 Syzslak
When Demons Ride Angels (released 2006)
Worldeater Records - www.worldeaterrecords.com
I don't know if this is true or not, but either way, you have to respect a band named after the bartender on the Simpsons! This latest release from the doom punk and grindcore trio is just what you expect... Soaring guitars in-between throat-ripping vocals, heavy bass lines and simple, but effective drum beats. Syzslak do offer something a little different than other grind bands I've heard, a female voice thrown in to keep you on your toes. It's not a shock styled change, but it does add a nice depth to the sound Syzslak puts out. While brutally aggressive and charged with dark energy, there are moments where the band winds back and down a little for a more effective charge at your senses. "When Demons Ride Angels" lyrical content isn't always dark and brooding, for instance on "W.W.J.B.", a personal favorite, the band attacks the idea of who Christ himself would inflect untold pain, damage and war mongering on. Does this make the band a political satirist? Yeah, probably, but the main source of inspiration seems to come more from introspective feeling and healing. Someone not much of a fan of grindcore or sludge, may find this even depressing, but it appears that there is nothing to be depressed about, as the band, through it's dark lyrics, are expressing a personal change for the better through these tracks. Now that may be deeper than Syzslak's intent, but I get that feeling that many of the traks are person public offerings of self-help. Alright, enough of that mumbo-jumbo... Fact is, "When Demons Ride Angels" is a great album, if sometimes slow, the intent here is heavy metal/grind/crust with brooding lyrics, shouted from the bottom of one's lungs, with a hard swinging of the head up and down to the beat of the brutality inflicted on the drum kit. For fans of Toxic Narcotic, but grittier and dirtier, Syzslak offer a tremendous blast of rock. -MG |
