Klatzke
02/15/09, 08:59 PM
The Syncope Threshold - Tale of the Complex Circuit
Release Date: March 2009
Record Label: Razorheart Records
Following up their debut EP, End Of The Beginning, The Syncope Threshold are releasing their first full length, Tale of the Complex Circuit. This album sports not only a better producer (which was my basic qualm with the EP), but also some deviations upon the style they laid out, while further advancing the frenetic metal that was prevalent on the EP.
Their ultra-tight guitarists are the first really noticeable thing about the album. It opens up with a fast, pummeling riff that's punctuated by quick technical work, and it's a sign of what's to come throughout. The solos in the first track are fantastic, as they are throughout the album. Guitarists like these, of course, instantly draw comparisons to Protest the Hero and their like. The comparison isn't too far off as far as this section goes, though the guitarists do tend to have a bit of a different flair to them than those of Protest the Hero.
The vocals are pretty evenly mixed up, though they can take on a few different faces. The growls are powerful, and the clean vocals have taken on a different form since the EP, and they're preferable to the growls in many places. The delivery is what really gives them life, and in many places the vocalist utilizes some pretty interesting ways of getting the lyrics out there. This is one place where I'm pretty much forced to point out the similarity to Protest the Hero. The way that their vocalist sings, in many places, sounds eerily similar to Rody Walker. Their voices aren't quite the same, but they both have that kind of soaring clean vocal delivery in many places and there are quite a few mechanics the vocalist uses in his delivery that remind me of something straight off of Protest the Hero's Kezia. I have to mention the song "Speak Now Or Forever Hold Your Peace" where, in the first verse, his showman-esque delivery dominates the arrangement and makes it one of the most memorable tracks of the album. He also shows off his vocals in the next-to-last track, "Alone in the Addict," where he delivers the lines "Can anyone hear me, or has my voice been used up/ I can't stop the bleeding, I can't fix what I f***ed up" in what sounds like an intentionally shaky falsetto, once again to great effect.
The album's styling is what really sets it apart from their EP. In some places, they still shred away and tear it up with the best of them, but there are many places where it seems more subdued and mixed up (which isn't a bad thing). It's actually pretty interesting, in some places it can seem purely chaotic and heavy, and in others they can lift the music up and out to where it's more subdued and even catchy. In an album full of vicious riffs and throttling vocals, it's a welcome respite to get a little bit of a break every now and then in the form of tracks that rely more on clean vocals compared to those dominated by the vocalist's growling. The songs that really strike me this way are "Speak Now or Forever Hold Your Peace" and "I, Harlequin: Our Unfolding." While these make up a small part of the album, they're some of my favorite tracks. Inversely, the band can also make quite an impression when they're full-on heavy, most notably in "The Chonchoid of Truth... In Blood," which opens with a straight-up vicious and technical riff and some powerful screaming.
With their blazing-fast guitarists, tight vocal arrangements, and what seems like an utter disregard for anyone's opinion, The Syncope Threshold are going to make quite an impression with Tale of the Complex Circuit. They've added just the right amount of change into their sound, while still furthering those factors that made the EP great to create an album that hits with that same ferocity, yet has a factor that makes it much more accessible and entertaining. Tale of the Complex Circuit, overall, is an extremely tight listen throughout. If you're a fan of heavier music, and can appreciate the level of skill that it took the members of this band to craft this album, then it's definitely not one you're going to want to miss.
Protest the Hero; Chasing Victory's I Call This Abandonment; The Human Abstract; Between the Buried and Me meets Saosin
myspace.com/tstband
Release Date: March 2009
Record Label: Razorheart Records
Following up their debut EP, End Of The Beginning, The Syncope Threshold are releasing their first full length, Tale of the Complex Circuit. This album sports not only a better producer (which was my basic qualm with the EP), but also some deviations upon the style they laid out, while further advancing the frenetic metal that was prevalent on the EP.
Their ultra-tight guitarists are the first really noticeable thing about the album. It opens up with a fast, pummeling riff that's punctuated by quick technical work, and it's a sign of what's to come throughout. The solos in the first track are fantastic, as they are throughout the album. Guitarists like these, of course, instantly draw comparisons to Protest the Hero and their like. The comparison isn't too far off as far as this section goes, though the guitarists do tend to have a bit of a different flair to them than those of Protest the Hero.
The vocals are pretty evenly mixed up, though they can take on a few different faces. The growls are powerful, and the clean vocals have taken on a different form since the EP, and they're preferable to the growls in many places. The delivery is what really gives them life, and in many places the vocalist utilizes some pretty interesting ways of getting the lyrics out there. This is one place where I'm pretty much forced to point out the similarity to Protest the Hero. The way that their vocalist sings, in many places, sounds eerily similar to Rody Walker. Their voices aren't quite the same, but they both have that kind of soaring clean vocal delivery in many places and there are quite a few mechanics the vocalist uses in his delivery that remind me of something straight off of Protest the Hero's Kezia. I have to mention the song "Speak Now Or Forever Hold Your Peace" where, in the first verse, his showman-esque delivery dominates the arrangement and makes it one of the most memorable tracks of the album. He also shows off his vocals in the next-to-last track, "Alone in the Addict," where he delivers the lines "Can anyone hear me, or has my voice been used up/ I can't stop the bleeding, I can't fix what I f***ed up" in what sounds like an intentionally shaky falsetto, once again to great effect.
The album's styling is what really sets it apart from their EP. In some places, they still shred away and tear it up with the best of them, but there are many places where it seems more subdued and mixed up (which isn't a bad thing). It's actually pretty interesting, in some places it can seem purely chaotic and heavy, and in others they can lift the music up and out to where it's more subdued and even catchy. In an album full of vicious riffs and throttling vocals, it's a welcome respite to get a little bit of a break every now and then in the form of tracks that rely more on clean vocals compared to those dominated by the vocalist's growling. The songs that really strike me this way are "Speak Now or Forever Hold Your Peace" and "I, Harlequin: Our Unfolding." While these make up a small part of the album, they're some of my favorite tracks. Inversely, the band can also make quite an impression when they're full-on heavy, most notably in "The Chonchoid of Truth... In Blood," which opens with a straight-up vicious and technical riff and some powerful screaming.
With their blazing-fast guitarists, tight vocal arrangements, and what seems like an utter disregard for anyone's opinion, The Syncope Threshold are going to make quite an impression with Tale of the Complex Circuit. They've added just the right amount of change into their sound, while still furthering those factors that made the EP great to create an album that hits with that same ferocity, yet has a factor that makes it much more accessible and entertaining. Tale of the Complex Circuit, overall, is an extremely tight listen throughout. If you're a fan of heavier music, and can appreciate the level of skill that it took the members of this band to craft this album, then it's definitely not one you're going to want to miss.
Protest the Hero; Chasing Victory's I Call This Abandonment; The Human Abstract; Between the Buried and Me meets Saosin
myspace.com/tstband