Sylosis - Cycle of Suffering (2020)

After a super busy touring schedule since joining Architects since mid-2016, Josh Middleton and company finally return with their crushing fifth full-length release “Cycle of Suffering”. Building up on their powerful Melodic Death/Thrash Metal sound, this release unleashes 50 minutes of crafty music filled with intricate guitars and punishing aggression. Like no time has past, this release continues the band’s legacy of well crafted brutality and melody.

Quickly getting in the listener’s face, “Empty Prophets” delivers an exquisite balance of crunchy riffs and crafty guitar leads. Others might prefer the more melodic and mellow side of the band with tracks like “I Server” and the album title track delivering a unique mixture of Death-like guitars and intricate melodic passages. The headbanging value of the band’s music is unrivaled as we can enjoy sweeping transitions from dramatic melodic passages into brutal agressive onslaughts thanks to Josh Middleton’s harsh vocals.

Our favorite song has to be the nifty “Calcified” and its very Death/Cynic-esque old-school Tech-DM vibe. There is just something about the band’s ability to craft intricate songs that are both engaging and intense that keeps the listener hooked with Sylosis. Another appealing thing about the band’s music is that most songs are less than 5 minutes long, keeping them packed with power, no filers, and full of rawness and crafty musicianship with punishing tempo changes.

Finishing with the mellow “Abandon”, we are left quite impressed and fully satisfied with “Cycle of Suffering”. Josh Middleton and company know how to deliver a brutal release filled with technical prowess and a solid melodic edge. If you are a fan of Thrash-infused Melodic Death Metal, this is certainly a release you can’t miss. Let’s hope for a North American tour at some point from this band.

Label: Metal Blade Records

Release: February 7th, 2020

Genre: Melodic Death/Thrash Metal

Country: UK