Idiosyncrasy

Schysma

After treating myself to a spree of wild and wicked Extreme Metal releases, it was […]
By Daniel Fox
December 13, 2014
Schysma - Idiosyncrasy album cover

After treating myself to a spree of wild and wicked Extreme Metal releases, it was splendidly refreshing to delve back into the realms of the melodic, the progressive, the symphonic; courtesy of Italian Progressive Metal band SCHYSMA, dropping their debut full-length, "Idiosyncrasy". A little  out of my game  the moment, so bear with me; the ever-delivering Revalve Records have dropped another great release in my lap.

I developed a little mantra through my course as a Prog fanatic; if a Prog band sounds like no one else, they're doing something right. I can split PAGAN'S MIND from CIRCUS MAXIMUS, from ANUBIS GATE, from DREAM THEATER, and so on, and SCHYSMA soars in an entirely different sector. "Idiosyncrasy" is, for all intents and purposes, a work of art that can only be described as epicly charismatic. Beginning with the enthralling "Lost in the Maze", fronted by a strong and technical keyboard presence, the majority of the track is kept at an up-beat, lilting groove, spurred by effective and catchy drumming (how often do you hear 'catchy drumming' in metal, anyway?). "The Noise of Silence" follows, and is anything but, and also one of my favourite tracks on the album, kept at a spacy, mid-tempo pace with soaring vocals, atmospherics and memorable guitar lines.

The vocals; let me make something clear. They will take time to get used to; a little unpolished, a little rough, but I am strongly of the opinion that they do well to add to the band's charisma. A powerful wailer, hitting high notes all over the place, sometimes just sits in the mix as a third guitar. The raspy-round-the-edges, piercing voice of Riccardo, on the other hand, contributes a jarringly contrasting edge to the otherwise smooth, silky instrumental arrangements, not too dissimilar to another Italian, Damna of ELVENKING.

His talents are perhaps best proven in the strongly Eastern-influenced "Migdal", a fluid track that gracefully transitions between the slow and and trancelike, to the fast and epic; both his vocals and the expert guitars hitting notes on the top shelf. Hell, he even sounds a bit like Edu from the early 2000 ANGRA albums.  "Invictus" is certainly one of the more adventurous of the tracks, with unusual chord and melodic progressions and intriguing keyboard effects, but most of all, a nuclear-powered chorus that truly hits home.

This is not the most accessible of Progressive Metal bands; however, if that is your proclivity, I would strongly suggest bending your ear to SCHYSMA; Prog is meant to take time to access its full listening potential. It will be worth your time.

9 / 10

Almost Perfect

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"Idiosyncrasy" Track-listing:

1. Lost in The Maze
2. The noise of Silence
3. Heremetic
4. Pendulum
5. Migdal
6. Supreme Solution
7. Need a Chance
8.Invictus
9. Sinners
10. Time Man

Schysma Lineup:

Martina Bellini - Keyboard, Programming
Giorgio Di Paola - Bass Guitar
Riccardo Minicucci - Vocals
Vladimiro Sala - Lead Guitar
Lucas Solina - Drums and Percussions

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