by Alex Henderson

Nuclear Blast has described Sylosis' Conclusion of an Age as "modern thrash metal." Well, thrash is definitely part of the equation; Megadeth and Testament (two of the bands that defined thrash in the 1980s) are both influences on this early 2009 release. But truth be told, Sylosis' work has as much to do with hardcore as it does with thrash; the British band's overall sound is best described as "thrash meets hardcore, with occasional hints of death metal." And Sylosis look to different types of hardcore-related music for inspiration. Parts of this hour-long CD veer into metalcore territory, but quite often, Conclusion of an Age draws heavily on the screamo/melodic hardcore/post-hardcore sound that has been much easier to find in the United States than it has been in the U.K. Many of the screamo elements are present; swirling guitars (definitely a screamo trademark) are plentiful, and so is the screaming vocals/clean vocals contrast that screamo is known for. Lead singer Jamie Graham sometimes detours into death metal's Cookie Monster growl, but more often than not, his screaming vocals are of the metalcore/hardcore persuasion. Of course, the fact that Sylosis have been influenced by both thrash and hardcore makes perfect sense when one considers that back in the 1980s, both of them represented a union of punk and metal (but while thrash metal/speed metal brought punk into metal, hardcore brought metal into punk). Although uneven and inconsistent, Conclusion of an Age deserves credit for variety -- and even though there are some less than memorable tracks, there are some worthwhile ones as well. Conclusion of an Age isn't perfect, but all things considered, it indicates that Sylosis are worth keeping an eye on.