sylosis edge of the earth

Released: 11 March 2011 Label: Nuclear Blast

This second offering from the UK's very own Sylosis is a great example of another young British band stepping up to the plate and delivering a record which is more than capable of holding its own on a worldwide stage.

Truth be told, it takes a while to hit the mark and the casual first time listener could be forgiven for dismissing it as a pretty generic modern metal album, because Sylosis certainly aren’t the first band to combine old school thrash and melodic death metal influences with a Trivium-inspired contemporary crunch. 

Dig a little deeper though and Sylosis reveal themselves as bringing something fresh and interesting to the party. Opener Procession for example is unexpectedly enlivened by a huge, repeated hook, while notable tracks like Altered States of Consciousness and the excellent two part Empyreal showcase a distinct progressive influence within the more typical – but excellent – bursts of sonic shred.

In addition to some fluent and remarkably melodic solos, lead guitarist Josh Middleton also does an admirable job of stepping up the mic for the first time and he is ably supported by some fine performances all round, the band handling the often technical arrangements with ease.

If there’s a criticism it’s that with these fourteen tracks weighing in at a mammoth seventy two minutes - it’s an awful lot to take in one go, particularly given the complexities of much of the material. As it stands, this is a very good record – with fifteen minutes shaved off the running time, it would be a real scorcher.

That small grumble aside, Edge of the Earth is well and truly set to establish Sylosis at the very forefront of a thriving and rapidly emerging UK scene and has to be viewed as a massive step forward.

by Marcus Jervis