Releasing their debut recording as a four track EP on cassette through Halo Of Flies as well as a digital , Syndrømes are a brand spanking new crusty hardcore four-piece based in New York City. With a lineup that boasts not only a member from the legendary and much missed His Hero Is Gone but also a dude from the recently defunct Masakari, anyone familiar with these two bands will know roughly what to expect from Syndrømes’ debut; this is twelve minutes of blisteringly fast d-beat hardcore in a similar vein to those previous bands as well as the likes of Wolfbrigade and Martyrdöd.
And boy do they deliver! With few moments of calm or quiet – the thirty seconds of melodic guitar lines that introduce the EP on “Vessel” being the majority of it – Syndrømes hit the mark in devastating fashion whilst still allowing for some melody. “Vessel” acts as a fast and sharp introduction to Syndrømes’ intentions and “And Structures Crumble” carries that forward, with another sub-three minute burst of blaring riffs, snare rolls and Joe Yanick’s savage, rasping vocals.
Although it starts like a Nails track, “Death Games” has a jangly guitar and relatively slow build to the mid-section that has an almost post-metal feel to it. It’ll be interesting to see if Syndrømes expand on this on an album, where they would have more space to play with.
Clean, precise production is not exactly a hallmark of crusty d-beat and the recording by Travis Bacon, with mastering from Brad Boatwright, does much to match the brutality and crustiness of Syndrømes’ writing; Frank Huang’s toms may sound muddy at times but they’re never lost amid in the heavy distortion of the guitars and the snare is especially punchy.
Available through their Bandcamp, if this self-titled EP is just a taster of what to expect from Syndrømes then I anticipate that their, hopefully not too far away, full length will be a ripping rager of an album.
Syndrømes EP is out now
