SYLOSIS, Fated Elegy @Slade Rooms 2/5/12

It has been both interesting and – for a fan – exciting to see the rise and rise of Sylosis. For the third time in 15 months they are out on a UK tour. First they topped the bill at the Metal Hammer Club tour last Feb, before bringing a really fine bill out with them last September (and becoming the first review on RTM in the process). And this constant touring has paid off for them.

From the promising thrash band they were with debut album Conclusion of an Age, they had to overcome line up problems before unleashing the astonishingly good “Edge of the Earth” album last year. A thumping, sprawling almost prog/thrash masterpiece it put them into the magazines and filled venues.

In this context this particular trek can almost be seen as a kind of victory lap. The gigs are bigger than before, and there is a vey decent crowd there for this, the last night, in Wolverhampton.

There is both good news and bad news pre show. The good news is that rhythm guitarist Alex Bailey is back stage right after his broken wrist caused him to miss the bands inaugural tour of the US late last year, while the bad sees the planned supports (Hang The Bastard, Xerath and Chapters) not performing despite being slated to. This is a shame as RTM had been looking forward to catching the Bastard’s (so to speak) and had wondered if Chapters had fulfilled the potential they had shown in September at the bottom of the Sylosis bill.

In their place were three local bands and we catch Metal merchants Fated Elegy. The Wolves mob are competing in Metal To The Masses at The Roadhouse on 13^th May to compete for a place at Bloodstock. The boys stand a chance as they are tight and know what they are doing – and evidently have a reasonable following. Their sound is built on fine riffing from Mike Pritchard and powerful drumming. They are an immediate cut above most modern metalcore.

Sylosis too, are another band who always had that little something extra. And since lead guitarist Josh Middleton added vocalist to his repertoire after the departure of Jamie Graham, they have got even better.

It is with their most recent song, digital only single “Snakes and Arrows” they begin before settling into playing much material from “….Age.” rather than its successor – although of the recent tracks “Sands of Time” crushes and “Dystopia” is a welcome addition for this tour.

The Reading band has managed to garner itself a fairly rabid fan base, and Middleton’s call for a circle pit during “Teras” is met with enthusiasm. The set concludes with a stunning rendition of “Empyreal.” They are back for an unusual – and apparently unplanned - encore of oldie “The Blackest Skyline.”

The band has since tweeted that it was “the best night of the tour” and whilst we haven’t seen the others we are not ones to disagree. Here is a band that just keeps getting and better. They apparently have another album in the works and you suspect it could just be a masterpiece.