Cassandra Syndrome – “of Patriots and Tyrants” (2009)

Label : Figmental Records

Review by Tony Cannella

Formed in Maryland in 2005, Cassandra Syndrome are a band that have a lot to say. Their debut release – available now on Figmental Records – is titled “of Patriots And Tyrants” and it features the powerful soprano vocals of Irene Jericho in conjunction with some seriously heavy and melodic guitar work, and in short “of Patriots and Tyrants” (the title of which comes from a part of a quote from the third president of the United States and author of the Declaration of Independence Thomas Jefferson), is a beautiful work of art that is a bit different than a lot of bands with female operatic singers.  The CD features 10-songs and 47-minutes worth of some really cool operatic metal with some great guitar riffs and an overall killer sound. CD opener “Phoenix” gets the ball rolling and it is a mid-tempo track, that features a grinding guitar riff and the impressive vocals of Irene Jericho. The next track “None but Shadows” is another strong number that really picks up the pace and it is a huge highlight for me. The lyrics are excellent as well with their politically and socially conscious tone of the songs, Cassandra Syndrome have something a little different to offer. Another thing to admire about Cassandra Syndrome are the vocals of Irene Jericho. She definitely has the opera thing going, but she doesn’t over-do-it, she knows when to hold back a little and do whatever is best for the song, and with Cassandra Syndrome the songs are the number one thing. The perfect example of this is the song “Mirror Mirror”, which is hands down my favorite track at the moment. Other highlights include: “What We Sow”, “Burning”, “Soma”, “Wild” and “Cassandra”.The U.S. is not as known for this genre of music like say Finland or Norway is, but Cassandra Syndrome have released a fantastic album that could very well hold it’s own with just about any other band. “of Patriots and Tyrants” is a tremendously satisfying effort that is worthy of repeated listenings.

Rating – 80/100

Tracklist

1. Pheonix
   
2. None but Shadows
   
3. What We Sow
4. Mirror Mirror
5. Burning
6. PTSD
7. Cassandra
8. Skadi’s Touch
9. Soma
10. Wild

Line Up

• Irene Jericho – Vocals
• Chris Kackley – Guitars & Backing Vocals
• Joe Cariola – Bass & Backing Vocals
• Jay Jericho – Drums, Percussions & Backing Vocals