Tracks:
01. Burn This City
02. Rebellion In Nightmareland
03. Burn This City (radio edit)

Band:
Richard Sjunnesson – vocals
Roger Sjunnesson – guitar
Robin Sjunnesson – guitar
Karin Axelsson – bass and vocals
John Bengtsson – drums
Nathan James Biggs - vocals

Discography:
Eden Fire (2005)
Only Inhuman (2007)
Love and Other Disasters (2008)

Info:

Released: 6/11-2009
Reviewed: 8/1-2010

Links:
sonicsyndicate.com
myspace
nuclear blast

Sonic Syndicate has been quite successful with their latest albums like Love and Other Disasters which allowed them to tour the US as supporting act for Finnish band Nightwish and supporting In Flames during their European tour. It is following these tours that one of the band’s singers Roland Johansson drops the bombshell telling the band he is calling it quits in April 2009. This led to the band desperately seeking a new singer among other by contacting the Swedish radio station Bandit Rock in Stockholm and this in turns leads to countless auditions (if one is to trust the label information) before they find the best thing that has happened to the band so far, Nathan J. Biggs. I guess that is one of those things every band says and how it is in this band I leave unsaid but they do have one new singer and one old.

This Rebellion is an EP that probably is some sort of way to present the band’s new singer who sings on the two brand new tracks that we are treated to here. There is also a new single among these which also has added a new video which can be seen in this review and also on the video page. So we have two new tracks of syndicated metal.

The band plays the same melodic extreme metal as they have done before. There are heavy riffing and growling along with some clear vocals all spiced up with their touch of melody and nicely polished production. I have a rather hard time however, to hear any difference between new singer Biggs and old singer Johansson but that may be due to the fact that old singer Sjunnesson is still in the band doing his part. It may also have something to do with the fact that I have never really listened to this band, I have heard them loads of times but never gotten any deeper into it. So when it comes to sound I do feel that the band sounds pretty much the same as before even though the singer is changed.

The thing about this record, EP, is that it feels like a waste of time, it feels more or less useless, like something we just don’t need. I know they felt it probably was a good way to introduce the new singer but really? I would have been way happier to wait for the album that is said to be due in April this year, they could have introduced this new singer with the video that is still being released along with this stuff. Sure it may not be as profitable as the EP but it is still something. I am sure these two tracks will still be on the record that will arrive in april or so, and therefore there is really no need at all for this record.

So in the end there is just one thing to say, this is a waste of time and resources to make but it sure is one waste with good tracks.

HHHHHHH

Label - Nuclear Blast
Three similar bands - Scar Symmetry/In Flames/Dark Tranquillity
Rating: HHHHHHH
Reviewer: Daniel Källmalm