Review and Photography : Stephen Brophy for MPM
With an excellent new album released 2 days previously Sylosis revisited Dublin to close out the final date of ‘The New Flesh’ Tour, and they did not show up alone. It’s great to have 4 bands with very different styles on a bill. This multinational bill was most certainly one to look forward to so early in the year and boy did they all bring it tonight.
Kicking things off tonight are San Antonio, Texas heavy hitters Life Cycles, a band I had been enjoying checking out for a while before this show.
But live these guys really smashed it, powerful in every area, there is a something very groovy but at the same time chunky about their riffs. In Jeremy they have a vocalist that not only delivers the right level of aggression and grit but also works really well to get the crowd moving and engaged.
The band is really tight and from the start are leaving a great impression on the assembled crowd early on a Sunday evening. Really looking forward to seeing these guys again sooner the better, ‘The End Still Awaits’ was a standout.
Keep an eye out for new music from these thrashers, great way to kick things off and blow out the cobwebs.
Up next from the Netherlands were deathcore monsters Distant, and they just obliterated the place. There’s no messing about with these guys, not to say say what they do is straightforward or one dimensional, quite the opposite the guys attack your senses from all directions.
The different styles the blast through are a combination of death, deathcore (but they are much more than any one label), touches of hardcore and sheer aggression that is very hard to match. On stage they seem very unassuming but really want everyone to get involved and elevate the show and the pit is getting bigger as the venue fills.
Tracks like ‘Desolation’ and the recent single ‘Nothing But Hate’ (which is an absolute killer) stay bouncing around in what’s left of your brain long after the set finishes.
Brilliant band and set, just needs to be a little longer, hopefully we will get a headline show at some point. The energy and pummeling your head takes is awesome.
Also making the long trip over from the US are one of the very best bands in the Technical Death Metal genre, Revocation are another powerhouse, for me vocally Dave’s delivery is always top notch, switching effortlessly to whatever is needed in a song at that time.
Although the band has had a couple of personnel changes in recent times it hasn’t had a negative affect on how they attach their music. Starting the set with ‘Cronenberged’ from New Masters, New Gods is perfect and the setlist is well designed, running through their career in as much as they can with the time available.
As with every band tonight the crowd just seem to be getting more and more into the music as it progresses. Even since the show I’ve found it hard to get the addictive riff from ‘The Outer Ones’ from my head.
This particular Tour seems to have gone well for all involved with thanks being given by all bands to each other and the crews but even after a gruelling schedule there’s no let up in the effort and passion on offer. Another cracking set and great to see the guys over here, come back soon.
Onto our headliners, Sylosis, so hard to believe that this band has been around for a quarter of a century. Literally on the back of the release of their latest album ‘The New Flesh’ we get to hear a bunch of the new tracks and some of the classics all wrapped up to close out what’s already been a terrific night of Metal.
There’s no doubt that the bands sound has changed a bit over the years, but there’s nothing wrong with that, different people, different influences and maturing as a band all go into it. For me it’s all about the quality of what they release and do live that counts and on tonight’s showing that’s not changed one bit. The set starts with a bruising version of ‘Erased’ from the new album and they are off to a flyer, with the band getting louder and more involved as we go, never a bad sign.
Death Metal in whatever banner you want to put it under needs to be played with a certain level of aggression and that’s not missing, it’s gut punch after gut punch from ‘Worship Decay’ through ‘Lacerations’ or the triple threat of ‘Servitude’, ‘Teras’ and the punishing ‘Pariahs’ there’s very little letup or time to take a rest except when Josh is thanking all involved in the Tour, or when the end of Tour prank finally happens.
With the other bands turning the stage into a locker room all toweled up, which worked well without getting in the way of the show.
This set flew in, as all great ones do, a band that are really in their groove right now, it’s easy for the fans to give everything back when they themselves are pushing so hard, the riffs are right in your face one after another and the drums are relentless.. Revocation’s Dave joins the band for the closing song ‘The New Flesh’ and they smash it out of the park.
As with any great gig it never felt like it was long enough, but I’m sure they will be back soon.
What an absolutely cracking night of music, this may well be one of my favourite shows of the year already, will take something special to top it.
Sylosis Setlist –
Erased
I Sever
Worship
Lacerations
Heavy Is The Crown
Poison For The Lost
All Glory, No Valour
Where The Sky Ends
Eclipsed
Servitude
Teras
Encore –
Pariahs
Deadwood
The New Flesh
