Andy Synn, Author at NO CLEAN SINGING

Andy Synn

BEYOND THE STYX – DIVID

May 072026

(Andy Synn is in Seattle right now… which makes it the perfect time to talk about ferocious French furies Beyond the Styx, righr?)

If you’re reading this… and you must be, because you’re seeing these words… then I’ll be in Seattle attending this year’s edition of Northwest Terror Fest, which means I won’t be online as much or available to respond to your queries and comments as quickly.

That being said, I don’t expect too much in the way of controvery or complaints with regards to the upcoming new album from French Metallic Hardcore firebrands Beyond the Styx (set for release this Friday via Innerstrength Records), as if you were a fan of their previous album (which you can read more about here), then you’ll be happy to learn that DIVID is all about giving you more of what you love… even if it’s tough love.

PANOPTICON – DET HJEMSØKTE HJERTET

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May 062026

(Andy Synn steps again into the light with the new album from Panopticon, out this Friday)

It is a truth, universally acknowledged, that there are no bad Panopticon albums.

This doesn’t mean, however, that all Panopticon albums are created equal – indeed, Austin Lunn’s willingness to explore different facets of his musical identity on different albums has always been one of the project’s most laudable features – and different listeners will definitely have different favourites.

For myself …And Again Into the Light remains the album I most listen to and most connect with, although both the seminal strains of Kentucky and the ambitious double-album The Scars of Man… are also held in the highest of esteem.

Which, as it turns out, bodes very well indeed for Det Hjemsøkte Hjertet (aka The Haunted Heart), which not only completes the “Laurentian Trilogy” of …Into the Light and The Rime of Memory but was also – by Lunn’s own admittance – inspired by, and expands upon, themes espoused on both the former (specifically the song “A Snowless Winter”) and Part 1 of The Scars of Man…, thus bringing things full circle and closing the book on this particular era of the band.

THINGS YOU MAY HAVE MISSED (BUT SHOULDN’T)

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May 052026

(Andy Synn has six stellar recommendations for albums from last month to share with you)

It’s always difficult to pick what bands I’m going to include in these monthly catch-up articles – I only have so much time, and so much space, I can give them, after all – but I’m pretty pleased with the variety of different styles on display across the six entries which make up today’s column.

That being said, if you’re still craving more new music from last month that you may have missed, I’d encourage you to also check out Astraya, Atlantic Ridge, Carrion Spring, Heiden, Maranatha, Sewer Altar, and The Saddest Landscape.

But first…

THE SYNN REPORT (PART 194): BLACK BREATH

THE SYNN REPORT 6 Responses »

Apr 302026

Recommended for fans of: Entombed, Wolfbrigade, Fuming Mouth

One week from today I’ll be back in Seattle attending another sure-to-be-awesome edition of Northwest Terror Fest, where you’ll find me getting a much-needed neck workout courtesy of the likes of Nightmarer, Kylesa, Wayfarer, Oranssi Pazuzu, Barren Path, and Pig Destroyer.

One of the biggest draws for me, however – and, I’d imagine, for a lot of other people too – is the returnm for one night only, of legendary Death/Thrash/Crust Punk crossover crew Black Breath who’ll be performing live for the first time since the untimely death of their bassist Elijah Nelson at the end of 2019.

And so, to celebrate this – as well as to give the festival, which still has a few tickets available here (though that won’t be the case much longer), one last push – I thought I’d use this edition of The Synn Report (which is dedicated to my good friend Joseph, who is not only the biggest Black Breath fan I know but also the guy who introduced me to the band in the first place) to remind us all just how good these guys are.

AN NCS PREMIERE (AND REVIEW): EVEALE – ENTER THE WOODLAND REALM

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Apr 302026

(Andy Synn is here to guide you on a journey… into the woodland realm)

There are lots of different factors one can use to analyse, criticise, and appraise a band… ambition, execution, innovation, intention.

But the one that’s more important than any of them – in my opinion, at least – is passion.

And make no mistake, Eveale is very much a passion-project for its members (whose work you may have heard in bands like Am I In Trouble? and Ashenheart) whose goal on Enter the Woodland Realm – which releases on Friday but we’re premiering exclusively here today – is to channel their love of Black Metal, in all its forms, into nine rich, evocative songs that pay tribute both to the history of the genre and to the glory of nature.

EYES OF SALT – COLLAPSE OF THE INFINITE

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Apr 282026

(Andy Synn has found another new favourite and would like to share it with you today)

Every single thing we’ve ever been taught was a lie
The truth we know is the history written by people with money meant to keep the poor weak and preventing us from breaking the barrier between classes
They created the illusion that this country is all powerful and untouchable
Creating the god complex in our minds and being forced to break habits we never want to admit we have
We’re witnessing it first hand
We’re witnessing the collapse of the infinite

This is how Colorado Metallic Hardcore crew Eyes of Salt introduce their debut album, Collapse of the Infinite.

So, obviously, if you prefer music that leans more towards escapism than activism this one may not be for you.

MIRE – PALE REFLECTION

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Apr 232026

(Andy Synn closes out his week here at NCS with a name that hopefully some of you will recognise)

The term “Mandela Effect” refers to a mistaken but widely-held belief – originally that Nelson Mandela died in prison, but also more generally applied to such assertions as “the girl in Moonraker definitely had braces” (she didn’t) or “the Fruit of the Loom logo used to have a cornucopia in it” (nope) – that has entered the public consciousness, blurring the lines between what’s actually true and what we remember as being true.

Sure, some of these instances have a relatively prosaic explanation (it’s been shown several times that a run of knock-off or mis-printed “Fruit of the Loom” shirts did in fact use the alternate logo, but it was never officially put into circulation) but others have been ascribed to anything from “mass psy-op” to “glitches in the matrix”.

Why am I saying all this? Well, Colorado-based groovemongers Mire have their own Mandela Effect going on, because depending on how you remember things Pale Reflection is either their second or their third album.

The reason for this, of course, is that their “first” album, Shed, was taken offline not long after its release – Metal Archives still has it listed on the band’s profile page, and my own review is still online, but otherwise evidence of its existence is relatively sparse (though it can, with a bit of searching, still be tracked down on Spotify) – and its six songs re-recorded as part of the band’s real debut, A New Found Rain, making Pale Reflection actually the band’s first album of totally new material since 2018.

AN NCS ALBUM PREMIERE (AND A REVIEW): DEVOID OF THOUGHT – “DEVOID OF THOUGHT”

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Apr 212026

(Andy Synn has his own thoughts about an album which is far from devoid of them)

I wasn’t supposed to be writing this article.

I’m serious… it wasn’t until yesterday when I name-checked this Italian Death Metal battalion in another review that Islander slid into my DMs to inform me that we had this premiere scheduled (which gives you some insight into the well-polished and highly-professional outfit we’re running here) and to ask whether I’d like to take a run at writing the accompanying review.

Luckily he caught me in the mood for even more weird, mind-warping Metal… which is exactly what Devoid of Thought have delivered on their long-gestating, highly-anticipated, self-titled second album.

ORDH – BLIND IN ABYSSAL REALMS

Album Reviews 1 Response »

Apr 202026

(Andy Synn stares blindly into the abyssal realms… and is very pleased by what stares back)

It probably shouldn’t (I know how the game is played, after all) but it still rankles with me whenever I see bands getting major deals, support slots, etc, based on who their members are rather than the quality of their music.

At the same time, however, when bands we love here at NCS break up – and in this case we’re talking about Vermont-based Prog-Sludgers Barishi – I’m always happy to keep an ear out for whatever their members do next.

Does this make me a hypocrite? Probably. But I comfort myself with the thought that there’s at least a qualitative difference between, say, a major festival giving a so-called “super-group” a slot before they’ve even released any music and a site like ours trying to keep up with the careers of some of our favourite underground artists.

Hypocrisy or not though, the debut album from Ordh demonstrates exactly why it’s so important to keep track of this level of talent, wherever they end up.

BEST OF BRITISH: CHALK HANDS / SUGAR HORSE / VOID OF LIGHT

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Apr 162026

(Andy Synn offers up three more prime Brtish exports for you to enjoy)

Like I’ve said before, we like to keep you guessing here at NCS, which is why after spending the start of the week covering riff-happy ragers from At The Gates and Inherit the Curse I’ve decided to dedicate the end of the week to three UK-based bands who err more towards the expressive, progressive, and/or atmospheric side of the musical spectrum.

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