Dormant Heart

Despite it being 10 years since their first release, Sylosis still seem almost like a new band, with the word “potential” flung around a lot in reference to their output. The first EPs were my introduction to the English metallers and there were some creative ideas on Edge of the Earth, but Dormant Heart is album number four and one cannot keep using the word forever - at some point, the band's potential must be realized.

At the very least, Dormant Heart goes some way to solidifying Sylosis’s position within the modern metal scene. Still a hybrid of metalcore, melodic death metal, and thrash, the four-piece continue to include more of the atmospheric and progressive touches that made 2012’s Monolith an interesting but sometimes difficult album to listen to. Making use of the distinctly 21st century practice of synchronizing bass drums and riffs, many of the songs on Dormant Heart possess copious quantities of aggression without seeming altogether threatening, a criticism which groups Sylosis together with many metalcore bands. My issue is that the riffing is often too tightly controlled by the rhythms to allow for any sense of danger or release, so that even storming sections of ‘Indoctrinated’ do little to make me want to move or forget whatever else I’m doing. Put bluntly, these riffs have been done before, and better too. However, the use of second guitar and occasional keyboards layers the sound with subtle atmospheres, creating a sense of unease behind the otherwise standard riffing of songs like ‘To Build a Tomb’. As such, the album never falls into the trap of many modern bands of sticking to “safe” heaviness, Sylosis frequently wrongfooting the listener by the extra content. Add to this some nice licks and the band’s penchant for frequent guitar solos and the overall equation of Dormant Heart starts to look more interesting.

Indeed, purely for guitar work, there is a lot to recommend the album - more, probably, than any other Sylosis album. The doom riff thrown boldly into ‘Victims and Pawns’ shows the band’s comfort with their songwriting choices and ‘Quiescence’ proves that a reflective mood can go hand in hand with creativity, while there is excitement to be found in the effect-laden solo of ‘Overthrown’ and the charging riffs of ‘Indoctrinated’. The structures show a great improvement from the previous album, where extra parts were inserted at random and to mixed effect, causing some songs to become bloated and directionless; here, they tend to have more repeating parts and a better sense of momentum. Those repeating parts are significant too, causing ‘Harm’ and ‘Leech’ to stick in the mind on first listen, as do some of the other choruses. Josh Middleton switches between harsh and clean vocals at these moments, but sadly isn’t able to provide the finishing touch to the refrains, lacking both power and charisma with his plain roar, which forms perhaps the biggest obstacle to the band’s success - nothing distinctive from the frontman.

That plainness is a problem for Dormant Heart, since whatever the instrumental performances do to spice up familiar ideas, there is no strong presence to lead the songs and imprint the stamp of drama on them. The lack of aggression in the riffs compounds the limitations of the vocals and, when coupled with a rather clinical production, leaves the album needing spontaneity like hot days need cold beer. Some of the chugging riffs and mid-paced material simply don’t work because nothing drives them forward, whereas the slower or lightning quick sections succeed, especially during solos, which are usually highlights. In addition, the Dormant Heart has a dryish production that gives it a slightly dated feel, as of the mid-'00s, which is a crying shame as it was only released in 2015. As a result, the album is rather a challenge to sit through for almost an hour, since some songs fail to ignite and nothing really steals the show.

Ultimately, Dormant Heart ends up with Sylosis treading water. The band have not moved on significantly from the experiment of the last album, nor have they made the best use of the appealing side of their earlier material. Songs like ‘Indoctrinated' and ‘To Build a Tomb’ will leave some impression, but no one is going to write home about this. There’s a lot of potential, but it still hasn’t all come together.

Originally written for Metalegion #2 - www.metalegion.com

Sylosis have always been that one band that the metalheads refer to when arguing over whether there are any good or even any bands at all within the scene that have potential to become something bigger. From signing to Nuclear Blast Records after forming in 2007 and smashing into the scene with their debut Conclusion of an Age a year later. Sylosis’s thrash-tastic riffs coupled with the notably technicality gave us something familiar yet new to divulge. Three more albums later and numerous world tours with acts such as Trivium, Killswitch Engage and Lamb Of God, Sylosis are no longer that hopeful upcoming band. They are now the rising experts of modern metal.

One thing Sylosis do on any album is remind you of how un-genre-defining they are. From Where The Wolves Came To Die comes an intro which would not sound out of place on an Insomnium record then immediately the menacing doom bursts into a thrashy thrive of riffs and climatic breakdowns to signal Victims and Pawns. The bands evident respect of their peers is consistent throughout the album. The typical slides and swirls of Gojira are inhibited in Overthrown that prove Alex Bailey and Josh Middleton know a fret board better than most young bands around. A distinct Amon Amarth pound is found within Callous Souls however Sylosis manage to add their own thrashy and modern feel the songs to add their own theatrics. This certain accessibility to their music may be the secret to why Sylosis are one of Britain’s favourite young bands. Josh Middleton’s vocals have become more refined within Dormant Heart whereas prior albums lacked a certain oomph that has not been heard since Conclusion Of An Age. Tracks like Indoctrinated and To Build A Tomb are sung with absolute clarity and played with pin point precision; another string to Sylosis’s bow.

Most songs on Dormant Heart follow a typical rhythm of riff, verse, chorus, interlude, riff, chorus or such however the Reading four-piece have never repeated themselves twice and still don’t intend to. Throughout Dormant Heart there is a more experimental feel about it that isn’t felt within any previous albums. Harm begins with a technical start that sounds like Periphery and also has the biggest chorus of the album. This is juxtaposed against the dual guitar stabs and subdued chorus in the next track and leading single: Mercy, which sounds like a clear nod towards In Flames’ Reroute To Remain. One the most obvious experimentations is the album closer Quiscent. Clocking at just over 9 minutes, half the song is based around creating atmosphere through the simplistic acoustics and echoed vocals. Unfortunately it does take away the general momentum of a typically thrashy album; nevertheless, Josh’s clear shouting vocals encircle the atmosphere to bring the album to a vivid ending.

Although there is nothing radically different or experimental to Dormant Heart, Sylosis wholeheartedly remind us that they’ve still got some good ol’ proper British balls to their music.

So I've been a Sylosis fan for a while. I first encountered them by mistake when the video for "Empyreal" kept showing up in my recommendations on Youtube. I tried to avoid them only because they just seemed another metalcore band with no future, until one day i decided it was time to check that video out. That was a couple of years back (2011 if I'm not mistaken) and since then I can call myself a fan of this band and, also, since then I really try to explain myself why this band is still getting some hate. I pre-ordered Dormant Heart in December and when i finally got it I just couldn't stop listening to it.

Let me start with the beginning. Sylosis plays melodic thrash/death with some core influences, which are pretty hard to overlook if you're not used to them. Dormant Heart is a very atmospheric album that will carry you through different feelings, with great transitions between hateful thrash riffs to melodic bridges and so on. Musically speaking, Josh Middleton is a genius. His voice covers a wide vocal range that can change the whole meaning of a song. He sacrifices clarity for tonality most of the time and, besides perfectly varying from growling vocals to clean vocals, his vocals are perfect for Sylosis. The guitar work, compared to their past releases, is nothing really special, technically speaking, but the atmosphere those guitar generate is from another world. Despite being a thrash/death band they tune their guitars in E standard and they sure as hell can make heavy music without tuning down. The drums are a perfect fit in every song, not repetitive and nice fills here and there. The only drawback these guys have, musically speaking of course, it's their bass. It's like they don't even have a bass player. Of course, you know the bass is there when you listen closely and that deep tone hits you, but, unfortunately, it's so basic it hurts. Anyway, maybe that's the way it is meant to be. I guess we'll never know how Sylosis would sound with a more technical bass sound in their songs.

Syolsis have never been repetitive. Each and every song has it's own personality, expressing something different with great variations and a perfect correlation between the instruments and the vocals. One good example of how good this band is when it comes to variety: take a listen to Indoctrinated and you will be thrown in a thrash masterpiece after a short atmospheric intro just so you can enjoy a good metalcore-like bridge. On the other hand you have Quiescent, which is one of the most beautiful ballads I've had the chance to listen to in a while. One other good thing about them is that when they go for breakdowns in their songs, they do it right. (Mercy is a good example).

Lyrically speaking, Dormant Heart is on the same track as Sylosis' other albums, which is actually a good thing, because they always had great lyrics. This album is very metaphoric and is mainly centered around inner struggles. "No atonement or sins to be absolved/There is no redemption within this life" (Mercy) or "Brick by brick/You‘re closing yourself in/To build upon blood and sand/Is to build a tomb" (To Build a Tomb) are some good examples. I know that the "lyrics" discussion is really subjective, but if you are in the mood for Dormant Heart I'm sure you are going to enjoy it.

My personal highlights from this album were Mercy, To Build a Tomb, Leech, Indoctrinated and Where Wolves Come to Die. Although the whole album is worth checking out, these songs, in my opinion, where the defining ones.

All and all, Dormant Heart is a great album which involved great musicianship and really hard work. The only reason I don't give it a 10/10 is that, even though it's a great album, it's not that different from their past releases. It's special, it has personality, it has great, memorable riffs, but so did Monolith or Edge of the Earth. If you didn't have the chance to listen to Sylosis yet do it. I know many people don't like them because of their core elements, but once you get over them or even start to appreciate them for the feeling, you'll love Dormant Heart. Don't be a metal elitist as I was. Don't judge them by looks or core elements, these guys can make some great melodic thrash/death.

My formal introduction to Sylosis was not until earlier in 2014 with the release of the “Leech” music video. While I was not super taken aback by the music, the slimy vibe and Heavy Metal-style animation piqued my interest. With quite a few sources champing at the bit for the full length release, I was surprised to find no review on our beloved metal archives. I aim to remedy that now.

I suppose my initial reaction was surprise. The ominous “Leech” video effectively tricked me into feeling like I was listening to something a lot grittier than it really is. From the first proper track, “Victims and Pawns,” there is a very basic melodic death and metalcore vibe from the alternating palm muted riffs to the atmospheric high leads. No evil to be found. And no matter how many listens I give, I have to say that the vocals are extremely ho-hum. This made more sense after discovering that this is Josh’s first time taking on the vocal duties in addition to guitar. The early discomfort shows in the lifeless monotone.

The guitar is not much better. Generic riffs are one thing, but the absolutely by-the-book, fade-in chuggah intro to the title track resulted in a raised eyebrow for sure. For a second I thought it was 2005 and I was listening to the latest As I Lay Dying record. If you’re going to sound like one of the better metalcore outfits, you could at least sound like one of their good albums. Expect a lot of simplistic eastern-inspired riffs set over heavy palm-muting and proficient-yet-uninspired soloing.

As for drumming, I could be mistaken, but I’m pretty sure that I heard more or less the same pattern throughout the album. Sure, it takes on various disguises in the form of added double bass or a change in cymbal, but it’s fooling no one. To be perfectly fair, there are moments where Rob spices things up with some toms, a roll, or a D-beat, but don’t expect to be blown away by anything crazy.

Brutal honesty? I am generally ready to turn this off by the monotonous beginning of “Servitude.” That’s just short of 6 more tracks to go. But there are some moments that stood out to me. I like the outro of “Leech” and some of its slightly darker moments. And though it was nothing new, I did find myself bobbing my head to the pummeling “Indoctrinated” (have you heard a more cliché metalcore song title this year?). “Harm” also has its share of modern thrash that scratches a certain itch. Unfortunately, these moments can hardly outweigh the tedium in between. In a genre so oversaturated, you either have to play better than anyone else, or put every emotion you have into it. Aptly named, Dormant Heart does neither.