Review: Syrinx – Time Out of Place

Style: Progressive rock, hard rock, heavy metal (Clean vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Rush, Genesis, Queensrÿche, Judas Priest
Country: International
Release date: 9 September 2025

The road is lined with peril for underground artists, who must search for niches invisible to telescopic eyes to distinguish themselves from their peers. Hailing from Canada and the United States, four travellers ford the river of musical expression under the moniker Syrinx with a sound firmly rooted in 70s prog, analog equipment at the ready. With a name that’ll have classic prog fans rushing to listen, will the priests fly by night into success with latest record, Time Out of Place, or are our fellow proggers trading something for nothing?

Most noticeable about Time Out of Place is its warm production, emulating the fuzzy shag-carpeted sounds of the mid-1970s. One would be remiss to not mention the Rush influences in the choice of synthesizers, chunky bass tone, and vocalist JP Abboud’s high-pitched, Geddy Lee-style vocal forays. Groove is the name of the game here, with a loose interpretation of verse-chorus structures making room for twisting rhythms and funky instrumental passages. Time Out of Place’s pieces are particularly guitar-focused, putting strong emphasis on arena-sized opening riffs by Graham McGee with prominent accompaniment by bassist Bobby Shock. Keyboards are also given plenty of room to stretch out, whether they are used as instrumental leads or sprinkling tracks with atmospheric ambience (“A Waking Dream”, “The Master’s Host”).

Time Out of Place’s idiosyncratic songwriting approach is central to its design, for better or for worse. Within each track exists a semblance of verse-chorus structure that allows for ample experimentation between the cracks. Where these asides work best are the instrumental breaks that are peppered throughout the record—oftentimes, these parts will spike the intensity or make room for tasty riffs. The break on “The Master’s Host” invokes a groovy tremolo guitar which slides effortlessly into galloping riffage around its midway point, and the careful, brooding first half of “Solace Within” feels like exploring a mysterious abandoned temple high in the hazy sunset sky. My favorite of these moments happens halfway through “The Knowing”, where the chorus is followed by an ultra-dramatic and doomy slowdown that cries with plaintive harmonies from Abboud and guest vocalist Lady Chanelle.

Unfortunately, these engaging transitions are more the exception than the rule, as most tracks lack a clear sense of direction. The instrumental intro, for example, features watery bass tones and bears an ineffable excitement, but feels incongruent with following track “1875”. On the whole, tracks feel more focused on their introduction and closing than they do on making the internal sections work with each other—most songs begin with a high-energy riff that falls prey to middling verses and forgettable choruses. “A Waking Dream” is the most stark example, utilizing bland riffage and meandering without a clear trajectory. The “Jacob’s Ladder”-style (Permanent Waves) synth break halfway through is no doubt engaging when paired with its sparkling electronic soundscaping, but its place in the track feels like a complete non-sequitur when followed by a sudden rip back into high-paced prog intensity afterward. “Shades of Your Purpose” begins with a ferocious guitar lick from McGee and is let down by an absolute drag of a riff which is used repeatedly across the track. The songwriting approach on Time Out of Place can be quite frustrating, as many songs don’t seem to know where to go after their opening riffs, and the otherwise excellent sections that do appear become buried in confusing and tepid passages that keep any one track from shining throughout.

Up to this point, I’ve been skirting the elephant in the room: JP Abboud’s vocal performance. When working within his mid-range, Abboud does a perfectly fine job, delivering serviceable melodies and expressing ideas through his longing timbre. He shines when harmonizing with Lady Chanelle—“1875” is rife with effusive vocal synergy, and their teamwork excellently caps off the end of the track. Where Abboud’s performance falters, though, is in his Geddy Lee-style high-register approach. In other projects like Gatekeeper and Traveler, Abboud has a commanding presence with his vocals, but here, not only does his delivery come across as grating, but it sounds outright painful to perform, as if he’s pushing himself way too far outside of his comfort zone. The vocals on “Unraveller” and “The Knowing” are missing the charisma and sheer force needed to sell such an idiosyncratic singing style. Syrinx‘s sound is a perfect canvas for this type of delivery, but the execution on Time Out of Place completely misses the mark and diminishes virtually every song the vocal style appears on.

Time Out of Place isn’t without its hits, particularly in regard to vocal harmonies and the prowess in its instrumental sections. Unfortunately, its misses are far more numerous and pronounced, whether it be the strange songwriting approach, middling center sections of tracks, or Abboud’s uncharacteristically weak upper register. Syrinx display glimmers of potential, but these priests are gonna have to spend a bit more time in the temple mastering their songcraft and appropriately breathing life into their compositions.

Recommended tracks: 1875, The Knowing, Unraveller
You may also like: Winterhawk, Phantom Spell, Gygax, Spellcaster, Pishogue
Final verdict: 4/10

Related links: Bandcamp | Facebook | Instagram | Metal-Archives

Label: Ocula Records

Syrinx is:
– Graham McGee (guitars, keyboards, vocals)
– JP Abboud (vocals)
– Seth Lyon (drums, percussion)
– Bobby Shock (bass, keyboards)
With guests:
– Lady Chanelle McGee (vocals)