Lee, Lucas: Sindrome De Estoclomo

According to the project’s bandcamp page, “Síndrome de Estocolmo documents a series of events leading up to widespread draconian incarcerations by a state, and explores the theme of whether detainees would ever develop Stockholm Syndrome - an irrational compassion that victims form towards the captor. To depict the evolving story, songs on the album offer a variety of styles, including hard rock, avant-garde metal, classic progressive rock, alternative/pop art rock and psychedelic rock.“

Based around the compositional skills and musical talents of Lucas Lee, this album is then augmented by no less a percussive talent than Marco Minnemann, who it has to be said is perfect for the mix of brutal themes and muscular instrumental constructions that do an excellent job of conveying the intensity behind the concept being explored. As you’d expect, this is no journey for the faint hearted, angular and at times discordant pushing and pulling more often than not the order of the day as grating guitar and thunderous bass clash head long into Minnemann’s full force limb thrashing behind the kit. At times during “Power Trip Career Aspirations� the implosion can feel almost a little too much to take in, juggernaut sized guitar strikes raining down on cymbal bell clatters, tom pounds and bass drum abuse, but then we’re dealing with subjects which also carry this amount of heft.

Occasionally things pull back, a little light injected into the inky black depths that sit at this album’s heart, but while the musical interplay is off the charts in its believability, for me, it’s an aspect that could have been explored further across what is a rather bleak aural landscape. In places I can’t help but wonder what might have happened if a smooth, counterpointing vocal had been added to proceedings, with the less frenetic “Where Is The One� almost crying out for a plaintive voice to add a different texture to an album that can feel a little singular in its attack. Some spoken words are introduced in places, Lee himself doing so during “The Final Insurgence� and Jordan Reynolds likewise on “Dangerous Game Of Escalations (Justice Injustice Pt2)� but never are they any more than fleeting suggestions in the maelstrom of musical ideas. Although Pat Mastelotto does show up on the closing “Stockholm Syndrome Symptoms� with some excellent ‘Cymbow’ work, with the languid, liquid-like sprawl he offers finally changing the course of proceedings and pulling things back - at least somewhat - from the technical dazzling that hits you just about everywhere else on this album.

Sindrome De Estoclomo is not meant to be an easy journey and on that mission it possibly achieves its goal just a little too triumphantly. By its close I’m hugely impressed by the scope, ideals and execution, but whether I’m truly engaged in a manner that will see me come back to this setting on a regular basis, well that’s not quite so certain.

Track Listing
1. The Final Insurgence
2. Power Trip Career Aspirations
3. Talking Points
4. Dangerous Game of Escalations (Justice Injustice Pt. 2)
5. Where Is the One
6. Hollowing Defeat
7. Inevitable Union of Contentious Factions
8. Stockholm Syndrome Symptoms

Added: September 11th 2021
Reviewer: Steven Reid
Score:
Related Link: Lucas Lee bandcamp
Hits: 545
Language: english

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