Release date: 7th February 2020
Cycle Of Suffering, the fifth album from Sylosis, had a lot to live up to after 2015’s excellent offering Dormant Heart. An album I personally found to be their strongest to date, I was interested to see where they went with Cycle Of Suffering, due to it being a release after both a three-year hiatus and lineup change.
Thankfully, Sylosis do not disappoint. Starting with a bang with Empty Prophets, Sylosis show that they mean business by projecting an intense aural assault onto your ears. The track is one of the strongest of the album, so draws the listener in and makes them want more. Everything about the song packs a punch – from the hard-hitting drums, to the meaty guitar riffs and powerful vocals, it has it all.
Cycle Of Suffering progresses very well from there. There doesn’t seem to be a single song that stands out as being a weak connection, with particular highlights being Calcified (I challenge you to listen to that track and not want to sing along to the chorus) and Arms Like A Noose, which features some excellent softer sections that juxtapose well against the more extreme sections. Meanwhile closing track Abandon is an unexpected melodically-driven track with some absolutely stunning cleans, and really helps to end the album on an epic high.
It’s clear that Sylosis’ hiatus has worked wonders for the band, because they are back with a renewed vigour and passion. Cycle Of Suffering is a mighty listen, and I for one can’t wait to witness it in a live environment.
9/10
