SYLOSIS hailing from Reading, UK were formed in 2000. They played a mixture of melodic Thrash Metal and Death Metal in the past, and went more towards a groovier, Metalcore oriented sound in recent years. SYLOSIS have an impressive discography to their name, among them three EP, six full-length album, and one live album. Their seventh album "The New Flesh" was produced and mixed by vocalist and guitarist Josh Middleton and mastered by Adam Getgood (BLEED FROM WITHIN; EVERGREY; HAKEN). It has a length of about 48 minutes, and it was released via German Metal label Nuclear Blast Records. The album has a furious start with "Beneath The Surface". The guitar riffing is devastating at fast pace. The vocals are growls and they vary around the medium end of the guttural range. The track is a constant switch between crazy pace and measured tempo, where the guitar riffing is powerful and thunderous, accompanied by strong basslines. "Beneath The Surface" has a lot of grooves and also plenty of aggression during the faster parts. It is a strong opening song of the album. "Erased" maintains the intensity of the opening track, however, "Erased" is a much darker track. Mostly played at a measured tempo, it also has a few fast parts. The choruses include modern Metalcore elements and clean vocal elements with chilling and melancholic melodies. The journey into different genres finishes with a breakdown at the end of the track.

"All Glory, No Valour" is a frantic track with verse and chorus parts at insane pace. The guitar riffing is punishing, while the choruses are almost anthemic. The break starts with a drastic switch to a measured tempo and thunderous guitar riffs and a stomping rhythm. A further twist in pace introduces a short but contributing lead guitar solo. "Lacerations" is a mixture between measured and fast tempo. It is another dark track with grim melodies and some melancholic twists during the choruses. Once again, the genre hopping is evident, ranging from blast-beat driven Death Metal episodes, via plenty of Groove Metal vibes towards modern Metal/melodic Metalcore elements. "Lacerations" is surely one of the album highlights in terms of songwriting.   "Mirror Mirror" has a bit of an atmospheric start, intensified by some synthesizer elements at the beginning of the verse parts. It is a very aggressive and intense mid-tempo track with powerful guitar riffs. The choruses are almost sing-alongs. "Mirror Mirror" is one of the shorter album songs and one of my favorites. "Spared From The Guillotine" is introduced by a guitar-driven mid-tempo part, leading into the main riff of the track. From that point onwards, the verse part is blisteringly fast with flesh-ripping guitar riffs. The track delivers constant changes in tempo and rhythm, and it is for sure not the most easy-to-listen track. The choruses go back to a measured tempo, and the chorus lines are supported by backing vocals. The track again steps across genre boundaries with the fast parts being Thrash Metal inspired with Groove Metal twists near the end of the song. "Spared From The Guillotine" was released as video, and the YouTube link is provided below.

"Adorn My Throne" starts with a keyboard intro, leading into an epic, blast-beat driven part. The track seems to develop into a slow, ballad-esque track during the first verse part, however, the longer the track goes on, the more aggression and pace are added. The keyboards play an important role as they provide background atmosphere throughout the track. The choruses offer dark and melancholic melodies. There are twists and turns in tempo, rhythm, guitar riffing, melodies throughout the entire song, where the only constant are the choruses. The title track is introduced by chilling melodies, a grim atmosphere, and thunderous guitar riffs at a stomping rhythm. It transitions quickly into a fast Thrash Metal track with tight guitar riffs and very aggressive vocals. The choruses switch to mid-tempo, and the backing vocals add a few Crossover/Hardcore vibes. The mid-tempo break offers a contributing lead guitar solo.  "Everywhere At Once" starts with the acoustic guitars and the clean vocals at a slow pace. It is a drastic change in sound and eventually the track turns into a powerful album ballad with a few FFDP vibes. The choruses are a delivery of powerful guitar riffs and vocalist Josh Middleton shows his versatility and grabs the opportunity to shine. "Circle Of Swords" is introduced by thunderous guitar riffs at measured tempo, leading into the verse part. While the verses constantly switch pace ranging from mid-tempo to insanity and mayhem, the choruses are delivered at a measured tempo with powerful guitar riffs, crushing basslines, and blood-freezing melodies. Once again, "Circle Of Swords" blends different genre elements with Thrash Metal and Groove Metal being the most prominent.

The album finishes with "Seeds In The River" and the track is introduced by powerful guitar riffs at mid-tempo. The verse parts start with the basslines and the vocals, leading into tight guitar riffs and switches to a fast pace. The choruses are slowed down with the clean vocals delivering the chorus lines. The break has a very powerful introduction with the clean vocals building up tension and eventually exploding into a final lead guitar solo at crazy pace. "Seeds In The River" is another track of twists and turns and represents the album sound very well. SYLOSIS release a very good, multifaceted album. "The New Flesh" delivers a smart blend of various Metal genre elements, ranging from Thrash, melodic Metalcore, Groove, to modern Metal. Highlights of the album are the guitar riffing, the versatility of the vocals, and the songwriting. All the genre twists fit into each other, and this is the result of excellent songwriting. The album is well produced. "The New Flesh" continues with the new modern era of SYLOSIS but by staying true with their Thrash oriented roots. Fans who are open to a variety of genres, will love the songs on "The New Flesh".