 00’s when the NWOAHM was taking over everything and you can see that this was the sound Sylosis grew up on because they embrace it here so well and this song feels like a brilliant tip of the hat to their influences and Josh’s vocals are the real star here, with his breathtaking display of variety and also the guitar solos are ridiculous, what a fucking song this is!
So Above, So Below has the unenviable task of following on and of course it is done with such force and utter class you almost wonder why these tracks weren’t included on the album but you are also glad they weren’t just set aside until a later date because to sit on something this good would be an absolute crime, this is probably the most straight up metal track so far but that’s not me trying to say anything negative about it, it just follows a more straightforward musical path and doesn’t take as many twists and turns as previously, still a track most bands would kill to be able to write though!
No Saviours is a fucking blast of a tune, it has got big chugging riffs and a groove as huge as anyone could ever want, the way this track just grabs onto you and shakes you for dear life is fucking breath taking and I guarantee this will be an absolute killer track when they play it live, the pit will be a dangerous place to be! And just like that we get to the closing track Disavowed which has an almost heart breaking chorus and shows that melody is not a dirty word if you are in a heavy band, if it is done well it can be devastatingly good and here it is just that, also the guitar harmonies back everything up with such an expert sound and of course there are more shredding solos that add a crescendo to everything and they end on an absolutely devastating high.
I guess saying that these were spare tracks is a bit of an insult to the musicianship and utter brilliance that is on show here, The Path is unbelievably good and shows just why Sylosis are held in such high esteem in the metal scene, the UK has some amazing bands and these guys are now challenging to be the very best of the bunch and on this showing I really would not want to bet against them doing that with ease! Ignore this at your peril and make no mistake that this is 100% essential listening if you like any kind of heavy music. Breathtakingly brilliant stuff. 10/10
Kosmodome - Ad Undas (Stickman Records) [Rich Piva]
Kosmodome - Ad Undas (Stickman Records) [Rich Piva]
Norwegian prog psych stoners Kosmodome bring their second album to the masses, Ad Undas. I am always up for some prog with elements of stoner and psych built in, and Ad Undas is all about that, with six tracks that lean heavy on the prog side and includes some very cool instrumentation and excellent vocals throughout. You could throw some comparisons out there on the prog side like Yes and Van Der Graaf Generator, but Kosmodome’s version of prog sounds a bit more minimalist to me, in a very good way. The production is clean, but not sterile; clean in a way that let’s all of the instruments shine without overpowering each other.
The guitar and bass work perfectly with one another on the start and stop of the almost nine-minute opener, Neophobia, with the jamming at the end being the perfect example. I loved the layered vocals on Hyperion and how it gets all psych on us. There is an overtly late 60s vibe across the six tracks on Ad Undas, with this one being one that leans heavily in that direction. Obsternasig has some very cool guitar work and is on the heavier side in parts, for Kosmodome at least. The band has really perfected the quiet-loud-quiet dynamic on Ad Undas.
Dystopia picks up the pace the most of the six tracks, until it doesn’t, but then does again, which really is one of the main themes here. I dig the groove on this one, especially around the 2:30 mark. Turmoil sounds like Primus in parts (think Big Brown Beaver when the pace picks up) and is my favourite track on the record. While the closer is in the same vein as the rest of the record, and this is the conundrum for me. The one issue I had with Ad Undas is that even though it is proggy and all over the place it is still is kind of one note.
While all the songs are really good, they all really sound the same, with similar instrumentation and the start and stops, which can make the record seem to drag at points, but if you like their sound, you should dig the whole thing end to end. If not, don’t go looking for the track you like, because it is all or nothing on Ad Undas. Overall, I really dig the proggy psych vibes of Kosmodome. I am just afraid it is going to be all or nothing for the listener, but give this trip a chance as the playing and complex yet sparse compositions are very enjoyable if you like that sort of thing, and I certainly do. 7/10
Oranssi Pazuzu - Muuntautuja (Nuclear Blast) [Matt Bladen]
Yeah this is a weird one, when I first pushed play on the new record from Oranssi Pazuzu, one of those bands where I had heard the name but nothing else, I instantly thought my stereo was broken. If Hawkwind decided to replace Lemmy with Necrobutcher (I know he would have been about 8 it's a metaphor), you may get something that resembles the psychedelic extreme metal found on Muuntautuja.
Their sixth album it sees them still pushing the boundaries of heavy music defying any sort of pigeonholes with rapid shifts between black metal savagery, space rock wandering and headache inducing noise. It's weird, inventive and a little scary. Translating to shapeshifter in English Muuntautuja lives up to it's billing, sounds tracking the slow moving intergalactic evil that like the red weed in War Of The Worlds eventually suffocates everything it touches.
Oranssi Pazuzu are an audio version of Lovecraftian horror, disturbing and unearthly and while I like some parts others left me cold. But then they are a band that define 'acquired taste' your best bet is to let this infect your speakers and see where it takes you. 6/10
Oranssi Pazuzu - Muuntautuja (Nuclear Blast) [Matt Bladen]
Yeah this is a weird one, when I first pushed play on the new record from Oranssi Pazuzu, one of those bands where I had heard the name but nothing else, I instantly thought my stereo was broken. If Hawkwind decided to replace Lemmy with Necrobutcher (I know he would have been about 8 it's a metaphor), you may get something that resembles the psychedelic extreme metal found on Muuntautuja.
Their sixth album it sees them still pushing the boundaries of heavy music defying any sort of pigeonholes with rapid shifts between black metal savagery, space rock wandering and headache inducing noise. It's weird, inventive and a little scary. Translating to shapeshifter in English Muuntautuja lives up to it's billing, sounds tracking the slow moving intergalactic evil that like the red weed in War Of The Worlds eventually suffocates everything it touches.
Oranssi Pazuzu are an audio version of Lovecraftian horror, disturbing and unearthly and while I like some parts others left me cold. But then they are a band that define 'acquired taste' your best bet is to let this infect your speakers and see where it takes you. 6/10
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