ALBUM REVIEW: Seasons – Sylar

With the change of weather in the air, there’s no better time for the poignant release of Queens-based SYLAR‘s new record, Seasons. Having caught attention for their genre blending interpretation of nu-metal, the band look to more complex lyrical themes to accompany the tonal ones. As the world around us changes year on year, month on month, so too does our mental state on who we are as people. With such a lofty concept, will SYLAR achieve what they set out to with this release?

Titular track Seasons swaggers in with no apologies, a strong riff brimming with groove and attitude. The sub bass thunks away under the tinkering high hat and sizzling snare, while front-man Jayden Panesso’s lyrics spit over the low-key current of energy flowing through this track. The bridge really pushes the tension and emphasises the intention in the lyrics; With charisma in buckets, it’s a big start for this album.

We continue with a tempered start, yet it’s quickly clear All Or Nothing is a summer anthem for the underdog. The hook is strong, the verse is melodic and lyrically poignant, while the chorus packs a punch. It’s a track “for the ones who can’t speak, for the ones who are too scared to dream”, and through the crunching nu-metal backdrop, there’s a real positive message. You’ll want to push yourself listening to this track, run a little faster, study a little harder, walk a little more confidently.

There’s a little more of a sombre tone to No Way, stripping back the guitars to crisp and clear playing, the singing much softer, more understanding. If you consider the overarching theme, this is very much the Fall song; the bittersweet feeling of the change of seasons from warm to cold, the awareness of your past year, the reflection on the inner and outer variations in your life. Another chorus of uplifting promise as the chords pound out, the beat thunders to champion those in lost moments.

Initially, Wait For You has a much more hip-hop feel than metal, echoing piano taking more of a lead from Dr. Dre’s Still D.R.E. However, the beating heart of this song still has the singing guitars, adding ambience and atmosphere, the rhyme section pushing for that heavy sound. The final breakdown swings right back to SYLAR‘s metalcore influence, which is a nice mix of all the genres SYLAR likes to play with in their music.

There are a lot of old school influences in SYLAR‘s music, that’s never been disputed, however it never feels copycat, because it’s merely just a nod to past musicians that inspired them. SHOOK! has a very clear line to RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE in its guitar riff and style, while the bass plays around with the looser, groove influenced lines. It’s lyrically more akin to PUBLIC ENEMY (though don’t take this for a second as a PROPHETS OF RAGE rip off), and the guitar solo itself all traditional rock. A cheeky little spoken outro on just how to pronounce the band’s name is fun, before we’re pulled into Winter (Interlude). All echoing snaps on a down tempo snare, a lonely guitar reverberating behind Panesso’s heartfelt musings. For an interlude, it’s a decent tune, a moment to quiet the senses and cleanse the pallet for the second half of the record.

Thundering in on a mournful guitar Open Wounds is for sure a track in the heart of winter, both seasonally and mentally. It’s a song that takes away all the spitting of previous songs, rather it’s an honest lyrical rap that’s more a personal reflection than an anthem for the masses. Equally, the sung chorus is much more about being at the lowest, without support, and from that pain unleashes the screams and more extreme sounds of their metalcore/nu-metal inclinations.

It’s an ending that ramps up to the next song, Giving Up. The drum changes from pounding to a quick pop, which tonally is a nice texture to what’s to come in this song. It’s a little rawer, bristling with contempt and accusation, much like the lyrics themselves. The raps are more frustrated, the singing more emotional, angrier. The interpretation is twofold here- to be frustrated with the world and your place in it, it’s easy to see others at fault, but essentially, it’s a disappointment with ourselves for giving up and getting to this place. Sickminded has an almost post-rock feel, it’s much more mellow and contemplative. There’s a notion of growth and understanding of self in this track, with the usual big builds to the emotive choruses, where the guitars are sharp and the overall tone is crisp and vibrant. Same Dance is the rise from the dark, a tune for the bringing of the new, the springtime of the album. From the growth of the previous track, the chug of the strings over the roll of drums loosening off of the old, the winter coat shed, the flexing of muscles after a long rest. The breakdowns are very fulfilling, the somewhere between hardcore and doom-like in feel, there’s a real weight that hasn’t arisen before. Little moments like this really add some flavour to SYLAR’s sound, and even at this late stage in the album, they don’t slacken off.

Final track Doubt Me has an almost eastern feel to the intricate intro melody, as if the guitar were closer in tone to a traditional Japanese Koto while a bright and brief synth pulls a more modern tone into the mix. The roots of the track are deep in Hardcore once more and even pull a little djent in. Even with all these little changes, it’s a track with a big scale that doesn’t feel overcrowded, the pacing is led by a mellow groove, and the vocals are prominent but balanced. It’s a strong end, much like it’s beginning. Interestingly enough, you could play this album on loop; Seasons has no real placement where it might start, much like the seasons themselves. A listener might dive in at any point and it makes as much sense in that order as it does going with the track listing, adding just another layer of meaning over this vastly symbolic album.

SYLAR have created an album that champions those looking for some head space, be it a low place or a high. It’s a creative endeavour to contemplate the relationship between our own nature and the nature of the world around us. Seasons has achieved a lot with its various genre blending songs, and emotionally charged vocal delivery. Adding new to the old, accepting flaws with grace and being able to see you’re not alone, all listeners will be undeniably affected in some way or another by this record.

Rating: 8/10

Seasons is out now via Hopeless Records.

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