As death metal goes, this is about as brutal and uncompromising as it gets. “Iconoclasm” is the second album from this Swedish band and comes, to quote the lead singer, “with a nosebleed guarantee”.
Yet in spite of the all-conquering harshness which recalls Nile, Behemoth and Grind Inc, the cuts are clean. The riffage and melodies are even pleasing but self-evidently not pleasant. In the case of “A Silent Void”, the cut is through steel, helped on its way by the triggering drums and violence. This is a punishing slab of music. Syn:Drom mix up the tempo well, and “Cold Existence” is testimony to this, slowing down before the dark clouds erupt and the walls come down. This funereal and majestic piece of atmospheric darkness then leads on to “The Filth Unmasked” whose swirling and nasty guitars, blast beats and growls will frighten all but the strongest. The common theme is of a power drill penetrating a reinforced wall. The solemn “Solitude Breeds Death” returns to the deathly and tortuous world of “Cold Existence”, then dual vocals come in to add to the undiluted brutality of “13th Serpent. Can you have too much death metal? While appreciating the commitment and quality of the structures and songs, by “Through Divine Intoxication”, which I found a bit of an add-on without portfolio, I was beginning to have my fill. Then there is “Iconoclastic View”. The ninth track of ten, it was an interesting stage to pull out something different. The sampled vocals and above all the symphonic element serve to make it darker and spooky. It combines well with the classic death metal which accompanies it. Finally, Syn:Drom return to dirtily sludging through treacle. It is the ideal dessert. The darkness ends.
The message is clear: Syn:Drom aim to crush us to death. It’s a uni-dimensional aim but they stick to their task well and make a good job of doing it.
(6.5/10 Andrew Doherty)
29/01/2013 at 1:39 pm
Fantastic Album!!