Syncolima - Where The End Meets The Beginning
A calm, clean, jangly guitar riff introduces 'Into the Sun' before the band break into a hard-hitting groove that prompts the listener to headbang straight away. With defiant lyrics about the need to start afresh and leave people behind - something we've all craved at some point - Gazz's drums cleverly mix up half-time, standard and double-time rhythms to keep the energy levels varied, making the heavy parts heavier and the more upbeat bits more euphoric. It's an album highlight and a great choice for what would be Syncolima's debut single a month ago. In many ways, this is 'Syncolima in a nutshell', and sets the tone and attitude for what is to come. Josh's ear for melody really shines on this track in particular. His voice has a grit descended from the legendary likes of Lemmy, but still is very much able to carry a tune.
'Where I've Been' starts on a sludgy main riff that could have come straight out of New Orleans before the dynamic is dropped to a whisper. A soft, grungy verse complements the gritty chorus; with some of the album's heaviest moments, it's a clever decision by Syncolima to utilise quiet verses structurally, and make the dirtier moments really hit home. Lyrically this song is unambiguous, but ever-relatable after the last year and a half - 'home has been the place to be, cohabit with my self pity'. There can't be a single reader on this blog who hasn't lost themselves with cabin fever over the pandemic, and Syncolima tap into this with their ode to the absence of live music.
'Laguna' is an exceptionally strong track. Opening with a mysterious, clever bass lick from Stoff, Josh and Gazz join in to create a psychedelic, Alice in Chains-esque atmosphere. As they raise the volume for the verses, the groove is reminiscent of the swagger that you might find in a Rage Against The Machine song. After a couple of repeats and a Sabbathy chorus, Stoff introduces a beautiful instrumental section, with melodic, tasteful guitar leads from Josh. It's incredibly well done, and indicative of the chemistry that the three musicians have together - after a short amount of time as a band. Each member is allowed to shine and take the leading role, never overpowering any one of the others at any point. It's arguably the least alike the others on the album, but this maybe makes it stand out even more. Hats off.
'Strong Beer' follows, with an upbeat, rowdy Motörhead-type vibe. Josh delivers the chorus of 'strong beer, medium drugs and light debauchery' with a smirk, urging future crowds to sing along, who would presumably be under the same influence that the trio are suggesting. A heavy instrumental outro with psychedelic undertones rounds off what is sure to be a fan favourite. The way that Syncolima navigate slower, mid-paced and (as demonstrated in this song) faster tempos with ease is a real strength of the band. 'These Tongues' continues proceedings in the vein that has been firmly established by now, with a bluesy guitar riff and melodic, grungy chorus. The guitar solo section is impressive in the way it exhibits the trio's chemistry, again, with clever bass runs and drum patterns complementing the soulful guitar work at the top of the mix.
It becomes quickly apparent why 'Where The End Meets The Beginning' was made the title track, as the album's epic centrepiece. Moody verses trade off with fuzzy, Alice in Chains-meets-Black Sabbath chorus riffing, complete with introspective, temporal lyrics written by Stoff. The song feels like a journey through time, especially with the choruses that evolve from 'soon I will be at the end meets the beginning' to 'now I've arrived at where the end meets the beginning' to 'I used to be at the end meets the beginning'. Clever, eh? Syncolima change the mood completely for 'So Into You'. In simple terms, it's fun, catchy and smutty - and reminds us that sometimes, rock is about having fun and making noise. Again, this will probably be very popular at their gigs, and has one of the most memorable hooks on the whole album.
'No Fright In Dying' sees more of Syncolima's Sabbathy vibes come through, with bold, philosophical lyrics from Gazz that assert 'I don't fear reapers, no bogeyman, no fright in dying - it's the only thing I'd planned'. An initially slow burner, the trio pick up the pace for a big outro to lead into the faster 'Nothing Hits Like This Thing Hits'. Josh literally spits out the verses with a Hetfield-style bark to contrast with the softer sung melodies in his lower range. A good example of his vocal versatility, Josh is evidently as comfortable doing one as the other. 'You Hold The Cards' is an upbeat, catchy album closer, with Syncolima's stoner swing that they have made their own over the last ten songs. Complete with a well-executed spot of lead bass wizardry three quarters of the way through, it will perhaps be overshadowed by the sheer strength of the rest of the album, but is by no means a weak end to proceedings.
You'd easily take another 5-6 songs like these. Syncolima have a formula that just works. They prove repeatedly over Where The End Meets The Beginning that they have mastery of creating riffs, writing clever instrumental sections and synergising with each other. Gazz beats the living daylights out of his drums with aggressive purpose, impressive chops and dizzying double-bass work throughout, while Stoff's talent is made apparent with his fills, runs and lead sections beneath Josh's tasteful guitar work and gruff vocal melodies. At no point does one player dominate over the others, and at no point does a song feel tired and sub-par, such is the quality of this debut album.
It sounds timeless, with nods to musical giants from several different decades. It doesn't neatly fit into one box, but whatever it is, it sounds like Syncolima, a band who found their sound and chemistry quicker than most could ever hope to. It has a hardened rock n' roll attitude, but with a real-life sensibility to it that will draw people to it - and keep them coming back.
Bloody brilliant. Don't let it go underneath your radar.
9/10
MN
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