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.
The River
Sylosis Lyrics
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A face hidden beneath a bone veil
The winds sound a distant voice
A wolf in sheep's clothing
A martyr beneath a mirror
Every whisper I hear
Every breath down the back of my neck
But this runs deeper
This is in my bones
Counting down the days
Dragging out the weight
Blurred lines evade the light
A wolf in sheep's clothing
A martyr's disguise
Every whisper I hear
Every breath down the back of my neck
Senses can be fooled so easily
But this runs deeper
This is in my bones
I could have sworn you lay in the ground
In my sight
Yet so far out of reach
Take this misery
Drown it with my memories
So they can never be found
Follow the river down
To where the waves break
I just watched the waters rise
And take a life
"The River" by Sylosis is a song that speaks of deception and betrayal. The lyrics paint a picture of an individual who has realized that not everything is what it seems. As the song begins, the person sees a silhouette in the light, someone who is hiding their face beneath a bone veil. The winds carry a distant voice, and the person recognizes that there is a wolf in sheep's clothing, and underneath that disguise lies a martyr. The person's senses can be fooled easily, but this realization goes deeper than what can be seen on the surface.
The lyrics then go on to speak about counting down the days and dragging out the weight. Blurred lines evade the light, hiding the true intentions of the person in disguise. The martyr's disguise is likened to that of a wolf in sheep's clothing. The person then hears whispers and feels breath down the back of their neck, but they know that this goes deeper than their physical senses. The realization is in their bones, and they cannot deny it. The person then speaks of someone they thought was dead, but they are out of reach.
The chorus repeats the message that senses can be fooled so quickly, but this realization goes much deeper than that, it's in their bones. The lyrics then speak of drowning misery with memories so that they can never be found. Following the river down to where the waves break, the person witnesses the waters rise and take a life. It's a powerful ending that emphasizes the message of falsehood and deception.
Line by Line Meaning
A silhouette in the light
An outline seen in the illumination
A face hidden beneath a bone veil
A countenance covered by a mask made of bones
The winds sound a distant voice
A voice from far away is carried by the wind
A wolf in sheep's clothing
A deceptive person pretending to be harmless
A martyr beneath a mirror
A brave person suffering who is seen as a reflection
Every whisper I hear
I am attentive to every soft spoken word
Every breath down the back of my neck
Every exhalation felt on my nape
Senses can be fooled so easily
Perceptions can be easily manipulated
But this runs deeper
This is more profound
This is in my bones
This is part of me
Counting down the days
Ticking off the calendar rows
Dragging out the weight
Very slowly and heavy-handedly carrying the burden
Blurred lines evade the light
Unclear boundaries avoid clarity
A wolf in sheep's clothing
A cunning person in a harmless guise
A martyr's disguise
A brave person in undisclosed attire
I could have sworn you lay in the ground
I was almost sure you were buried in the land
In my sight
In my field of vision
Yet so far out of reach
But too distant to touch
Take this misery
Take away this affliction
Drown it with my memories
Submerge it with my recollections
So they can never be found
So they will never be discovered
Follow the river down
Trace the river course
To where the waves break
To the spot where the waves crash
I just watched the waters rise
I simply saw the water level increase
And take a life
And cause a death
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: DARREN STUART MIDDLETON, JACQUELINE STONE, YANTO BROWNING
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind