Style: Progressive metal, metalcore, thrash metal, death metal
Recommended for fans of: Bleed From Within, Revocation, Machine Head, Coroner
Country: UK
Release date: 20 February 2026

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Prog elitism is like the English class hierarchy, a sophisticated clique of pretentious snobs who make you feel bad for not knowing which spoon is the right one to have with your fourth course of supper. Invariably when the topic of prog thrash comes up among the effete, wittering toffs, they feast on Voivod, Vektor, Cryptic Shift, and Mekong Delta like the latest news from the colonies. And when I politely inquire of them, ‘and what news of Mr Middleton and Sylosis?’ a judgmental silence falls on the assembled elite, and one of them, with the smirkiest tone possible scoffs, ‘Sylosis? Hardly a progressive thrash band, dear boy.’ And when I inquire further, offensive terms like ‘metalcore’, ‘mainstream’, and ‘miscegenation’ are invoked. 

And truly, Sylosis were always a unique blend, arriving at a confluence of old school thrash, classic death metal, modern metalcore, and progressive metal influences. While the progressive sensibility was never the main facet of their sound, Edge of the Earth and Monolith leaned into that ethos more than other albums. Unfortunately, those tendencies were beginning to diminish on Dormant Heart, I didn’t exactly have a good time with Cycle of Suffering, and A Sign of Things to Come was an unwelcome portent of bro-core to come. Will Sylosis have me hailing The New Flesh or have they shed everything they previously stood for? 

Josh Middleton’s talent has always been for playing blistering riffs while he bellows like a madman, and The New Flesh doesn’t disappoint in this regard. But Sylosis have nevertheless settled into a somewhat more straightforward niche. Out: proggier structures, lengthier runtimes, and more technical riffs. In: stadium hooks, neck-swelling riffs, and beatdown shouts. So it goes. The 4/4 riffing and general reliance on verse/chorus structures is no bad thing—that’s the majority of pop music, after all—but the proggier flourishes were what made Sylosis stand out from the crwod. Instead of the meditative Metallica-esque acoustic opening of “Out From Below” or the portentous outro of “From the Edge of the Earth” we instead get the cliched sultry spoken lows into harsh vocals trick on “Mirror Mirror” and lumbering breakdown chugs. 

Indeed, these ‘bro-ier’ elements are a holdover from career low A Sign of Things to Come. Deathcore style shouts into breakdowns and solos follow a predictable formula of “something your fucking something”. I’ve no qualms over swearing, but it’s a teenage sort of edginess, as though Middleton is conscious of appealing to the average dudebro festival-goer who needs a memeable chant to pique their interest. It’s hard not to conclude that Middleton’s time with Architects—another band who started with a more original sound and sanded down their harder edges to fill stadiums—brought out some of these lamer compositional tendencies. What’s lost is a sense of authenticity. When The New Flesh aims for an epic closer with grandiose strings and agonised, pitched screams on “Seeds in the River”, it ends up feeling a little forced, lacking the organic power of classics like “From the Edge of the Earth” or “Quiescent”, and it’s hardly helped by those backing “whoa-ohhhs”.  

Still, that’s a lot of my old fan moaning out the way. The fact is Sylosis’ technical prowess remains undiminished and there’s still much to enjoy across The New Flesh. The breakneck solo and riffing on “All Glory, No Valour”, the surfeit of sick riffs on “Erased”, the melodic solo on “Lacerations” which opens by following the chorus vocal melody… it’s not hard to pick out tons of moments that are just—to use a technical term—sick. Ali Richardson’s drumming remains a rhythmic dynamo, interspersing songs with sudden changes in tempo and feel that enliven every track. Indeed, as much as Middleton is the figurehead, Richardson might be the most valuable player on recent records. At the end of the day, Sylosis have been doing this shit a long time; even when they’re phoning it in, they can run circles around a lot of mainstream metal groups. 

For much of the time, this is by-the-numbers Sylosis, but The New Flesh does make occasional thrusts into new territory. “Everywhere at Once” is a rare butt rock ballad for the group, sounding more like a Tremonti anthem. It tick off the requisite ballad checkboxes, but it’s undeniably something new for the band and testament to the continued improvement of Josh’s cleans that the band can pull it off. “Adorn My Throne”, meanwhile, plays with synth textures and blackened intensity which, although minor additions, work surprisingly well. Different works for The New Flesh and it shows Sylosis are always at their most interesting when they stretch their creative wings. 

All hail the new flesh? Probably not. Sylosis are a confounding group these days, retaining much of their former brilliance while throwing in unwelcomely stadium-oriented elements. While the worst tendencies of its predecessor are curbed enough to make The New Flesh enjoyable, a slew of odd ideas coalesce here. Meathead deathcore shouts and cliched breakdowns vie against some genuine creative swings and a plethora of blistering riffs and solos. Maybe the elitists had a point, but I’m still not going to be guilted about the pleasure I still take in spinning Sylosis, even if it’s the older records that’ll bear the brunt of the listens.

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Recommended tracks: Erased, Adorn My Throne, Beneath the Surface
You may also like: Blasteroid, Polaris Experience, Cryptosis
Final verdict: 6.5/10

Related links: Bandcamp | Facebook | Instagram

Label: Nuclear Blast

Sylosis is:
– Josh Middleton (vocals, guitars)
– Ali Richardson (drums)
– Conor Marshall (guitars)
– Ben Thomas (bass)