Band: Syrinx | Album: Time Out of Place | Genre: Progressive rock, Heavy metal | Bandcamp
From: Vancouver, Canada | Label: Ocula Records
For fans of: Rush, Queensrÿche, Iron Maiden
After six years, Vancouver’s Syrinx is back with their sophomore album. Their 2019 debut, Embrace the Dark – Seek the Light blended classic heavy metal with progressive rock to make one of my favorite releases of that year. In particular, “Time out of Place” with its Geddy Lee-inspired synth line and the sprawling suite “ZXY” stood out.
Time Out of Place sees the band even more fully embracing progressive rock than on their debut. They’ve hardly eschewed their heavy metal roots, but they have deemphasized that element of their music a bit. The band also boasts about how this was all recorded on analog, which doesn’t really have any effect on me. I don’t care if this was recorded with tapes or computers; what I care about is the strength of the writing and playing.
Much like on Syrinx’s debut, this album opens with a brief instrumental introduction. “Mitosis (Second Light)”, with its phased guitars, harsh bass (provided by Bobby Shock, whom I’ve covered on this site a few times), and sparkly synths, sounds like an outtake from a Moving Pictures-era Rush jam session. This flows smoothly into “1875”. The mood is dramatic, with soaring vocals, shimmering guitars, and Shock’s thundering, complex basswork.
“The Master’s Host” is more metallic. I love the light and agile drumming, and there are some creative guitar lines mixed into everything. The vocals are a bit muddled and buried in the mix, which is a somewhat odd experience, with how impassioned the vocal performance is. In this song’s instrumental moments, the bass is, again, what really brings things to life. Recruiting Bobby Shock for this record was a brilliant gambit.
Things slow down with the opening of “Solace Within”. The arrangement is relatively sparse, and the moody being cultivated is spooky. When the vocals start about midway through this song, gothic rock and post-punk are clear influences. In particular, it reminds me a lot of “She Sells Sanctuary” by The Cult.
“The Knowing” dips back into Syrinx’s classic metal roots. Guitars gallop and soar as the band vacillates between fast and slow sections. This song demonstrates the most ambitious songwriting up to this point on the album. Different themes morph and cycle through in a fluid manner, eventually culminating in an otherworldly climax. From this, “A Waking Dream” smoothly follows. While there are some decent ideas here, it’s not my favorite cut on the album. Ballads and ballad-adjacent songs tend to be hit-or-miss for me. It does feature some fun flashes of Yes and Rush influence in instrumental moments, however.
There’s a slightly-gothic edge to the opening riff of “Shades of Your Purpose”, though there’s something a bit off about the actual tone of the guitar. I’m not sure if it’s an issue with the mastering or if there are simply too many effects layered onto it. Despite this, the band again deftly demonstrates their ability to shift moods and textures.
“Unraveller” has a more straightforward riff, with obvious Iron Maiden influences. It’s also not my favorite song on the album. The guitar tone, again, sounds a bit off to my ear, and the soloing feels a bit sloppy. The vocal performance is strong and memorable, though, and it certainly has some good moments.
The album ends on “It Left”. Like the preceding song, it’s one of the more straightforward cuts on the album. There are some clever and creepy vocal arrangements in the middle, and there’s a solid build-up to this song’s climax.
Time Out of Place is a solid successor to Syrinx’s debut. The instrumentalism is strong, and the vocal performance is impassioned to match. It’s not without flaws–the guitar tone can get tiring after a while, and a couple songs do run long–but the overall experience is a solid one. I still prefer their first album, but this is a worthy addition to their catalog.
Score: 79/100
The Elite Extremophile 