Emerging from the city of angels, Syrebris have been laying down metal in the deep end of the underground for awhile now. After some changes, they currently boast a very talented four-piece line up. Victoria Villarreal leads the Death Metal charge with a unique feminine touch on both vocals and guitar, shredding alongside her husband Manuel Villarreal. Jesse Villalta brings the rumble on bass while James Coppolino rolls in the rhythm on drums.
Not too long ago, they released their debut EP “Aetheric Dynamics” independantly. This is an awesome release in a number of ways. It brings a very unique and unworldly feel in an unsettling darkness. This darkness is, of course, accompanied by metal \m/ Death Metal with outstanding progressive and experimental elements to be more specific. Listen and you’ll also hear the smooth taste of Spanish guitar influence in segments. The band is certainly derivative to a point, but they also bring their own sound to the final product.
My introduction this band was an awesome one. And you know what they say about first impressions. I stumbled upon the six-minute epic, “The Current”, and was thrown into unique dimension of metal bliss. The impressive album art definitely earned some interest points too. All the upcoming bands out there better take notes, presentation is invaluable. After contacting the band, I was also impressed with their professional attitude. Yet again, take notes.
Eventually I got around to listening to the entire EP. After several listens it was clear that select tracks stood out further amongst the pack. Out of which, “The Current” remained among the best, if not the best. Don’t get me wrong, every track featured has it’s own shining moments. But in my opinion, the most impressive selections are “Eye of the Beholder”, “Spiraling Downward”, and “End Lla”.
The EP does not come without flaws. I’ll point out the main three. First off, the vocals could be better. However, this is a criticism with a catch. This EP was recorded with another vocalist, Jeanette Hunsberger, who has since been replaced by the super talented Victoria Villarreal full-time. And if you listen here, you’ll see Victoria makes for a beastly successor on the vocals. Next up, the production is not the best, sounding almost demo-like at times. While a rough sound can be awesome, this particular EP would sound exponentially better with tighter production. And last, Syrebris pull of some really great riffs, but they don’t always work together. This gives off the infamous Death Metal “riff soup” vibe at times. Nevermind the score below, if these things were changed the EP would score either an 8.5 or a 9 out of 10. Easy.
In many ways, I view this EP as a warm up for what’s to come. There’s so much potential contained within the Syrebris sound. And if they keep evolving as the forward thinking musicians they appear to be, I’m sure they’ll do some damage in the years to come.
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