Soul Cycle

It's been a while since I've been this completely floored by free music. Remember my previous post about Sonorant? It seems that its frontman (also only-man), guitarist Chris Catharsis, has been busy with his more recent project, Soul Cycle. This time, however, Chris brings more than Meshuggah-esque djent rhythms and alternately looming or brutal melodies. Soul Cycle's modus operandi is a bit harder to pin down than that. Take the opening of the song Heartless from Soul Cycle's eponymous debut album. The first minute or so features cheery, chorus-soaked arpeggios of the sort one generally does not expect to find on an album this heavy. While similar elements are present in some of Sonorant's works, here these interludes feel more strongly integrated into the music, and with spectacular results. Chris Catharsis has matured as a songwriter, and it shows. The music on Soul Cycle and Soul Cycle II is thoroughly splendid throughout, with brutal rhythms, searing leads and spectacular melodies. Moreover, the music reaches emotional heights previously lacking from Chris' work in Sonorant. Rather than simply beating down the listener with brutal riffs, the offerings here feel significantly richer and more dynamic. As an added bonus, Soul Cycle and Soul Cycle II are full length albums, as opposed to the EPs produced by Sonorant. While the music is available free, I must say that audio quality is fantastic with. One. Glaring. Exception. I understand that not every group can afford to staff a drummer. Really, I get it. Soul Cycle is, after all, only two people: Chris Catharsis doing triple duty on lead, rhythm and bass guitars, and Mark Hawkins also on lead guitar. However, there are moments when my ears feel violated by the sheer tinniness of the programmed drums. These moments, while few and far between, manage to seriously detract from the guitars, which are the obvious main attraction of Soul Cycle. Don't let my criticism dissuade you from giving them a listen, however. Soul Cycle is packing some of the most blisteringly intense and searingly delicious shred I've heard in a while. Not too many groups can actually pull off that magical combination of impressive guitar chops and songs actually worth hearing. Either you get "good enough" guitar-playing or "merely passable" songs. I certainly am not hearing compromises from Soul Cycle. The melodies are strong, well-executed, and leave your guitar-nerd of a host feeling absolutely ecstatic. It's just that good.

All in all, Soul Cycle offers some stupendous guitar carnage for the low, low price of free. The music is incredibly precise while also being emotive. The recording quality is, for the most part, top-notch. The songs are diverse and technically impressive. This, ladies and gents, is some grade-A face-melting material we have here. You can find Soul Cycles two currently-released works here: http://soulcyclemetal.bandcamp.com/. You can choose how much (or whether) to pay them for both albums. If you enjoy the music (I certainly do), then please support the artists responsible. Until next time! Guitarman, out.