Syn Ze Sase Tri are a Transylvanian band who feature ex-Negura Bunget man Corb (there’s a few to pick from these days) and this is their second full length, and their second with a seriously striking, vibrant warrior cover. Add in band photos featuring chainmail and swords and I was kind of expecting some full on pagan metal here. Well not quite, it has a heavy nod to symphonic black metal in there too really.

As I have no translation here, according to the press release their name means “I’m With Triple Six” in a numerological rather than Satanic sense, and the album is based around a celebration of the Ancient Dacian Wolf.

After a very lengthy spoken intro we descend into the album proper with ‘Nascut Din N’, a dramatic and bombastic affair of keyboards, hard riffs and snarling vocals. Some interesting guitar work drags and scratches some storm from the darkness. It is certainly lively and ripping, the production keeping it in your face but oddly a bit cacophonous. There is a lot of clashing treble in the sound (no it’s not my headphones, speakers or player) which is unfortunately accentuated by the short, loud symphonic keyboard chords that punctuate the music at the same time.

And then it stops suddenly, about a minute before my player expects it. Hmm. Curious.

Anyway despite this oddity (which happens more than a few times) the next track comes in a similar vein; in your face, loud, spectacular black metal composed and played with real class and talent. The stormy tempo changes throughout are reminiscent of Emperor circa ‘ Anthems….’ and indeed that is a fair base for the sound and the feel, maybe with a touch of very early Dimmu Borgir and a big dollop of something all their own; harsh, maybe bordering on violent folk tinges. The keyboards trill and ripple like the whipping and howling of the wind particularly on ‘Interleptul  I’ which fades into a nice piano movement. There is also a definite sense of conjuring up of harsh, unforgiving winter nights throughout; judicious use of keys and choral vocals and semi acoustic work on the excellent ‘In Pantecu P’ particularly crystallise this atmosphere. This is all very good.

But.

Problem is that it often feels a bit samey and just short of being what it wants to be. It’s parts of songs rather than songs themselves that stand out on the whole for me. Now bear in mind that this is still a distinct and excellently crafted album I have to say that any fans of symphonic and mediaeval tinged black metal should check this band out as the words ‘dull’ and ‘bland’ can never be applied here. They are top notch and full of pride and passion. Contradictory as that may sound it is just that somehow it  does only grab me in parts which is a shame to be honest as this is potentially far and away the best black metal of this sort I have heard in an absolute age but the actual compositions are inches away from dragging me in. It is a long album too but if the individual songs had reached me more or felt more coherent that wouldn’t have bothered me.

I will be keeping an eye on this lot but for the moment I’ll sadly wait as this was so very nearly so much better.

(6.5/10 Gizmo)

http://www.synzesasetri.com