Album Notes

Concussion Symphony, the debut release from South Florida's Cyst, is something that thrash metal has needed for quite some time, a swift kick in the ass. As mainstream metal continues to take elements of thrash and death metal and make them boring, Cyst reminds us why underground metal is great. This release is a brilliant mixture of the aggression of modern metal, the brutality of death metal, and the blistering speed of thrash metal of days gone by. Dan Ortega has a vocal style that is definitely reminiscent of Slayer's Tom Araya at times, but changes style often, bringing in styles from deep death metal growls, to the blisteringly fast styles of hardcore punk.

Kyle and Mike, also have an unmistakable influence by Slayer, playing crisp, fast, tight riffs, but definitely have a style that is all Cyst. Dean Piekara has quite the challenge of keeping up on bass with the blistering pace of his guitarist counterparts, but does a masterful job. The drumming on Concussion Symphony is done a drummer no longer in the band, and is nothing less than phenomenal. I've heard few drumming performances that can match this, what comes to mind is Dave Lombardo, maybe some old Dark Angel, but the style is much more modern, and also includes the best of the death metal style with machine gun blasts, and constant speed that leaves you wondering "how can this be?" The drumming has since been turned over to Alex, and has not lost a beat, judging from some recent live performances.

Cyst's debut release, Concussion Symphony, is strong throughout, and very impressive for a debut release. Metal fans from many genres will enjoy this release, whether you are a fan of death metal, old school thrash, modern aggressive metal, or hardcore punk, you will not be sorry when you add this to your collection.