Syteria – ‘Syteria World’

(Cargo Records)

‘Syteria World’ is the third album from Syteria who should be a familiar name to many rockers who keep their fingers on the pulse of the current rock scene as their two previous albums garnered a lot of positivity. The band also features Jackie Chambers who many old school metalheads will know from Girlschool. Syteria sound nothing like the aforementioned band so you definitely hear Chambers stretching his musical muscles on this album.

To my ears Syteria are a full-on Power Pop band although the word Punk does get thrown around a lot when referring to them but I think that is only a minor part of the bands overall sound. That Punk edge is mainly noticeable in the high energy expressed in the up-tempo beats of the vast majority of their songs, they are also highly melodic which also detracts from many elements of the Punk tag.

Listening through the album in its entirety the recurring feel and influence they exude is the Power Pop sound of many American bands of the late Nineties and early Noughties. You know the sort of bands plastered all over teen movies of that time like Smash Mouth, Bowling For Soup, Wheatus etc… Whilst I wouldn’t compare them directly with any singular band from that era, that time is clearly a general influence on their whole sound.

‘E.M.P.T.Y’ triggers a Garbage influence with me, some of the guitar licks make me think of their debut era and sometimes I think vocalist Julia Calvo is channelling her inner Shirley Manson. But this is the only song I would use them as a comparison. Another big influence I felt was No Doubt (back when they were good) on the tracks ‘It Hit Me’ which has Ska like guitar licks and that No Doubt bounce and the smooth party rocker ‘Raise A Glass’ definitely has an edge of that style too.

It’s a well-crafted album all round and I could praise all the musicians but for me it’s the sweet and smooth performance of vocalist Calvo that captivates me the most.

‘Syteria World’ is a bit of a hit and miss album, its enjoyable but not exceptional, with some tracks been really catchy and memorable whilst others seem cheesy or too messy to want to relisten too. It’s still well worth a listen if you enjoy edgy Power Pop with some excellent musicianship displayed.

6/10

Essential Track - 'Chasing Dreams'

Review by Woody