01 Dark Revelations
02 Casting Shadows
03 The Bereaved
04 Oath Of Silence
05 Beneath Black Clouds

iatde033 - Sylosis - Casting Shadows CDEP
Let’s face facts. The UK metal scene is currently overdosing on irony and vanity, with all too many bands focused on their haircuts, jeans and MySpace.com profiles to concern themselves with their musical output.

Fortunately, the only thing SYLOSIS are overdosing on is city leveling riffs, the Reading, Berkshire quintet a dazzling ray of hope for the new generation of British metal.

With a thundering groundswell buzz beneath their feet and an ever increasing league of devotees nationwide, SYLOSIS have joined forces with respected Brit hardcore/metal label IN AT THE DEEP END (Architects, Send More Paramedics) to unleash debut mini album ‘CASTING SHADOWS’.

Due for release on October 16th, 2006, ‘CASTING SHADOWS’ is a stunning showcase of SYLOSIS’ metal muscle, the quintet drawing from the gene pools of thrash, death and progressive to create a sound that is both devastatingly feral and blisteringly precise.

Though but a year old, SYLOSIS play with all the confidence, conviction and power of a veteran force, their prowess as both musicians and songwriters a thrilling, defiantly metallic kick in the teeth.

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Reviews
Kerrang KKKK
STUNNING OPENING SALVO FROM UK'S NEW METAL HEROES.
It's seldom the best bands accrue the most attention, so you can fully expect Sylosis to be ignored by the UK metal hype machine, despite the obvious fact that they're phenomenally talented and have pockets bulging with fantastic songs. This is brutal, technical and deceptively melodic modern metal that favours invention over cliche' and never shies away from nimble shifts in style, tempo or mood. From its anthemic title track to 'The Bereaved''s epic, emotional overload, this five-tracker is preposterously assured for a debut release. All they need is some insulting haircuts and Sylosis could be huge within a year.

Rocksound 8/10
On this debut EP Sylosis have combined some of their major influences to great effect. From the fierce opener 'Dark Revelations' to 'Oath Of Silence''s killer riffs and unforgetable guitar solo, it's multi-paced and full-blooded, remaing true to their eclectic game plan. This is apparently Sylosis playing it soft, but 'Casting Shadows' is still hard-hitting stuff.

Metal Hammer 7/10
YOUNG BRITS GIVE MASSACHUSETTS A SCARE.
This five-track debut 'mini-album' from Reading's Sylosis was recorded at the beginning of 2006, and according to the band is "already out of date". However, this exciting short offering serves splendidly as a taster of the potential and impressive skill of the UK youngsters. Fusing the guitar and drumming ferocity of Lamb Of God, with a healthy dose of Chimaira - the group have done well not to over-play their obvious talent - leaving as many open spaces as tight pummelling rhythms. Imagine Shadows Fall dualling with Unearth, with a nice Brit-metal twist. Standouts 'Dark Revelations' and 'Oath Of Silence' have pit-hit stamped all over them, and will hopefully be the leap-off points for future tunes. With new members now in place, we'll just have to wait with baited breath for the next, more 'advanced' instalment.

Caught in The Crossfire
On this debut EP Sylosis have combined some of their major influences to great effect. From the fierce opener 'Dark Revelations' to 'Oath Of Silence''s killer riffs and unforgetable guitar solo, it's multi-paced and full-blooded, remaing true to their eclectic game plan. This is apparently Sylosis playing it soft, but 'Casting Shadows' is still hard-hitting stuff.

Live4Metal
Musically Sylosis are amazing. Powerful guitars played by Josh and Bailey, while still maintaining plenty of intricate melodies that add further layers to their sound. Carl and Rob take care of the bass and drumming duties and provide an extreme and sturdy backbone for the band. Adam's vocals tend to be scream-shouted most of the time, granted he does some wonderful clean passages, with the odd growl for good measure. I'm certain that their live show is probably awesome as you can feel the energy they exude on this recording. From the opening bar of "Dark Revelations" you are aurally assaulted with the relentless pounding of a tight snare and some intense footwork on the kick drum. Title track "Casting
Shadows" follows on slowly at first, but when the flood gates open, the shadows attack with full force. A pretty acoustic intro for "The Bereaved" sets the mood nicely if it being a lament of loss, until the screaming begins that is, and while the twin guitar melodies keep the mood uplifted and flowing along nicely, the steady drumming and vocals make certain that their style never wonders too far from their staple. Varying from steady to frantic "Oath Of Silence" builds and drops its tempo causing the song to never remain stagnant and always an interesting listen. Final track "Beneath Black Clouds" is predominantly ambient thunderstorm sounds accompanied by a bittersweet guitar melody that's reminiscent of dark dreary days when the mourning never comes to an end.

Tastyzine
The dark forces have been at work here and inspired some spine-chillingly brutal vocals and rapid fire kick drums that sound like our sticksman has a Black and Decker bolted to his left hoof (obviously cloven). There is a brief respite from the impressively dirty guitar distortion with a nice acoustic piece at the start of 'The Bereaved' before the tried and trusted screamo/guitar/drum attack continues.