ALBUM REVIEW: Statement On Death – Syberia
Hailing from far sunnier climes than their name and music might suggest, Barcelona’s SYBERIA have only really grown heavier over the past decade. Proof – among others – of the largely arbitrary distinction between post-rock and post-metal, they fit pretty comfortably in both camps now. That said, Statement On Death is definitely the furthest they’ve ventured into the latter. It’s the Spaniards’ fourth full-length album – a work of intense weight both musical and otherwise. All this, as ever, without the band singing or speaking a single word.
Despite being an instrumental record, like all SYBERIA releases there is a strong narrative that runs through Statement On Death. Thematically, it focuses on police violence against people of colour in the United States, with song titles – and the inserts provided with the album’s physical copies – subtly pointing to separate and specific cases explored on each of the record’s five tracks. Perhaps saddest of all is that some of the titles, like Stolen Childhood and Breathe, could apply to so many; as the striking video for recent single Ain’t.Care.About.Bullets. reminds us, “since 2015, US police have killed an average of 987 people a year.”
With this in mind, it would be easy, and perfectly justified, for Statement On Death to be an utterly and unrelentingly bleak record, but while the subject matter lends the album a significant emotional weight, it’s also not as dark and depressing as one might expect. Drawing well-known influence from bands like CASPIAN and MOGWAI, SYBERIA’s propensity for stirring and striking beauty is remarkable. The aforementioned opener Stolen Childhood pulls at the heartstrings from the off, its guitar melodies soaring atop thunderous post-metal intensity. It sets an arresting theme for the record to follow, nodding to bands like MONO and even CULT OF LUNA while crucially not feeling completely dwarfed by such references.
Similar comparisons persist throughout Statement On Death, with the quality never really dropping across the album’s 42-minute runtime. Invariably, the band sound absolutely massive, embellishing their traditional core with synths, electronics and even occasionally a brass trio. The latter makes a particularly prominent appearance on the also aforementioned Ain’t.Care.About.Bullets. – a firm overall highlight that sees SYBERIA arguably at both their most frenzied and most triumphant in a single song.
If there is a criticism here – and it’s only a minor one – it’s that sometimes Statement On Death can feel a little bit like a post-rock/metal band just doing post-rock/metal things. That may sound a little stupid, but the point is that some of these tricks can feel quite familiar. The loud-quiet dynamics, a couple of the chord progressions… to be honest this is all nitpicking though. At the end of the day there’s no denying SYBERIA are just really bloody good at what they do. Every track has something rich and new to offer too – whether it’s the soaring slide guitar of Breathe, the ALCEST-esque blast beats juxtaposed against the particularly electronic elements of Nothing Inside, or the tear-jerkingly uplifting melodicism of closer No Frames To Remember Them.
The natural result of all this is that Statement On Death is an album worth taking the time to unpack. Its theme alone is hugely powerful, and the music itself does it the justice it deserves. Dig into this record, enjoy what the band have to offer here, and most importantly make sure you explore and learn from the stories they’re seeking to tell.
Rating: 8/10
Statement On Death is set for release on May 6th via Metal Blade Records/Blacklight Media Records
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