Sybreed: The Pulse Of Awakening

Now I kind of promised myself that I was going to attempt to review the third album from Greek industrial/electro metal band Sybreed without mentioning the two words Fear and Factory. However as a reference point they are unavoidable, that said though I would be most surprised if anyone hearing The Pulse Of Awakening confused Sybreed for the mighty Factory as whilst the now almost standard vocal counter points of growls and gargles mixed with clean voice is in place, the quota of actual singing outweighs the throat shredding far more than is the expected norm.

Musically Sybreed have also taken the mould and pushed it inside out, as unlike their peers, the electro angle is a stronger influence on some tracks than the outright bludgeon favoured by most other bands in the genre. Tracks like "Doomsday Party" and "In The Cold Light" allow the synths to lead and in places are almost ambient dance in origin while still possessing a metallic sheen. The vocals of Benjamin are also suitably processed to give an industrial feel, although on some of the more refined quieter sections they are a little characterless due to the amount of effects being used. That said when his voice is allowed to be "naked" and when he lets rip the outcome can be rather impressive.

If however it is face melting power that you crave then look no further than "Aeon" or "Meridian AD" for evidence that Sybreed can hit hard and effectively when the desire takes them. It is undoubtedly the less straight forward songs that really grab the attention with closing track "From Hero To Zero" finding an excellent compromise between thumping bass drum, massive synth chords, meaty riffage and smooth vocals.

My only real gripe with the album is, as so many bands feel the need to, the completely pointless outro to that closing song. For a good ten minutes we are "treated" to a pointless low end rumble that if left to hang for around for twenty seconds would have created an atmospheric fade out to the album, however in its plainly daft form I just do not understand the need to leave something on the disc that every single person buying the product will skip after the first listen. Whether it is long silences before "hidden tracks" are revealed, or quirky little ditties tacked on the end of albums, I really, really wish that bands would put an end to this practise of using the outro to an excellent set of songs as a way to exercise their self indulgent tendencies. What makes them think it is an idea that adds any value to the package is beyond me.

Genre purists may turn their noses up at the overtly synth melodies used during this album, however in a scene that has over the years been saturated by bands all desperately following the already carved in stone structures, it is pleasing to hear musicians willing to at least try something ever so slightly different.

Track Listing
1. Nomenklatura
2. A .E.O.N.
3. Doomsday Party
4. Human Black Box
5. KillJoy
6. I Am Ultraviolence
7. Electronegative
8. In The Cold Light
9. Lucifer Effect
10. Love Like Blood
11. Meridian A.D.
12. From Zero To Nothing

Added: February 20th 2010
Reviewer: Steven Reid
Score:
Related Link: Band's MySpace Page
Hits: 2155
Language: english

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