Album/EP

Sydney Fate - Silicon Nitride (Album Review)

Walladmin

Heavy Metal Wordsmith

Apr 3, 2020

7 min read

SYDNEY FATE – Silicon Nitride
Released: April 3, 2020

SYDNEY FATE Lineup

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Attention: Anyone who is pretending that they have passed their emo phase (NO SERIOUSLY, IT’S NOT A PHASE), you are going to dig this album.

Sydney Fate are an alternative metal band originally from Cardiff, South Wales in the UK. And they’ve truly put their broken hearts and metamorphic life experiences to good use and hit the ground running with their debut LP, Silicon Nitride. Recorded and produced by Sam Graves and Joe Graves (Asking Alexandria, Eyes Set To Kill, In Visions), it’s a recipe for success.

The nostalgia hit hard when I heard Adam Rapado’s screams. My mind was taken back to a simpler time where the eyeliner was heavy, Myspace was still a thing and side fringes were held firmly in place thanks to 10 cans of hairspray. Adam’s vocals gave me massive Ronnie Radke vibes, predominantly from the Dying Is Your Latest Fashion era and I am so happy about it.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z0qkFezAXsg&w=640&h=360]

The first track ‘TACENDA’, holds some hard hitting lyrics about the battles within your mind. With the first 4 words, Bailey Edward’s deep and slightly grungy vocals had me hooked and 100% prepared for the journey that is this banger of an album. With the rhythmic build up of Thomas Atkinson-Turner on drums, it truly kicks into gear when Adam joins in and ‘So tell me what it feels like’ is screamed, closely followed by a funky guitar riff that’ll make you want to get moving.

Next up is ‘Sound Alive’ which was the first tasty single we received from the UK band and was originally the title track for their EP released independently in late 2018. This song really grabbed me from the start with the super fun pop punk guitar intro (plus the video is beautifully shot - who doesn’t love a video clip shot in the middle of the woods, right?). This song is really the first taste of Adam’s remarkable vocal range, as he quickly transitions from deep to high screams throughout the bridge. This song is sure to hit home for a lot of us as it speaks to every day struggles and reflection on ones self after overcoming these battles.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6BtlwHizBvg&w=640&h=360]

‘Falling Forward’ is probably my favourite from the album and I will certainly be requesting this one with the DJ at the next Emo Night. Between the catchy chorus and super fun guitar solo that leads out to the end, I really think this song would have been a hit even back in 2006 (it may have even made it to my Myspace profile song). And one track that really deserves a mention is ‘Oceans’. This one actually features one of the producers for the album, Sam Graves. Sam's contribution meshes so effortlessly with both vocalists in this one, which made me wish his part was longer.

‘Chelsey Grin’ earns its place as the slow one on the album. The repetition of the lyrics ‘Now we’re running out, running out of time’ in the chorus is sure to be a crowd swaying favourite. This song is a perfect intermission song and is super enjoyable to hear Bailey's dreamlike voice on its own. And the grimy, deep ‘FUCK YOUUUUUU’ in ‘Courthouse Problematic’ just confirmed my sheer and utter excitement to see what this band will do next.

If there’s one worthy outcome for heartbreaks and painful life experiences, it’s the gift of emotion-filled songs, just like every single one on Silicon Nitride.