Review: “Harmony Of Discordance” by Sociasylum

“The “Harmony of Discordance” EP focuses on the unnecessary suffering through abuse of power and the struggle to survive, while at the same time pointing the finger at the surrounding society, who is too self-centred and carries the burden of responsibility. In our modern time we should be able to do so much better” ~ Sociasylum

The tale of Sociaylum is a long and winding left hand path but essentially they were established back in 2011 as a fastcore and powerviolence trio who released a self titled album in 2014. Soon the combination of line up changes that saw the band become a quartet and different influences lead to a style shift into Blackened Hardcore for Estonians, so four years on they unveiled sophomore full length “Crossroads” which was something of a fresh start and more in keeping with the sound they wanted to create. That was a record which afforded them the luxury of touring across Europe and sharing stages with the likes of Tragedy, Comeback Kid and Trap Them to name but a few, which brings us to their clear and present danger in EP “Harmony of Discordance”. Said to further explore their influences from Extreme Metal sub-genres as they continue to evolve from those roots, the band recorded the new tracks with Pjotr Latosev (Model Citizen, Kaschalot, Suicidal Romance) before mixing and mastering by Dovydas Auglys (Abduction, Cold Embrace, Luctus). Credit for the darkness of the artwork belongs to Erik Hallik (Dreadpin, Estoner, Ocean Districts)…

Despite the bands evolution of sound Sociaylum still wear their hearts like tattoos on their collective sleeves and in blistering opening cut “Inertia” have moments where their roots show through the soil eroding around them. A ripper of a cut with throat splitting vocals from Mihail Makoshin, it benefits from some gang chanted moments that break up the swirling sinister atmosphere before exploding like a depth charger into a burst of breakneck Death Grind to conclude the opening chapter. It’s like they’ve opened a can of whoop-ass for those in the mosh pit, a savage audio beating that you can’t help but enjoy. Building up through the Noise Metal territory and churning battery acid nausea of Will Haven, the conjoined twins “Hands Of Desire/Where The Serpents Dream” burst into flame once more with the clanky bass of Taavi Veidner bleeding through like a second guitar in the mix. The rhythmic dynamic pummels and pounds, the atmosphere dark and foreboding as the band demonstrate prowess with consummate ease, the feedback creating a tornado of souls in the eardrums as the track closes out with what borders on white noise. Bursts of blast beats from Henri Mäll bring “Vanity” to life with power and purpose, a more brutal vocal making the first half savage before a sample and swirling riffs from guitarist Eduard Aranson take hold. The message is clear and the tension created with this sonic assault on the senses you could cut with a knife, such is the quality of the musicianship on display. If this is the shape of punk to come from Sociaylum then all we can say is… it’s going to get bleak and disturbing pretty damned quick [7.5/10]

Track Listing

1. Inertia
2. Hands Of Desire/Where The Serpents Dream
3. Vanity

“Harmony Of Discordance” by Sociasylum is out 5th March 2024