Sylosis was formed in late 2000 by original member Josh Middleton when they were back in school, as a bunch of kids who just wanted to play metal; mainly old school thrash and death metal. Their first two EPs were released on In at the Deep End records, entitled “Casting Shadows” and “The Supreme Oppressor”. The band has been around since 2001; founding member and lead guitarist Josh and bassist Carl are the only surviving members from the original lineup.
In November, 2007 Sylosis got an email from Nuclear Blast saying they'd love to work with the band and signed to them a month later, in which their debut album was released on October 24 2008. Their debut album Conclusion of an Age has a lot of themes, but is generally not a concept album. Lyrically, the album deals with the end of the human race, in how nature reclaims the earth again. The artwork shows a world living with the human race. There are no religious beliefs behind the writings however. After recording their debut album, guitarist Gurneet Ahluwalia quit the band to rejoin his old band Viatrophy, also from Reading. In his place ex-guitarist Alex Bailey of Viatrophy joined Sylosis, ready for the early 2009 European tour with The Black Dahlia Murder, Cephalic Carnage and Psycroptic.
The band has had many members over the years, many of which have played with, or gone on to play with, other Reading bands such as Exit Ten and Viatrophy.
According to an interview Josh gave to Stream of Conciousness, there's no meaning for the name of the band: "the band name was just something we randomly came up with when we were kids and it doesn't carry any significance".
Edge of the Earth, Monolith and RV Accident (2010–2013)
Sylosis replaced Rise to Remain during the UK leg of As I Lay Dying's European tour in 2010. Sylosis entered the studio in 2010 to record their second full-length studio album, entitled Edge of the Earth; it was released in March 2011. They recorded a third studio album titled Monolith with Romesh Dodangoda in Wales at Monnow Valley Studio. Monolith was released on 5 October 2012 in Germany, 8 October 2012 in UK & Europe, 9 October 2012 in USA, and 10 October 2012 in Japan via Nuclear Blast Records. Since January 2013 the band have headlined a UK tour as well featuring on the Soundwave Festival in Australia. They also carried out a tour with the bands [arist]Hellyeah, In Flames and, headliner Lamb of God in late 2012. The band had a main supporting role on a tour with Killswitch Engage in Europe during April and May 2013. Sylosis was announced as the opening band for the Trivium and DevilDriver North American co-headline tour with After the Burial as another supporting band. The tour was scheduled for October and November.
On 25 September, the members of Sylosis were involved in an RV accident, the injuries from which resulted in the withdrawal of their shows supporting Trivium and DevilDriver.
Dormant Heart, departure of Rob Callard, and hiatus (2014–2016)
After the members of Sylosis had recovered from their respective injuries, they embarked on a tour of the UK and Europe as main support to DevilDriver with Bleed from Within. On this tour Sylosis drummer Rob Callard was unable to play on the tour due to other commitments. Ali Richardson, drummer of Bleed From Within, filled in for the remainder of the tour.
In late September 2014 it was announced that Rob Callard was stepping down as drummer of Sylosis after nine years of playing in the band. His replacement was announced at the same time, in the form of Ali Richardson. Richardson's relationship with Sylosis was started on the DevilDriver tour earlier in the year.
At the start of October 2014, Sylosis announced details of their fourth album Dormant Heart, which was released on 12 January 2015 through Nuclear Blast Records. During the second half of May 2015, Sylosis started a European tour with the band Wovenwar. They also played at several festivals over the summer, such as Graspop Metal Meeting and Hellfest among others. In October 2016, Sylosis announced that they would be going on hiatus as frontman Josh Middleton would be filling in for the British metalcore band Architects on guitar due to the passing of their guitarist Tom Searle, who was also a close friend of Middleton's. After 11 months of touring with Architects, it was announced that Middleton would be joining Architects as an official member, stating he would still remain in Sylosis.
Return and Cycle of Suffering (2019–2020)
In a March 2019 interview, Middleton confirmed that the band remains a going concern and that he intends to release a new Sylosis album in 2019. On 5 December 2019 Nuclear Blast revealed the pre-order for an apparent new record titled Cycle of Suffering, to be released on 14 February 2020. A day later, the band announced they had returned from their hiatus and confirmed that the new album would be released on 7 February 2020. This was followed by the first single release and music video from the album, titled "I Sever".
In promotion of the album, the band supported Trivium on their "A Light or a Distant Mirror" live concert. This particular concert was held at Full Sail University and streamed online. The concert did not have a live audience due to the COVID-19 pandemic. On 11 December 2020 Sylosis released a new single, titled "Worship Decay". On 8 March 2021, Sylosis announced a vinyl release of Conclusion of an Age and released "Plight of the Soul", a previously unreleased B-side track from the album.
Singles and "A Sign of Things to Come" (2020-Present)
On December 11th, 2020, Sylosis released a new single, "Worship Decay," which represented a hard shift away from their previous music into a more pop-metalcore style played by Middleton's other band, Architects. The following two singles, "Immovable Stone" and "Heavy is the Crown" followed the same suit. This change in sound was met with mixed reactions by the band's fanbase.
On September 8th, 2023, the band released their sixth studio album, "A Sign of Things to Come," preceded by lead singles "Deadwood," "Poison for the Lost," and "A Sign of Things to Come. The album followed in the same direction as their three inter-album singles referenced above, with sparse examples of their previous thrash/melodeath/metalcore style, only present on "Poison for the Lost" and "A Godless Throne." The band also deployed the use of soft rock and electronic elements on certain songs. On January 16th, 2024, the band released the pop-metal track "Absent" from their album as a single, along with a techno version of the song remixed by Zetra.
"A Sign of Things to Come" has received mixed reactions among the band's fanbase on social media, receiving criticism for the shift to mainstream metalcore, or "nu-metalcore," as well as criticizing Middleton for turning the band into a clone of Architects, his other band. The title track has also been accused of ripping off Sad But True by Metallica.
Dystopia
Sylosis Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Tears through the eye
As the taste of bitter destruction
Swells the tongue
Baron Earth
Swen with seeds of wrath
Engulfed in tragedy
On suffering they feed
Flock to the heavens
In swells of despair
Crawling towards your bitter end
Turn away from the Sun
That's severed the night from day
When all lie, steal and cheat
It means nothing in a world of deceit
...And without words
The black hearts of man
Will teach us to fear
By the force of their hand
When rivers flood and break their banks
Tides turn, storm rolls
When skies ignite with rain like fire
Tides turn, storm rolls
When mortal men barter for peace
Beware he who bears the mark of the beast
Following blind men,
To their graves
Death greets you,
With a suffocating embrace
...And without words
The black hearts of man
Will teach us to fear
By the force of their hand
The opening verse of Sylosis's song Dystopia paints a picture of the world as we know it being destroyed by an overwhelming wave of light, leaving behind a bitter taste of destruction. The imagery continues with the metaphor of the Earth being barren and full of seeds of wrath, engulfed in tragedy by the hand of the corrupt and the greedy, feeding off the suffering of others. The chorus speaks of people clinging to faith, crawling towards their inevitable end, while advising to turn away from the so-called light, a reference to the false hopes and empty promises made by corrupt leaders. The second verse talks of the inevitability of nature unleashing its fury, rivers flooding, tidal waves turning, and skies igniting with rain like fire, and how people in power will use deception to broker a fake peace, but to beware those who bear the mark of the beast.
Beyond the literal interpretation of the lyrics, Dystopia is a powerful commentary on the human condition and the predictable consequences of society refusing to address its destructive tendencies, both to the environment and to each other. The theme of corruption and greed leading to suffering presents a searing indictment of those who hold power, and the false hope that people put in their leaders, hoping that they will deliver a better life. The song also explores the cost of blind faith and the dangers of following leaders without question or actually considering their actions. Overall, Dystopia speaks to the alienation and disillusionment felt by many living in a world that seems hell-bent on destroying itself.
Line by Line Meaning
A wave of light
An impactful force of illumination
Tears through the eye
Penetrates the senses to reach the core of consciousness
As the taste of bitter destruction
The sensation of something destructive and unpleasant
Swells the tongue
Fills and overwhelms the mouth
Baron Earth
A lifeless world
Swen with seeds of wrath
Planted with seeds of anger and revenge
Engulfed in tragedy
Consumed by calamity and misery
By purveyors of corruption and greed
By those who spread dishonesty and selfishness
On suffering they feed
They thrive on other's pain
Flock to the heavens
Gather towards the sky
In swells of despair
In large waves of hopelessness
Crawling towards your bitter end
Moving slowly and agonizingly towards a bad outcome
Turn away from the Sun
Direct oneself away from positivity
That's severed the night from day
The one that has caused an extreme shift in nature
When all lie, steal and cheat
When everyone is dishonest and unethical
It means nothing in a world of deceit
It holds no value in a dishonest world
...And without words
Without verbal communication
The black hearts of man
The evil souls of humanity
Will teach us to fear
Will instill terror in us
By the force of their hand
By their strength and power
When rivers flood and break their banks
When water bodies overflow and burst their boundaries
Tides turn, storm rolls
A shift in power and a disaster strikes
When skies ignite with rain like fire
When the rain pours down with intense force
When mortal men barter for peace
When mere humans try to negotiate for tranquility
Beware he who bears the mark of the beast
Be cautious of those who have the symbol of evil
Following blind men,
Pursuing the guidance of people with no vision
To their graves
Towards their inevitable death
Death greets you,
Encounters you upon departure from life
With a suffocating embrace
In a tight and claustrophobic hug
Contributed by Caroline R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.