UMUR "Sub Semnul Lupulu" is the 2nd full-length studio album by Romanian black metal act Syn Ze Sase Tri. The album was released through code666 in May 2012. Syn Ze Sase Tri formed in 2007 but it wasn´t until 2011 that the band released their debut full-length studio album "Între Doua Lumi". Founding members Corb and Spin had been part of the lineup that recorded the "Virstele Pamintului (2010)" album by Negura Bunget, so they had kept busy.

While the music style on "Între Doua Lumi" to my ears was a pretty standard fare symphonic black metal sound (albeit with Romanian lyrics), the band have changed their style slightly on "Sub Semnul Lupulu". First of all I think the keyboards are more tastefully placed in the mix this time around (relatively). Secondly the sound production is really powerful (which wasn´t the case on the debut) and last but not least the band have opted to include death metal growls in their music, which means that there are now both death metal growls and higher pitched black metal type vocals in the band´s music, which gives them more strings to play on and ultimately makes "Sub Semnul Lupulu" a more varied listen than "Între Doua Lumi" was. The album is pretty interesting listen, with relatively complex song structures and changes in pace and mood and I´m well entertained throughout the 55:13 minutes long playing time. The lyrics are still written in the band´s native language and that works really well within the context of the album. While I don´t understand one single word of what the band are saying I understand that their main lyrical themes are Romanian mythology and War and that transfers very well to the music too, which has a commanding epic feel to go along with the lyrics (and also a couple of battle related samples).

Overall "Sub Semnul Lupulu" is a step forward for Syn Ze Sase Tri and while I could still wish for a more personal style, they do what they do with conviction and a professional attitude. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is warranted.

adg211288 Sub Semnul Lupului is the second album by Romanian symphonic black metal act Syn Ze Şase Tri. Although its May 2012 release puts it only a year and a month after their debut Între Două Lumi came out much has changed in the Syn Ze Şase Tri camp. Only Corb (vocals and guitars) and Hultan (bass) remain from the previous album’s recording line-up. Although the replacement of a drummer and second guitarist (Strigoi and Spin respectively, although only Strigoi has actually been replaced) doesn’t seem a major thing for a young band the biggest change is that the group now has two vocalists, with Lycan being integrated as very much the frontman of the group.

That, in short, means that the vocals are now a mix of high and low growls between Lycan and Corb. The low growls put me more in mind of death metal than black metal but the music remains in the same symphonic black metal style as with Între Două Lumi, although the level of quality has been turned up a notch between releases. If nothing else there is additional vocal variety in the band’s sound with this new setup, but I can’t honestly say I’d like the album any more or less with just one vocalist.

It sounds like a lot more is going on in the compositions of Sub Semnul Lupului and there are even a few parts that come across as being progressive. We’re not talking such a jump in quality that the band comes across as being so greatly improved between records that it’s a shock, but it is a natural sounding improvement which utilises the potential of the debut much better than on said album. Where I felt Între Două Lumi just about scraped a ‘great’ score on my scale, there is no doubt that Sub Semnul Lupului is a great album. The use of even more interesting symphonic elements is what clinches that distinction for Syn Ze Şase Tri, as well as a general improvement in song writing. We’re not talking masterpiece levels for Syn Ze Şase Tri just yet, but Sub Semnul Lupului leaves me feeling much more hopefully that one day we will be hearing just that from the band. All it needs is that extra spark and then Syn Ze Şase Tri should easily be a force to be reckoned with within the symphonic black metal field. If their next release shows the same natural improvement as this one, then album number three could be the biggy.

Like its predecessor Sub Semnul Lupului is written entirely in the band’s native language. For me as an English speaker that means I can’t understand a word of it, so any effect the intro track Sorocul might have had on me is completely lost, although I expect the spoken dialogue is there to get the listener in the mood for the symphonic black metal assault that is to follow. Not unexpectedly as an intro this is the weakest track on offer. I can’t help feel that the band recycled Profeţie, the intro from Între Două Lumi, at least in ideals. The remainder of the tracks are all very good however, showcasing that progression in the band’s sound between albums well.

They had good ideas before, but they are much more refined now, resulting in what, overall, is undeniably a stronger album. I wouldn’t actually hesitate to say that, intro aside of course, every track here is superior to those on the debut. A ‘great album’ range rating is most definitely deserved.

8.1/10

(Originally written for Heavy Metal Haven (http://metaltube.freeforums.org))

UMUR "Între Doua Lumi" is the debut full-length studio album by Romanian black metal act Syn Ze Sase Tri. The album was released by code666 in April 2011. The band was formed in 2007 and released a demo that year too. However the band was on hold for a while because founding members Corb ( vocals, guitar) and Spin ( guitar) joined Negura Bunget for the recording of the "Virstele Pamintului (2010)" album and the subsequent tour to support that album. After the tour Corb and Spin decided to leave Negura Bunget and concentrate on Syn Ze Sase Tri again.

Bearing in mind the experimental nature of Negura Bunget´s music it might come as a bit of a surprise that the music on "Între Doua Lumi" is pretty standard symphonic black metal with dominant classical inspired synths/ keyboards as one of the key elements in the sound ( overall the musicianship is solid). I´m imidiately reminded of acts like Old Man´s Child and Dimmu Borgir even though the lyrics are on "Între Doua Lumi" are in Romanian ( at least that´s what I understand they are from the sources I´ve read). The production is allright but could have been more powerful.

So if you enjoy pretty standard symphonic synth/ keyboard dominated black metal with only very few excursions outside that territory, "Între Doua Lumi" might be your poison. Personally I could have wished for a more original songwriting approach and a better production, but again fans of the genre are probably fully content with how the album sounds. A 3 - 3.5 star rating is deserved.

J-Man Symphonic black metal, love it or hate it, is one of the most prominent forms of the genre nowadays. Although many of the genre's newer acts come across as clichéd and sometimes boring to me, Romania's Syn Ze Şase Tri is certainly one of the more impressive budding symphonic black metal outfits I've heard recently. This Romanian quartet takes the overblown bombast of the genre, adds plenty of dark atmospheric elements, and delivers the final product professionally. Între Două Lumi is their debut full-length album, and was released on April 1st, 2011 by code666. The band released a three-song demo in 2007, and all of those tracks have re-appeared here. Whether or not this album appeals to you all depends on personal taste, but the bottom line is that Syn Ze Şase Tri has created an impressive brew of symphonic black metal with Între Două Lumi.

I've heard this album described as a mix of Dimmu Borgir and Negură Bunget, and that's a great overall description of the music. The bombastic symphonic style of Dimmu Borgir often takes full reign, but multiple dark atmospheric sections often nod in the direction of Negură Bunget. The Negură Bunget influences aren't at all surprising when one considers that founding members Spin and Corb were both members of the band before forming Syn Ze Şase Tri. The general quality of the compositions and musicianship are extremely high, but Între Două Lumi isn't entirely without flaws. My biggest issue is that the keyboards can become quite "intrusive" at times - I really wish the band would take a rawer approach every now and again. Of course, that probably defeats the purpose of the music, but Între Două Lumi would really benefit from cutting out the constant orchestrations in favor of a more sparing approach. The production is also a bit thin and weak (it may just be my promo copy), but it's still not very crippling at all.

Despite my small gripes about the intrusive keyboards and mediocre production, Între Două Lumi really is a great symphonic black metal album. Syn Ze Şase Tri has created a debut that's leaps and bounds ahead of many other albums in its genre, and I have a feeling that most symphonic black metal fans will consider this one of the best albums of 2011. I'll go with a well-earned 3.5 stars here - this isn't a flawless masterpiece, but it's certainly one worth checking out.

adg211288 Între Două Lumi is the debut album from Romanian symphonic black metal group Syn Ze Şase Tri, following on from the self-released demo Ziua din Urma from 2007, of which all the songs appear on Între Două Lumi. The album was released in 2011. Band founders Spin and Corb previously worked with the band Negură Bunget between 2009 and 2010 before turning their focus completely on Syn Ze Şase Tri.

On Între Două Lumi there are ten tracks of music. The first of these is Profeţie, which serves as an introduction to the album. It has quite an eerie sound with whispered vocals and wolves howling in the background and it sets the mood perfectly for the symphonic black metal onslaught that follows. The next three songs the band delivers are actually the same three songs from the 2007 demo. Since I haven’t heard that demo I can’t comment on how the versions on the album compare but what I can say is that songs such as Ziua din urmă showcase a band with many strengths right from the off. There are plenty of interesting riffs on offer in the songs as well as good symphonic ideas, although for the most part Între Două Lumi does not strike as an album that brings anything new to the table and neither does it often reach moments where a track could truly be considered a masterpiece, although there are some moments within it where the quality takes quite a big upturn, such as Făuritorul lumii and Gînd blestemat, both of which number among my personal favourites from the album. I especially like all the strange twists in the former than make it sound like quite the energetic track and the almost folksy intro to the latter. The instrumental piece Măreţia întrupării, which is the sixth track on the album is also of particular note for me, since it demonstrates some near classical tendencies and acts as a decent intermission in the album.

For the most part Între Două Lumi keeps the quality of the writing and performance pretty consistent. With many interesting ideas in their music Între Două Lumi is definitely a very enjoyable symphonic black metal release, though I can’t help feel that a few more of those good ideas in some places would have really upped the epic nature that parts of the album displays and turned some songs which I would consider to be good songs into great songs. What lets the album down the most for me though is actually the production job, which for me at least doesn’t really hit the spot at all. It’s far from being a raw black metal album but there are parts where I think the symphonic elements should have been given better prominence within the mix as I feel this would have given songs of the songs a more epic feel, where as it is they lack the sort of epic symphonic black metal nature than other acts in the genre have pulled off. That said, I think that for Între Două Lumi Syn Ze Şase Tri definitely deserve a rating of 8/10 for this very solid effort. If they can sort out the faults in the production and keep those good, epic and sometimes atmospheric ideas coming I imagine that for future albums they’ll be quite the force to be reckoned with.

(Originally written for Heavy Metal Haven)