Review: Syncatto – Memento

Style: progressive metal, djent (instrumental)
Recommended for fans of: Artificial Language, Animals as Leaders, I Built the Sky, Intervals, Polyphia
Country: California, United States
Release date: 30 May 2025

Trends come and go, such is the way of life. For the electric guitar virtuoso, the popular style of the time has shifted in several distinct eras over the past sixty years. Emulating the human voice with expressive phrasing, bends, and vibrato like the blues greats (Hendrick, Beck, Clapton) turned into shred (Van Halen into Becker, Malmsteen, Friedman). These days, the rage is Polyphia-inspired “internet shred” in which the modern virtuoso shoves every complicated guitar technique they can into each “riff” (Henson, Nito, Abasi). Just as we collectively roll our eyes at Yngwie-style shred today, the current style has grown cliche—style above substance.

That’s why Syncatto’s—solo project of Artificial Language’s guitarist Charlie Robbins—2021 record A Place to Breathe was a revelation. Robbins certainly used his fair share of flamboyant technical wankery, but each technique served the song as Robbins contorted earworm melodies in uniquely brilliant ways, particularly with his Latin influences and the incredible guest contributions. A Place to Breathe is easily one of the top instrumental progressive metal albums ever. Since that record, Syncatto has released an EP and an LP, both rock solid releases continuing in the general direction of A Place to Breathe, although neither quite recapturing the brilliance. Does Memento continue Robbins’ streak of breaking ground in the modern virtuoso scene?

Firstly, Syncatto largely drops the Latin influences in favor of a Middle Eastern flair on Memento. The Phrygian riffs Robbins plays, like on “Hollow” and “Mother of God,” are genuinely inspired, particularly when he goes Middle Eastern djent. The highlight of the album is on the latter half of “Change of Wind”; the track randomly transitions to a new age flute, but what seems like a misguided attempt at quirkiness quickly turns into the coolest djent passage I’ve heard in years, mixing Animals as Leaders’ thumping and Syncatto’s melodic touch to create a heavy contrast for the flute. Each time Robbins drops the bottom out of a track, I’m stunned that he’s able to innovate the stale djent sound—“Codex,” specifically, reverts to Robbins’ Latin mode, and he performs a breakdown using palm-muted acoustic guitar. He’s still got moments of innovative, flashy brilliance.

On the other hand, at least half of the tracks are little more than boring, wanky Polyphia rip-offs. Syncatto excessively slides, taps, and alternate picks in dwiddly, contorted “riffs” which, while still using his superb sense of melody, grow extremely tiresome as they don’t build good songs. Each nugget is made for the YouTube short or Instagram reel or TikTok tiktok, but they don’t string together with any sense of cohesion. None of the eleven short songs on Memento feel fully fleshed out, and rather sound more like a collection of fun djenty breakdowns and noodly, brain-melting guitar parts. The worst offender is “Ritual”: the track has what sounds quite literally like an NF beat and your basic Polyphia-inspired guitar parts on top of it, but I guess that’s what the kids consider “hip” these days. 

On Memento, Robbins continues his trajectory toward instru-stardom. The LP has objectively stunning virtuoso musicianship, his signature handle on crafting succulent, catchy melodies, and even a masterful approach to djent involving more melodic craziness in the palm-muted riffs than purely rhythmic. Yet the trendy style of onanism preferred by Gen-Z right now has ensnared another fantastic guitarist, and Memento—for its many strengths—also has several of Robbins’ weakest tracks ever. Lay off the Reels, my friends.

Recommended tracks: Change of Wind, Hollow, Codex
You may also like: Widek, Pomegranate Tiger, Lux Terminus, Sam Mooradian
Final verdict: 6/10

Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Official Website | Facebook | Instagram

Label: independent

Syncatto is:
– Charlie Robbins (everything)