After another cold and misty day here in Helsinki, which finally gave way to a sunny afternoon, I find myself immersed in one of Siriun’s latest gems, “Zenith.” As I enjoy the long-awaited sunshine in my surreal journey, the Brazilians are back with a powerful statement. “Zenith” follows my review of “Encoded Inception” from about a month ago, continuing their impressive trajectory.
Siriun, Zenith (Official Audio)
Siriun has long been on my radar, periodically featured as one of the hottest prospects from Brazil here at Metalhead Community magazine. Their consistency over the years is alone quite admirable, and they continue to develop a concept that could soon see them opening for acts like Gojira.
Musically, “Zenith” is an aggressive, heavy journey through death, technical, progressive, and modern metalcore influences. It first caught my attention with its distinct sound character, prompting a visceral reaction that compelled me to dive deeper. The transitions within the musical journey kept me engaged, despite the urge to stop, due to its sound preferences. Aside of that, it is a flawless work with a heavily personalized character that we’ll delve into further.
The collective displays indisputable character and potential in their foundational work showcased in “Zenith.” Monstrously heavy guitars paired with demonic death metal vocals, explosive progressive drums, and an intensely dynamic bass carry the track for an intense nine minutes, evoking memories of pioneers like Gojira and Opeth, who have significantly influenced my musical taste.
From my perspective, everything Siriun has achieved in their career so far is well-earned, a fact easily acknowledged upon hearing their music. In this case, “Zenith” stands out as a remarkable work both musically and in terms of modern metal production standards. Additionally, the collective demonstrates considerable character through their individual performances.
On the other side of the coin, while I find the production successful, it regrettably didn’t resonate with me as much as I had hoped. Here are my thoughts:
Siriun is technically gifted, a feature that should be the main focus. To highlight their best performances, I would suggest practices that emphasize this strength. Often, bands that cannot perform as tightly as Siriun might hide behind overly processed modern sounds. While Siriun could develop a timeless sound by focusing on live takes and performances, the overly processed modern metal soundscapes currently employed do not fully showcase what this band truly needs. At times, I was confused while listening to “Zenith,” struggling to discern whether some instrumental parts were performed live or programmed.
In conclusion, it is always a great pleasure to listen to a new Siriun release. “Zenith” is another monstrous, nearly nine-minute progressive gem from one of Brazil’s heaviest collectives, blending Gojira‘s heaviness with the dark and progressive essence of Opeth, albeit in processed modern soundscapes. Thank you for reading.
released March 26, 2024
Recording: Alexandre Castellan and Fernando Campos
Mixing: Alexandre Castellan
Mastering: Mark Lewis
Cover Artwork: Dasha Pliska
Siriun is:
Alexandre Castellan- Vocal/Guitar
Braulio Drumond- Drums
Djavan Fernandes- Guitar
Marcos Medeiros– Bass