CD Review: Sylar - "To Whom It May Concern" (Razor and Tie)

On their debut full length To Whom It May Concern, Queens, NY kings Sylar waste no time and cut straight to the chase. “Prescription Medication” is a stone cold killer atop To Whom It May Concern’s lineup, a perfect table setter than bleeds into the devastating “Mirrors,” which finds dynamic frontman Jayden Panesso authoritatively scream “I’m sick, I’m fucked, I feel no pain/I’m sick, I’m fucked, I feel no pain/I’m sick, I’m fucked, I feel no pain/I’m sick, I’m fucked, I feel no pain.” This is new school metalcore shaded with New York City hardcore pinned with subtle electronic undercurrents laced with a nuanced hip hop influence. Floor-clearing breakdowns and shattering, downtuned riffs abound as To Whom It May Concern presents many opportunities for spontaneous mosh pits via a seemingly endless array of fire-breathing monsters (“Two-Timer,” “Golden Retreat,” “Spitting Image” ), but there’s some interludes, quite literally, to be had here, where the band employ electronic flourishes to the fullest (“Interlude I,” “Interlude II”). “Never Let It Go” falls somewhere in the middle, offering up more hip hop than metal, and while it’s not quite Fort Minor, it’s something akin to it (honestly, To Whom It May Concern could have benefited from more tracks of this ilk). While it’s kind of hard to believe that To Whom It May Concern is just their debut LP, Sylar prove far more than capable. This shit is legit. Period.

Grade: B+

Go Download: “Never Let It Go”