Artist: Syndrome 81
Title: Prisons Imaginaires
Release: LP / Digital
Year: 2022
Label: Destructure, Sabotage Records
This may seem a bit overzealous, but Syndrome 81 is one of those bands that will easily stand the test of time for making excellent music that consistently gets better.
I first heard this French band when their Désert Urbain EP was released around 2015 and I wasn’t sure what to expect as the cover simply reminded me of some Black Flag or Dead Silence rendition. I proceeded to toss the record on and within a matter of minutes I was completely taken by surprise at how well this band played punk rock and carries such strong melodic structures that easily stands out.
Fast forward to 2022 and we have a new 13 track full-length Prisons Imaginaires, which is an amazing well-produced work of old school punk mixed with a tasteful hint of death rock. I say this because their use of specific guitar tone and chorus/reverb effects takes it to a level that masters the realm of both worlds. The bands’ ability to inject an immense flow of energy while executing danceable choruses and brilliant vocal delivery will easily make this one of 2022 best albums. Fans of early Asta Kask, Blitz (latter years) and even the Wipers take note.
It seems the printed lyrics that came with the album are in French, but I get a strong sense that the content deals with a lot of society’s ills and political/environmental destruction among other subject matter. It’s quite refreshing to hear what this band is doing, and you can tell these guys take time to write these well-orchestrated songs. In a world of constant coattail riding and clones stacked on clones, this brings a light to what we do and recharges the sense of pride in all the effort we’ve built on.
On a side note, we (my former unmentionable band name) were off to play the Puntala Punk festival in 2017 and had a layover in Reykjavik, Iceland. As we’re waiting to catch our flight, we saw a group of black clad punk rock guys standing in line with us and realized they were on the same route as us. Being persistent, I managed to ask them who they were, and they said Syndrome 81. That made the journey so much better as we’d be sharing the same stage with them. The live performance was immense and if you ever get the chance to see them, I highly recommend it.
