CoC : Sindrome - Severe Damage of Reason and Equilibrium : Review

Sindrome - _Severe Damage of Reason and Equilibrium_
(Independent, 2003)
by: Pedro Azevedo (7 out of 10)

Newcomers Sindrome clearly take their music very seriously, at least judging by this EP: complex structures and arrangements form the basis of their musical creations, although from a technical perspective things never get really flashy. Sindrome's subtle complexity stems from an apparent yearning to create music that has plenty to offer beyond the first few listens, and that is something they have already achieved to a considerable extent on this debut EP. Indeed, Sindrome sit pretty high on the evolutionary ladder already, with a sense of musical layering that is not initially obvious. Sindrome's closest musical reference is possibly Tool, a band I am not overly familiar with; either way, the sprawling, atmospheric compositions are certainly far from being chorus-based or very metallic. The song structures remain mostly interesting, but the music tends to feel like it could use some more intensity. The glowing exception is provided by the instrumental closing track: a superb, tranquil piano dirge with some vague background noise that requires no intensity whatsoever. The vocals are generally very melodic, often effect-laden to the point of coming across as vaguely synthetic (a couple of times even slightly reminiscent of Cynic), and merge very well with the guitar work. _Severe Damage of Reason and Equilibrium_ is certainly an interesting debut EP which, though somewhat lacking in intensity, shows plenty of potential for Sindrome.

Contact: http://www.spiralsektor.com

(article published 27/6/2003)