Syk – I-Optikon

Totally Syk, Bruh.

Art can manifest itself in many different ways. When it comes to music, instruments and lyrical proclivity become tools used in artistic creation. For Italy’s Syk (pronounced “sick”), their inventiveness sprouts from the seedlings of avant-garde, technical math metal, hydrated by progressive tendencies and a combination of gothic harmonies and gruff growls. The quartet, backed by the questionably discriminate Pantera vocalist Phil Anselmo’s label Housecore Records, have livened their production even further in just the two years separating their debut Atoma from their Anselmo-produced sophomore release I-Optikon.

I-Optikon’s grim extremities begin without fail following the horror film score-esque buildup of the album’s title track. Half of the former Psychofagist players to join Syk; drummer Federico De Bernardi di Valserra’s propensity for syncopated thrums make “I-Optikon” a track that establishes the rest of the album’s offerings from the beginning. It’s a particular level of heaviness that underlines each track on I-Optikon, though in different stylistic ways.

“Sinomi” and “Fleshworms” give more of a sludgey, doom vibe instrumentally without straying too far from their entrenched experimental roots that make their frequent comparisons to Meshuggah warranted. “Mud” and “Fong” delve deeply into progressive bounds, with ex-Psychofagist guitarist Stefano Ferrian and bassist Luca Pissavini taking the lead in the tracks’ mathematic output with impressive finger play. When coupled with di Valserra’s awkward time signatures, the trio create a textbook definition of techmetal.

The last piece of this puzzle, and the main factor that really separates Syk from other acts, is lead singer Dalila Kayros. Her vocals come off as a cross between X’s Exene Cervenka and Poly Styrene of the X-Ray Specs, projecting shrill pitches that can either make or break the band’s production for a listener. Tracks like “Disintegrate” showcase her strident screech, where “The White Sun” demonstrates her capacity for angelic harmonics.

Whether or not this occasionally headache-inducing subgenre of metal finds itself at the top of your most played list, Syk’s command of it can’t be denied. I-Optikon holds a certain level of precise production that positions it in the higher ranks of experimental, mathematic metal.