Symphony of Slit Throats

This tends to be the fan favorite release of Syphilic, and for good reason: pound for pound it's probably the band's best release. It's definitely a huge step up from 'Erotishock Therapy'; everything from playing to songwriting to production is improved, and overall it endures as being possibly Syphilic's most consistently memorable release. If you had to get just one, this is probably the release to get; the sheer replayability of this EP is staggering and you'll uncover new things every time you spin it.

One of the most immediate changes you'll notice is the massively improved production, which is just about as good as you could possibly ask from a one-man, independently released brutal death project. All the EQ issues of the first album are dealt with and even the programmed drums sound damn near real most of the time- it's a joy to listen to and really lets you soak in the songs. Speaking of which, the technicality has definitely been taken up a notch (another thing to be thankful to the production for), with Syphilic coming off as more erratic and rhythmically deranged than ever before. The guitarwork is totally deranged, with riffs that regularly change tempos (sometimes seemingly mid-riff) and bounce all over the fretboard in the psychotic manner of later Cannibal Corpse. It can be hard to follow, but the chaos it engenders is definitely a plus to the music.

Despite the step up in nearly every feature of the band, Syphilic's style is still pretty set on this CD; basically an Insidious Decrepancy worship project at heart, Brian Forgue smashes his way through five tracks of technical, brutal death metal than sometimes dances on the edge of slam but never quite dives in, sticking mostly with high-speed, horribly twisted tremolo riffs which only occasionally divert into a 'normal' melody. When it does, it can be pretty surprising; Forgue busts out some impressively consonant solos, ambitious enough when he's already composing two entirely separate guitar lines through most of the music here. Rarely do the guitars or even bass harmonize- there's usually at least two different melodic ideas going on at once, making the sheer technicality of the music hit the listener with full force. And, as always, Forgue's vocals are top notch, and he sounds more like a cave troll than ever, gurgling and bleating his way through the tracks without a single misstep.

Syphilic's style is a very established thing, so detractors of the band won't find anything to appreciate here, but fans of the style will find a ton to love. Of the three Syphilic releases I own, this just might be the best (though the following full-length gives it a run for its money); undoubtedly this is one of the best wholly independent brutal death projects I've ever seen. Definitely a musician worth supporting: if you stumble across this in a distro, pick it up.

Even though this is only an EP Brian Forgue has truly one-upped himself in several ways from his previous release, Erotishock Therapy. One thing you might notice is that Brian Baxter, who has been in a hand full of brutal death metal bands, recorded all the bass tracks. And this time the cover art is a lot more vulgar. Much like Syphilic’s first release, Erotishock Therapy, Symphony Of Slit Throats is relentless about intensity, brutality, and obscenity. If you’ve ever wanted to make someone have a heart attack from music, this twenty-one minute EP would be one of the best for that.

Brian Forgue’s voice remains as insane as ever, He has some of the deepest inhales I have ever heard (inhales, not “pig squeals”). If you hear Brian Forgue’s vocals and you think he’s singing about raping and murdering your family, you’d be right. His deep, dark and brutal voice already makes this a horrifying release and the lyrics are some of the most gruesome I’ve ever read. There are also a few brutal guest vocalists.

One thing about Syphilic that never seems to get old is the ridiculous samples he uses. Much like Erotishock Therapy there are a few great examples of that on this EP. Starting off with the first song (the title track) there is a hilarious sample from Beavis and Butt-head. I could not identify the rest of the samples but rest assured they are humorous and they are well placed. Most the samples sound like phone calls left on an answer machine. At the very end of the album you hear one of these samples that sounds like phone message, it’s rather unsettling but it’s still humorous.

The guitar work is very technical featuring plenty of pinch harmonics. It’s less of a generic feel and more of an electrifying feel, it’s the kind of electrifying horror sound that will reawake all of your childhood phobias. The guitar is very thick and heavy with a ball busting tone. In the least to say, the riffs are fucking intense, like Origin or Cephalic Carnage intense with a darker tone. Russ Crossman is back to perform another solo which is featured on the song “Riverbank Skank” and is an incredible forty-eight second mind fuck of complexity and groove.

Brian Baxter (Gorgasm, Necrotic Disgorgement, Sodomized, and ECT.) recorded the bass for this EP which you can loud and throbbing. And of course what’s the point of hiring a bassist unless you’re going to have two to five second bass solos/transitions? The bass is loud and has a skull crushing sound which is something that a lot of “death metal” bands seem to lack. The bass is as intense, technical and chaotic as the guitar is.

The drums are rather realistic sounding for a machine. Even though it’s a machine with endless possibilities and without limits it was used rationally, Nothing ridiculous was done with the drum machine (*ahem* Agoraphobic Nosebleed). Lots of blast beats and double bass like any death metal record should have. The drum tracks suit the guitars very well and carries the flow of them nicely.

This is another great release from Syphilic. Extreme, guttural, brutal, intense and obscene. This is a must buy for any fan of brutal death metal.