Syberia – Statement on Death
Release Date: 6th May 2022
Label: Metal Blade Records / Blacklight Media
Bandcamp
Genre: Post-Metal, Black Metal.
FFO: Isis, Russian Circles, Mogwai.
Review By: Jason James
Spanish Post-Metallers Syberia have been in the game for more than a decade now. And there is a definite evolution to be found in their sound. Whilst they are an instrumental band, there is a definite story to their compositions.
This is not to say that their earlier offerings are sub-par. Far from it. But for me, there is a difference between their first two offerings and the subsequent two. 2019’s Seeds of Change marked an embracing of their post-metal direction, and this has been consolidated with their latest opus, Statement on Death.
Statement on Death is an album that shows a band that is confident in their conviction and the message they are conveying. Each song title speaks of loss, of violence and of the sorts of feelings they can conjure up, commencing with Stolen Childhood and concluding with the enigmatically titled No Frames to Remember Them. You get the feeling that everything was meticulously planned, the stories behind the titles pushing the band on and getting their creative juices flowing.
Oscar Linares’ and JordiOnly’s guitars lament melodically over Quim Torres’ frenetic bass. New drummer Manel Woodcvtter’s metronomic drumming tops off a band that know exactly what they’re doing and what they want to say. This is a post-metal album by any measure, but there are touches to signify that the band are always willing to explore new territory without fear. The beginning of track 2, Ain’t.Care.About.Bullets., and the breakdown near the end of track 3, Breathe, have black metal leanings. The album ends with the very gradual fading in of a section of By Any Means Necessary, a 1964 speech by revolutionary orator Malcolm X, closing a fearless, firebrand album.
Statement on Death is a continuation of Syberia’s mission to break new ground with every release. It’s always a good thing for musicians to leave their comfort zone every once in a while and give listeners something different to whet their appetites for more.
(3.5 / 5)
