Sinocence 

We have a long history of showcasing standout indie artists, but with this special we take it one step further and showcase standout indie artists that are making it happen on their own. 

While the goal for most DIY bands is to get their music out on their own and not wait for that "record deal", the record deal is usually the ultimate goal. And when an artist takes it upon themselves to go the DIY route with a self-release and succeed, it actually makes it easier for a label to see the wisdom of signing them. That is usually when labels will take a chance on a band that doesn't fit nicely into a little "current trend" box.  We here at the antiMusic Network wish the artists featured here nothing but success, whether it is a total DIY affair or they ultimately use their DIY skills to land a deal. 

The artists featured in this series all cover different areas of rock. The last time we featured Indiana metal monsters Against All Hope, this time we go all the way to Ireland to check out the metal stylings of Sinocence . 

Mark broke this up into to two reviews of the band's EPs, which were released a year apart. 

Hailing from Northern Ireland, heavy metal act Sinocence take the blue-collar, hard-working, and zest for life famous of the Irish and apply those principles to modern thrash metal. The result on their 2003 EP Acceptable Level of Violence is a sound of rocking guitars yet moody and in-your-face lyrics about the harder things in life.

Thankfully, Sinocence rarely, if ever, wallow in the darker emotions of the human psyche. Instead, they vent their collective frustrations through hard-hitting rock that is blunt yet polished. "Making a Monster" opens with some radio mosh riffs, and frontman  Moro soon unloads with his angst-ridden, subtle Irish brouque. Though more talented then some of the horribly weak nu-metal bands we have on our side of the pond, "Making a Monster" is obviously meant to appeal to younger people suffering injustice, proclaiming at one point "Or the mess I'll leave with teenage misery/I didn't know your reality was lonely/They're making a monster." The song ends with Moro growling a straight-forward "I hate you," and that's all she wrote folks. "Six Second Stare" is poppy metal, with Moro and lead guitarist Anto playing driving riffs and drummer Davy does a decent job of keeping the heads banging. 

"Inside" begins with some clean, melancholy, and 90's rock similar chords before the band goes back to their more-familiar style of normal hard rock. Moro at some points in this song hits some pretty good notes, and his vocals shift from growling near-rap to wavering sing-songs. "Shedding Skin" is the EP's hardest and most thrashy song, a highlight indeed. Closer "Anything for the Next Escape" is another superior song, it's building intro exploding like a firecracker with bombastic guitars and then switching back to a nice mellow verse. 

All-in-all, Sinocence craft fairly straightforward and commonplace hardrock, in a radio friendly heavy metal vein. Short and to-the-point, Sinocence conjures an image of a Disturbed like-band with a slightly better metal pedigree. If you're looking for some quick yet solid metal that isn't too mind-blowing, Acceptable Level of Violence should be perfectly acceptable to you.
 

Tracks:
1. Making a Monster
2. Six Second Stare
3. Inside
4. Shedding Skin
5. Anything for the Next Escape
 
 

Having reviewed one of Sinocence's earlier works (Acceptable Level of Violence) just this previous evening, I can sadly say I wasn't expecting to be too blown away by this album, The Beautiful Death Scene, and also the latest release from Northern Ireland's Sinocence. Like some other moments in life, I was joyously proven wrong, and Sinocence habe matured so profoundly between both albums (only a year apart) that it sounds almost like an entirely different band.

"Beneath the Halo" kicks the EP off with crushing and brutal riffs, and the newer stylings of Sinocence are apparent already; the heavy music is already more heavy and thrash-influenced, while the slower stuff is more laid-back and chilling. After "Beneath the Halo's" smacking intro, clean freestyling guitar picking is added on the verses to freshen things up. The drumming is particularly sweet here; things stop and start flawlessly on a dime, and the thrash breakdowns are solid and laden with good guitar solos. 

"Drown the Noise" is a quiet feedback guitar ballad, with frontman Moro's softly bemoaning lyrics meshing with the subtle drum beats and guitar pieces perfectly. The song explodes later on with some heavier spaces of thrash, and it's nice how seamless the transition from light to heavy is.

 "Novocain" has machine gun drumming, and is a down-tuned guitar assault. The guitar leads are many here, and things are fun and entertaining. "Scarred Human Voodoo Doll" is in my opinion the album's weakest track, but that doesn't mean it still can't rock out with it's dark moshpit anthems and chugging monster guitars. The strange "Soul-Tied" is a complete 180 for the band; it's a crystaline piano ballad with quiet drumming and few guitars till later on. When the guitaring does appear, it's in a slow-paced thrash starburst. So strange is the quiet grace of this track (mainly in Moro's vocals) that I questioned whether or not it even belongs on this CD. Regardless, it is still a standout track albeit one possibly out of place.

The Beautiful Death Scene is proof you shouldn't pass off a band's weaker offerings if they have the chance to offer progression. This album is definitely heads above their previous works, and it is a textbook example of how bands should showcase their A-games with each new album to keep entrancing and surprising us.
 

Tracks:
1. Beneath the Halo
2. Drown the Noise
3. Novocain
4. Scarred Human Voodoo Doll
5. Soul-Tied
 

Visit the Official website to learn more and purchase the EPs