Review: “Chronicles of Despair” by Slyther

Hailing from Pescara in Italy, Slyther are a crossover Thrash quartet who formed between 2005 and 2007 but have only been active since 2020. They made their live debut in 2022 and have since shared stages with many well known names from the Italian underground Metal scene including Game Over and Fingernails. A year later they played Day 0 of Frantic Fest while giving us not one but two taped confessions in singles “My Life, My Way” and “Shut The F**k Up“, the latter of which has surpassed 10k of Spotify streams alone. So what do bassist Giovanni De Bonis, drummer Federico Pavese and lead guitarist Federico Pistilli alongside vocalist and guitarist Marco Aquino have to serve up with their debut album? The answer to that is a concept record rage, melancholy and awakening which explores the darkest tensions of the human soul and contemporary society. In a world marked by war, corruption, media manipulation and existential crisis, it is said to be a journey that moves from despair to inner awakening, tackling pressing themes with raw, direct and emotionally charged language…

The band comment: “’Flask N’ Bone’ – Remorse, self-destruction, and the emptiness left by a corrupted conscience. Opening the concept album Chronicles of Despair, Flask N’ Bone tells the downward spiral of a corrupt lawyer, a symbol of power wielded without justice or ethics. The turning point comes with the suicide of a mother to whom he denied custody of her child and any means of support, marking the beginning of an emotional collapse where guilt becomes overwhelming. Crushed by the weight of his actions, the protagonist seeks refuge in alcohol and addiction, spiraling into a self-destructive cycle that leads to depression and ultimately suicide. Yet even this final act offers no redemption: he realizes that nothing will erase the harm he has caused. Within the album’s broader narrative, Flask N’ Bone introduces a deeply personal reflection on the abuse of power and the failure to leave behind anything meaningful. The very title “Flask and Bone” becomes a symbol of the emptiness he leaves behind: no values, no legacy, just the physical remains of a life marked by moral decay”.

The tale of a corrupt layer possessed by a guilty conscience who can find no peace, opening cut “Flask N’ Bone” takes us all the way back to the so called golden era of Thrash in San Francisco bay with obvious influences from Megadeth and Metallica. A whammy bar infused solo is particularly glorious, a couple of spoken word moments breaking up the flow of the classic headbangers ball riffs. A denunciation of nuclear war insanity follows in “Madness“, a couple little almost flamenco guitar bridges adding to the sense of fun, while being equally crazy. There is a little accenting in the vocals which hints at English not being Aquino’s first language but that does nothing to distract from the quality on offer here and if anything adds an element of rustic charm. Slick riffs and a sing-a-long chorus is why “Shut The F**k Up” has been so successful as a single and it works because its one you can make your own, the narrative of disinformation in the media pushed enough to get the message across but perhaps a little more subtlety than it could have been. The first real surprise of the record comes with a death growl in “Violent Fist” which is then followed by harsher backing vocals that are buried in the mix. That extra venom goes a long what to giving the middle of the album extra bite and with greater aggression in the riff department its a headbangers wet dream of pure Thrash energy.

Switching out the death growls with gang chants is a nice touch on the rapid fire “Visions“, a cut that warns of replaying history and sleepwalking into another Cold War triggered by unconscious fears and global tensions. Staccato riff breaks play out underneath a slick solo, the four piece not afraid to give us longer instrumental passages when they so desire while maintaining the energy. The vibe completely changes however with melancholic instrumental “Memories“, which slips from the old school Thrash pedestal and floats on Progressive Traditional Heavy Metal moods. A warm melodic piece, its nice enough but feels totally out of place here, even as a palate cleanser. A second instrumental with flavours of John Carpenter movie soundtracks then rears its ugly head in “Awake-4″ and feels like it should have been used in place of its predecessor. What it does however is setup grand finale “The Sleepwalker” nicely, the message inside the fortune cookie of a track being “Awake from the lies, pursue the good and never surrender!”. Another classic old school Thrash moment straight out of 1983 which benefits from modern production values, its a powerhouse that slips into an arty final minute with the sound of a cassette being turned over. A spoken word and an aching melodic riff making for a surreal conclusion [7/10]

Track Listing

1. Flask N’ Bone
2. Madness
3. Shut The F**k Up
4. Violent Fist
5. Visions
6. Memories
7. Awake-4
8. The Sleepwalker

“Chronicles of Despair” by Slyther is out 10th October 2025 via Time To Kill Records and is available over at bandcamp