Syk was formed by Stefano Ferrian and Federico De Bernardi Di Valserra, both former members of the well-known long-running avant-grind monstrosity Psychofagist, and is fronted by Dalila Kayros. The result is almost as if Meshuggah have gained the vocal talents of Björk at her wildest and most extreme, and the musicians and singer have created and recorded their tracks individually of each other and have then just put them together in the studio, as often they seem to bear no relation to the other whatsoever. This is nihilistic, over the top, and draining. This could never be called easy listening, but due to the approach it is incredibly hard to listen to yet is worth the effort. Anselmo again produced this, but this time he brought in and Stephen Berrigan (Down, Philip H. Anselmo & The Illegals, Eyehategod, Haarp, Classhole, etc.) to assist.
My tastes are extremely catholic, and most of what I listen to would be classified as “noise” by my nearest and dearest, but in this instance I would have to agree with them. This is music which is pushing the very definition of the word to extremes, and is not something that is going to be enjoyed by many – perhaps endured would be a better way of putting it. At the end of the album I know I was drained, as the sheer listening to it takes so much effort, but at least this is music that is creating a reaction, which is more than can be said for many others. Treat carefully, very carefully.
