Sylosis
The New Flesh
Nuclear Blast Records
Reading’s Sylosis have always been revered for their excellence, and the band’s return to action in 2020 has seen them trend ever upwards. Their brand of thrash neatly marries traditionalism with modernity, and, with a focus on the almighty riff, the band’s seventh offering, ‘The New Flesh’, attempts to whip 2026 into a frenzy early doors. As card-carrying devotees of the riff, their ones snap and groove in all the right places, with the biting “All Glory, No Valour” perfectly demonstrating the breakneck beauty of the genre. The down-picked ferocity of “Spared From The Guillotine” would make a certain Mr Hetfield proud, whilst the following “Adorn My Throne” owes more to black metal than thrash in its introduction, which makes for a welcome spice. Whether it is the guitar work, rhythm section or Josh Middleton’s caustic vocals, the four-piece are on their A-game throughout.
From start to finish, ‘The New Flesh’ is an exercise in laser-focused and meticulously-crafted songs. Whether that is the anthemic chorus of “Erased”, the acoustic-led lighters-in-the-air “Everywhere At Once”, or powerhouse closer “Seeds In The River”, riffs are complemented with anthemic brushes of melody and emotive heft to delightful effect. None more so than on “Lacerations”, where Middleton’s gritty singing comes to the fore in a crushing chorus that will truly soar come festival season. ‘The New Flesh’ is an album that showcases everything about Sylosis in its best light. The riffs hit hard, the songwriting excels and their melodic touches make for plentiful memorable moments throughout. In the eighteen years since their debut, ‘Conclusion Of An Age’, the band have finely matured to become one of the UK’s finest exponents in metal. Strapping Young Lad once said it, but all hail…
https://www.facebook.com/Sylosis
Review by Lee Carter