Shadow Syndicate

Not to be confused with their more prominent fellow countrymen Skinless these folks are hailing from Colorado. There are quite a few similarities as both bands have been making noise since the nineties and play a kind of steamrolling Death Metal that is brutal and relentless but is nevertheless rooted in a more traditional style. The list of the past members of Skinned is a pretty long one counting nearly 20 names. It does not come as a surprise that the fame they gathered over the years has been a negligible one.

That is a bit of a shame as “Shadow Syndicate” is a record well worth a look for any real DM fan. The riffing is slick and accompanied by eerie lead parts lending the music a creepy and unsettling atmosphere. At first glance a lot of the riffs feel a bit simple on the surface. However, the balancing moments of sometimes undulating repetition are pitched against sudden incursions of vicious riffing. The harmonies and melodies are subtly woven into the crunching main chords and while this is far from being labelled Melodic DM the music has a certain epic undertone that perfectly works as a counterpoint to the aggressiveness. At some point I had to think of Hypocrisy who often went for a similar approach.

The instrumentation is spot on with not only the guitar playing being spectacular but the drumming being another highlight. Jonathan Valdez who has been swinging the sticks on “Shadow Syndicate” left shortly after the release and made place for drummer number 4 in the history of Skinned. That is a shame as on “Shadow Syndicate” Jonathan has shown a great feeling for keeping the rhythm tight and groovy but also add a few twists and turns to highlight certain moments.

The songwriting is well balanced with towering and hypnotic structures mixing rolling patterns with blasting sections and more complex pieces. Each song has a clear structure and while the tempo is pretty high for the major part the music never gets too chaotic. The experience of more than 2 decades pays off.

The vocals are brutal and nasty with the main tone consisting of classic growling which is accompanied by some guttural and very aggressive screaming parts. They are fitting the music like a glove ramping the overall aggression up a notch.

The sound is powerful and modern but has just enough grit and crunchiness to satisfy Old School fans as well. The drums are especially punchy and powerful and have a quite organic feel. Coming with a dark and sinister cover artwork “Shadow Syndicate” is one of the DM highlights 2018 in my books.