Syk - Pyramiden - Album Review - Experimental Progressive Djent Metal from Italy
Today I am writing about a promising modern progressive djent metal band, SYK, from Italy, with their second studio album, Pyramiden, released not long ago in 2022.
Syk, The Hollow Mother Official Video
SYK;Dalila KayrosMarcello Cravini Stefano FerrianMauro Maraldo
guest bass by Marco "Cinghio" Mastrobuono
Syk was one of those special bands that you hear once and never forget about ever again. The collective stands out with their "recognizable sound" value above everything else, and Philip H. Anselmo was the first one who saw potential in this band. Syk's second studio album, Pyramiden has a strong and specific character that is not for everybody, yet powerful enough to make Syk one of the most promising metal acts at the moment.
Pyramiden deserves appreciation for its solid collective character in the entire project, blending progressive and technical djent metal with the level of freedom in jazz , modern djent sound, and Björk vocals. The metal side of Syk has influences from well-known modern progressive metal collectives such as Meshuggah, Jinjer, and Animals As Leaders, focusing mainly on the technical side while keeping musicality in a narrow circle. They are all quite advanced musicians with modern progressive metal and jazz elements on this album.
Furthermore, almost none of the songs in Pyramiden have sharp edges, they rather flow freely in a dark world without gravity. The instrumentation and vocals move freely on a level where you feel like there's no connection between them, another characteristic that distinguishes Syk from other bands in the same specific genre.
Lastly, Pyramiden has established industry standards in its sound production. Although I found the album sound still in the "safe zone" in terms of sound design, it makes the necessary impact on the listener, properly introducing the band.
Syk, Band PhotoCredit: Andrea Fantômas
On the other side of the coin, we all have to accept the fact that Syk doesn't have "easy listening music", in general. I still couldn't get used to the feeling of musically having almost nothing in my memory after listening to an entire album from start to finish. Pyramiden was more than satisfying with its understanding of modern progressive metal, just musically didn't resonate with my specific taste.
Syk, Band PhotoCredit: Unknown
When I put all these into account, I'd like to say that I had a good time listening to the new studio album, Pyramiden by the talented Italian collective, Syk. Promising album with the monochromatic musical range of Meshuggah, technical strength of Jinjer, established modern djent metal sound, and distinguishing Björk-ish vocals. Thanks for reading.
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