Album Review: Syncolima - Wavelengths
Reviewed by Tim Finch
Syncolima describe themselves as the “Reverends of the Riff” and when you come to listen to the band you realise instantly that moniker suits them completely. Formed during the pandemic from the ashes of other bands, Syncolima’s members had a strong pedigree on the stoner/fuzz/doom scene before they came together.
Within four months of formation they had crafted their debut album, released in September 2021 to critical acclaim. Appearances at Bloodstock, Uprising, Mangata and Wildfire festivals – to name but a few – have followed as the band establish themselves as the driving force on the riff fuelled underground.
This April the band return with their sophomore effort ‘Wavelengths’ proving once again that the trio are a force to be reckoned with.
Before you listen to this record, throw your ideas of what stoner rock and fuzz filled music should sound like, Syncolima break the mould. The opening number ‘Beautifully Unsaid’ starts off at a pace many fans of the genre will be unfamiliar with, galloping along like Red Rum at the Grand National at an unmatched speed.
The groove and speed created at the opening follows through on ‘Riff’, another upbeat number, living up to its name and the statement mid song “we bring you the riffs and the riffs are good” rings very true.
The production is crisp, the band as tight as a gnats chuff, as they slow down a little on ‘Communicide’ allowing the listener to take a brief breather, before ‘New Beginnings’ ramps it up once more, but with a heavier tone more akin to traditional stoner rock.
Throughout the album Syncolima prove there is more than one way to skin a cat as they breathe fresh life into an often stagnant genre. They have given the music their own spin. ‘Wavelengths’ is a heavy, riff filled breath of fresh air.
