With a mix of synthwave, dark ambient rock and metal, Terror Syndrome has pirouetted its way onto the Irish metal scene with a sound that transports you through the cosmos and beyond with its dance-trodden beats and its vast, futuristic soundscapes, all of which balances itself seductively on a knife edge between what is metal and what is dance. Throughout the last twenty plus years, we’ve seen dance music influence rock, and vice versa. Just think of bands like The Prodigy throughout the nineties and noughties, and maybe more recently bands like Rammstein, who lean heavily on synths, and in doing so have flirted with the mainstream. However you look at it, its nothing new……..but at the same time it is!!
Terror Syndrome is a solo project from county Cork, and for such a young artist, this latest album, As Daylight Falls sounds polished and well established. My knowledge of this darkwave, synthesised genre of music is limited, but I can always appreciate good music, irrespective of what form it takes. The opening track Creatures Of The night immediately sets the scene, layered in celestial synths and dance beats that have been teleported back from the eighties. Throw in an intergalactic guitar solo and a techno breakdown and what you have here is a kaleidoscope of colour and chaos that gets the adrenaline pumping and those Dr. Marten boots tapping!
The track Beyond, interestingly enough, reminds me of one of my favourite bands. Leech released For Better Or For Worse back in 2018, and at the time it was seen as being hugely experimental and a little avant-garde for its time, and for its genre. But it worked, and so does this track. Mid-tempo and layered with a rich wall of sound, the music expands and swells into an astral orchestra that has you travelling weightless through the galaxy, with no concept of time! A great track.
Taking a more metal stance is the high octane, air punching, head thrashing track, Paranormal Force. Very dancey at times but with enough grit and spit beneath it, the music shreds, and spirals through sweet seraphic solos, and crushing cosmic riffs! Then you have the title track, As Daylight Falls which incorporates all of the elements mentioned before, and harnesses all that energy, and funnels it through a patient piece of interstellar sorcery. Slow understated electronica layered with a sombre melody makes this track worthy of the title track.
With eleven tracks to travel through, there is plenty here to keep you soaring above the earth, however, if I was to be hyper critical, I would say that it’s maybe two tracks too long. Either way, its an impressive release, made even more impressive by the age of the artist! It bodes well for the future and if anything, it’s a stellar shot in the arm to the metal scene.