I was excited to be one of the first people to listen to Symbyote’s debut offering, SOMA. There’s something special about witnessing the birth of a brand new, promising outfit of musicians.

Symbyote’s name and logo give me an initial impression that this band will be producing some dark and heavy music.

Symbyote, an extreme metal band from London UK with elements of death, deathcore and black metal a newly formed band born this year.

– You lay on death’s bed as the shrill tritone sounds out, pacing like a heartbeat monitor.

The drums kick in as the punchy bass heartbeat strengthens and quickens, then a deathly vocal finally breathes its first life into this dark being.

With cathartic pleasure you bang your head to the chuggy riff of the first chapter in this saga and cant help but admire the mix of well produced instruments topped with the brutal power behind the vocal parts. Animalistic in its nature they roar over the mix but never overpowering it.

As chapter one departs, an atmospheric break takes us into the second chapter adding a sinister and otherworldy energy to the song. The track starts rising and rising back up to tempo and then you’re confronted with the grooviest riffs and punchy vocal patterns that force you to forget that feeling of dread and just let loose!

At the peak of your aggression you are gifted with this slammy, chuggy breakdown where the lyrics spell it out perfectly for your lost mind “what is happening right now”. With the addition of the lead arpeggios you find yourself at the final boss level of a video game. The final chapter is a black metal sermon that completes this journey through the underworld’s soundscapes.

I enjoyed the unexpected journey this track took me on. From initial impressions i expected a story of brutality but was instead treated to a hike through a dark audible landscape in the universe it created for itself. The mix and master really helped accomplish the listening experience of this song.

For production, listenability and execution i give SOMA 8 ruptured spleens out of 10.

Soma comes out on February 20th on all platforms, head over to Symbyote’s pages and drop a follow to keep in the know.

Pre-save SOMA here: https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/symbyote/soma

Follow SYMBYOTE on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/symbyoteuk?igsh=bm9jbGdhNG5uM3d6