FORGOTTEN SOULS „Nine Syndromes”

Music: Experimental/Progressive Black/Death Metal
Website: http://www.forgottensouls.pl
Country: Poland
Cool songs: War, Creature, Butcher’s Love Song

The Polish experimental metal scene is quite big. A lot of bands play their own ‘visionary’ music, but very often it does not leave their garages or temporary studios. In case of FORGOTTEN SOULS the situation is different. They started working in 1998 and since that time managed to release three full-length albums. The group experienced several line up and genre shifts, as they started with gothic/doom metal, whereas now they are somewhere around extremely progressive (experimental) death metal with black elements. ‘Nine Syndromes’ which is their third album, a first with sVirus behind the microphone creates new paths on the Polish ground.

What strikes at the very beginning are the extremely developed keyboard parts which build the melodic line of the whole. ‘Nine Syndromes’ are carried mainly by Mr. G-sus’s efforts, as he provides the background for every single sound which appears on this album. His keyboards are vicious, diabolic and deadly. Thanks to them the music gains an industrial character, a dark and cursed atmosphere dominates through the listening. Therefore we have got some kind of a symphonic metal embellished with techno-like sounds. And it is not a negative feature – it simply smites everything. The music is very heavy and does not resemble anything I have heard before. It is an innovative kick of an idea which was closed in the musicians’ minds. Fantastic and melodic ‘Creature’ or spasmodic ‘Somatic Trauma’ nail to the armchair for hours. You just want to stay there and listen to the material over and over again. sVirus’s original hoarse vocal is probably one of the best yells in Poland, his voice can be situated somewhere around Dani Filth’s and Alexi Laiho’s. Finally Poland has got their own reaper-vocalist who can carry the power and aggression with an adequate feel.

The progressive tune is audible throughout the whole album, it is almost impossible to compose material, consisting of nine complete tracks, without repeating not a single sound – but the gentlemen from FORGOTTEN SOULS have done it! It is a feast, an orgy of sounds and ideas, an oneiric journey through the world of sounds. The industrial keyboard fills dominate the music which is sometimes a bit annoying, because very often the guitars are dumb. But it does not mean that it destroys the grim character, on the contrary, it is there all the time and stabs you straight in the chest.

When concentrating just on the music-level the release seems to be quite odd, i.e. you will not find anything like that. But when the album is considered and approached from the artistic point of view the situation changes. Great rhythmic, sheer and deliberate chaos, fantastic melodic sections and finally an extreme marriage of blackened progressive death metal with an industrial wave form a platinum material, a sophisticated play to be performed on the best scenes of the world. The music is extraordinary and will remain forever. I hope that it will change the way we perceive it.

note: 9/10

Tracklist

1. S
2. Syndrome 1 – War
3. Syndrome 2 – Path
4. Y
5. Syndrome 3 – Creature
6. N
7. Syndrome 4 – Atomic Waltz
8. D
9. Syndrome 5 – Somatic Trauma
10. R
11. Syndrome 6 – Childhurt
12. Syndrome 7 – End
13. O
14. Syndrome 8 – Butcher’s Love Song
15. M
16. Syndrome 9 – Fear
17. E

Total playing time 40:42

Line-up

Rafał ‘sVirus’ Piotrowski – vocals
Krzysztof ‘Chris’ Wójcik – guitars
Mateusz ‘Matt’ Zachorowski – bass
Paweł ‘Mr. G-sus’ Grobler – synthesizers
Piotr ‘Peter’ Wójcik – drums