Immortal Sÿnn is a five-piece metal band from Denver, Colorado, who claim to be bringing back the old school – and on their latest release ‘Machine Men,’ their follow up to the 2015 EP ‘Barfly,’ they do that claim justice in a variety of ways. Stylistically they bring a plethora of classic heavy metal, thrash, and NWOBHM influences to the table in a seamless fashion that definitely showcases their love for the aforementioned genres.
The kickoff track “Liberty Rising” gets the ball rolling. It’s a mid-tempo rocker featuring some tasty guitar harmonies along the lines of Iron Maiden, and features some flat out blazing soloing from the obviously very skilled lead guitarist Tony Z. The range of lead vocalist Chase Mclellan is on full display here as he varies his delivery widely, alternating between gruff hardcore in the verses to a more melodic tone in the choruses. A spoken word passage in the breakdown in the middle builds to a high peak with his voice soaring as his calls for “Revolution,” evoking shades reminiscent of Rob Halford or perhaps the late, great Warrel Dane (Sanctuary/Nevermore). Lyrically the song is a call to action with the themes of “people are rising” and “taking the power back,” and is a strong start to the album.
The second song, “Metal and Blood” raises the stakes and intensity even higher with the vocals staying in a high register throughout, with a piercing rasp (not unlike 3 Inches of Blood for reference). Throw in some fierce double bass work that doesn’t let up pretty much the whole song along with lyrics like “tonight heavy metal supreme it will reign” and you have one rager of a track. Another standout tune, “Hatred Nation” showcases a bit of Mideastern flavor in the melodic style of the guitar riffs while still sticking true to the classic heavy metal style meets hardcore/thrash vibe that runs through the record so far.
“The Dark of Dawn” shows some strong Megadeth influences, but the album switches gears a bit on the next song “Blind Soul.” Its clean strummed verses and clear singing, alternating with distorted power chord passages mark the first time the band strays into ballad territory on the album, harkening back to early Metallica-esque moments – You might say it’s their “Fade to Black.”
Just when you think you’ve heard all the tricks these guys have to offer, they pull out a downright old-school punk number in “Fringes of Society” before closing out the proceedings with the title track. “Machine Men” again starts out ballad-esque before veering into heavier territory. Lyrically the song tells the tale and perhaps warning of machine men conquering the Earth in a scenario where technology goes too far and spirals out of control.
Immortal Sÿnn, on their first full length release, have produced an album that pays homage to many of the greats of the genre and have presented it with a great deal of flair, attitude, and technical ability. If you are a fan of any of the styles previously mentioned, then you almost certainly can find a lot to sink your teeth into.
