Sylvatica - Cadaver Synod

Angry Metal Guy

Danish melodic folk death quartet Sylvatica has been around since 2009, with two full-lengths plus an assortment of EPs and singles under its collective belt. The band’s debut EP, Sagn og sagaer, had a stomping folk metal edge to it that recalled early Blind Guardian but with harsh, growling vox. By the time of their first LP, 2014’s Evil Seeds, Sylvatica’s sound had evolved somewhat, bringing them closer in tone to Skyfire or maybe Stormkeep, while on their sophomore outing, Ashes and Snow (2021), that progression continued, as the solos and furious drumming reached epic levels, and synths played an enhanced role leveling up the grandeur and faintly symphonic elements. At least on its face, by which I mean the cover art and the title, third effort Cadaver Synod would appear to be an altogether darker affair. So, what’s on the agenda for this assembly of corpses?

Cadaver Synod does represent a change of sound and direction for Sylvatica but not at all in the direction I expected. Far from a darker, more atmospheric affair, leaning further into the melodic death metal side of their sound, it goes hard on an almost metal musical vibe in places (“Pope Innocent VIII”). The spangly synth elements remain a key part of the sound, acting like icing on the insanity of the underlying music (“Papa Poltergeist”), which is also punctuated by a Hammond organ (“Song of the Leper”) and the otherworldly theremin (“Scapegoat”). Blasting drums from Jacques Harm Brandt Hauge form the backbone of Cadaver Synod but its hard to focus too much on them, given the swirling cacophony the rest of the band whips up.

Cadaver Synod by Sylvatica

Still with something of Stormkeep’s Tales of Othertime in the sound, particularly in the guitar work from Jardén Schlesinger and Christian Christiansen, there is now a lot more going, with the madness of both Trold and even Troldhaugen inhabiting Cadaver Synod. Penultimate track “In the Eyes of God” probably gets closest to what I expected from Sylvatica on this record, setting a furious melodeath pace, with some symphonic ornamentation but the rest of the album, particularly the three-track run of “Papa Poltergeist”-“Titivillus”-“Pope Innocent VIII” is on another plane entirely. The folk elements are dialed in, sitting atop percussive, stomping guitars and swirling, skirling otherworldly synth elements (“Titivillus”), but what really sends Cadaver Synod over the top are the vocals. Schlesinger’s gravelly growl, which often takes on a rhythmic semi-chanted note, is accompanied by leering falsettos, Gregorian chants, husky whispered passages and more (and that’s just on “Pope Innocent VIII”). On “Song of the Leper,” there are ethereal sustained cleans alongside the proggy guitar work, while opener “Strife” sees a sort of call-and-answer chorus thing going on.

In amongst the deranged fun are moments of real quality, particularly in some of the leads from Schlesinger and Christiansen (the back halves of opener “Strife” and “Song of the Leper”). The performance from bassist Thomas Haxen is also strong, particularly on the likes of “Papa Poltergeist” and the (relatively!) restrained “In the Eyes of God.” Sylvatica’s latest incarnation is a lot, frankly. On my first few listens, I was pretty sure I hated it. The more time I’ve spent with it, it’s grown on me and there are a few tracks—”Titivillus” and “Song of the Leper,” in particular—that have wormed their way into may brain. But Cadaver Synod is definitely not an album free of issues. It closes on a particularly weak note, with the dreadful semi-acoustic “Song of the Leper (Acoustic),” while “Strife,” despite the strong guitar work, and “In the Eyes of God” aren’t of quite the same quality and feel like they belong on the band’s last record rather than Cadaver Synod.

While the insanity of the middle portion of the record hangs together better than it has any right to, the issue with Cadaver Synod is that it feels like Sylvatica only really let go there, while holding back maybe 10% in other places. This is a shame because, for this kind of sound to work, you can’t pull your punches, as it just highlights those places where you’ve not fully committed and leaves the record sounding like a bit of mixed bag. At the same time, Cadaver Synod is hella fun, with good production and one of the most unique records I’ve heard this year. At just over 40 minutes, it doesn’t outstay its welcome either. I feel a bit bad about the rating to be honest but such is the life of the overworked, underpaid metal review and don’t forget people, 2.5 is not bad, it’s Mixed!

Rating: 2.5/5.0
DR: 8 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Mighty Music
Websites: sylvatica1.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/sylvatica
Releases Worldwide: October 20th, 2023

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