They're British, oh yes!
'The Supreme Oppressor' is the second E.P/mini CD release of the Reading thrash metal crew. Their 2006 debut E.P was released to critical acclaim and they plan to release a full length debut in the summer of 2008, or at least that's the plan. Upon reading the bumf that came with this disc, I was disconcerted when it stated that Sylosis take their influences from thrash, death, black, euro, alternative and progressive metal. This is quite a wide spectrum of styles, which usually results in a watered down version of all of the above. Thankfully, and this is largely down to the band themselves, Sylosis have a good sense of song writing only allowing flashes of their influences to decorate their music, which, in my opinion of course, is well written modern thrash.
After several listens I would go as far as saying that this collection of tunes would've followed on Shadows Fall's 'The Art Of Balance' quite nicely. It has all the riffs, the brutality, the raw energy and attitude of modern thrash without losing that key sense of melody, hook or appeal. All of the performances, from driving bass and pounding drums to slick guitar work and angst but listenable vocals are excellent. All these elements really bring out the best in such metal beasts as 'Manipulation Through Idols' and the titanic ''Slowly Consumed'.
This is a great release from the Brit crew and puts even more faith back into the British metal scene. Although I've suggested this CD could follow on from Shadows Fall's 'The Art Of Balance', they are entirely British about the whole thing. They still manage to get their metal point across without deafening the listener with incoherent screaming, wanking over the fret board with fifty notes per second solos and tiresome speeds in excess of four-hundred beats per minute. As a result 'The Supreme Oppressor' is tidier, punchier and more interesting than many foreign imports. That is their strength and their appeal. If it's only one new band you listen to, and modern thrash metal is your thing, the you could just find what you're looking for in Sylosis. Here's looking forward to their full length debut.