On their debut album Conclusion Of An Age, the UK's Sylosis and their label Nuclear Blast claim to have a "modern, epic new take on the old school thrash metal blueprint". Well, Conclusion Of An Age is a damn fine metal record, it certainly is modern sounding, and the band sure studied their old Testament, Metallica, Exodus, and Megadeth albums. Thing is, though there's plenty of solid modern thrash here, especially as far as the guitar riffs are concerned, Sylosis are at their core a metalcore act, taking their thrash metal leanings and pairing them up with a hardcore sensibility that's all too familiar these days. That's not to say that this isn't solid stuff, it certainly is for quite a few reasons. First of all, the musicianship here is top notch, the dual guitar work of Josh & Bailey quite effective, the two players delivering plenty of intricate riffs, blazing solos, and dual harmony lines that recall many of the classic acts of the genre. The rhythm team of bassist Carl and drummer Rob also are quite competent, and singer Jamie has a wide variety of styles that he provides here, including harsh screams, deep growls, brutal shouts, and clean melodic vocals. It's probably his vocals though that keep much of Conclusion Of An Age rooted in the metalcore camp. While they are very effective on tracks like "After Lifeless Years", "Transcendence", and "Reflections Through Fire" in both the extreme style and the clean passages, he's not quite unique enough to help the band differentiate themselves from other acts such as Unearth, All That Remains, Shadows Fall, Misery Signals, and As I Lay Dying. Not necessarily a bad thing though, as these are some of the cream of the metalcore crop, and you can certainly lump Sylosis right up there with them. In fact, tunes like the raging "Last Remaining Light" and the excellent title track are as good as in gets in this style of metal.
Just to reiterate, Reflections Through Fire is a hell of an album, chock full of fantastic guitar work and well written songs that are catchy, melodic, yet plenty brutal when they need be. As long as you are not expecting the rebirth of 80's thrash here, this one is mighty enjoyable and sees the arrival of one of modern metal's possible new stars.
Track Listing
01. Desolate Seas
02. After Lifeless Years
03. Blackest Skyline
04. Transcendence
05. Reflections Through Fire
06. Conclusion Of An Age
07. Swallow The World
08. Teras
09. Withered
10. Last Remaining Light
11. Stained Humanity
12. Oath Of Silence
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