Premeditated Press

Way too many bands the past years have sounded pretty much like the next and, more often than not, sounding way too much like the label they've signed with or like whatever genius established name that discovered them. For good or bad I suppose, as some of them have been pretty good supplements, but added little to the pool of originality or creativity. And so I was kind of worried, before listening to this album, that System Syn (or Clint Carney who's the mastermind of this project) would sound a lot like another God Module who also resides at Sector 9 Studios. I like God Module but Jasyn's good at what he does and probably doesn't need anyone else to do it for him. "Premeditated" proved these fears unwarranted and, quite contrary to them, display many qualities.

System Syn blends ebm and synthpop in about equal proportions and drawing a little from the dystopian dark world of Velvet Acid Christ, the bare-hearted melancholic styled lyrics of Lost Signal and of course adding a lot of his own touch, both in music and more so in vocals. There's a fair share of variation here, from dance oriented "Momentary Absolution" to the slower contemplative title track "Premeditated" - a rather minimal piece of short electro bleeps that make up most of the music and lyrics in rhyme about self-perception, decorated with occasional warping of the vocals that is just superb! As is the following "All that now has left your reach" that builds up all through the song that grows in itself as onto me.
"Premeditated" has been one of my favourite albums the past weeks, far exceeding all my expectations. Seamlessly the album moves through moods and themes, Clint proves that both Sector9Studios and System Syn are forces to be reckoned with in the years to come.

/Fredric Düring
 

Elektrauma Webzine

The following has been translated from German to English. To read the original german text, please click here. Elektrauma.com rated "Premeditated" 6 out of 6.
Respect, Gentlemen: Seldom has a group dared itself so impudently as to conceive combining the incompatible poles of Dark Electro and Synth-Pop into a harmonious mixture. Already, the first song, "Momentary Absolution," brings both elements together in an inimitable way. While interludes with distorted vocals are sung, there comes in the refrain the melancholy and striking voice, clear and effect free. System Syn is musical and likewise, diverse. Sometimes hard beats, sometimes calm parts, but everything very harmoniously built. In spite of the somewhat exceptional mixture, one never has the feeling that the project somehow is seeking its style - it has already found it. "Premeditated" leaves behind a lasting impression. Particularly the last two songs, "Tracing Veins" and "Abrasion Collar" let the album finish in a rounded off fashion. Those who would have it somewhat harder, should listen to "Indifference." System Syn is in any case a small surprise this year and one should quickly get down to it, and give it a listen. There is truly something for everyone in it.

http://www.elektrauma.com

Black Sheep Webzine

There has been a ton of albums released this year, so far. Unfortunately, some albums will fall through the cracks because of the sheer volume. Well, PREMEDITATED will not be one of those casualties. This album grabs your attention and refuses to let go.

The album starts off with the track "Momentary Absolution." This song first appeared on the Futronik Structures 4 compilation but was a remix by Imperative Reaction. I must say I like the original much better. This is a very melodic track, like most of the album, in general. It has a great bassline and beat structure along with some cool synth strings. I do like the vocals of Clint Carney. They are a clean style and very expressive. You can feel the emotion in every song just by listening to his voice. A great example of that is in the song "Halo". The song is mellow with its mid-tempo beat and cool synth work. Clint’s voice sounds like he is in great despair and needs a hug. It shows great emotion in the song. I would have to say this is one of my favorite tracks on PREMEDITATED. Another awesome song on the album is "Would Have Killed", which is a good dance track in its own right. It has a great beat mix to it and some creative vocals.

PREMEDITATED would normally be considered SYSTEM SYN’s debut album because they were just signed to Sector 9 Studios back in January of this year. They have been around for seven years though and in that time have self-released seven albums and an ep. They are far from being newbies. In Clint Carney’s own words, "PREMEDITATED sounds more polished and professional than anything else I have created." I totally agree with that statement, not that SYSTEM SYN’s past releases were bad, but PREMEDITATED is the best by far. Dare I say a work of genius?

TV Tranzmission Webzine

Man, another band I had never heard or even heard of until now. After listening to their debut (sort of) CD, Premeditated, I decided to check out their website. These guys have been around since 1997 before being signed by Sector 9. Sector 9 of course being the label started by Jayson from God Module, another of my all time faves.

Ok, let’s get to it, what do I think about this CD? As I sit here listening to it for a 3rd time, I can say that I like 90% of it. The 10% that I didn’t like was the song Tracing Veins. It’s somewhat slower and the synths/vocals just don’t seem to gel, if that makes sense? The other 9 tunes are pretty friggin’ awesome though. Momentary Absolution, Indifference, and To Be Nothing are the cream of the crop. The title track, Premeditated, stands out from the pack as it’s the most different sounding song on the disc. It’s also the most accessible. It’s not as upbeat as some of the other songs but it has a definite groove that’s hard to ignore.
 

Club Haven Webzine

After seven years, six LP's and four EP's System Syn (Los Angeles) has
returned with a new, powerful and potent Cd for the masses who desire great
music. Opening for such acts as Imperative Reaction, Seabound, Stromkern,
Informatik, Din_Fiv, God Module, Babyland, SVD, Pulse Legion, Aghast View,
Cenobita, Deathline Int'l and Cesium_137 has, in my opinion, prepared System
Syn to stand on their own as a force to be noticed as well as a headlining act.
This Cd is filled with deep, dark and troubling soul searching lyrics that really
cuts you to the quick and make you relate to the music in a personal way. Such
pain, loneliness, internal torture and apathy; it's beautiful and engrossing. With
tracks ranging from viciously aggressive and infectious dance anthems to introspective and disturbingly emotional mid tempo works of anguish, I guarantee
that anyone who listens to this CD will be able to appreciate it's intense exploration
of love lost, depression, and rejection played out with heavy Electro, Industrial and darkwave elements.

Standout tracks are many, "Momentary Absolution", "Halo", "Would have Killed"
"To be Nothing" (my fav) "Premeditated", "Glass", "Indifference", "Tracing Veins"
and "Abrasion Collar" (my other fav). Enigmatic frontman Clint Carney has brought System Syn to a rare place in a almost never changing scene; ambiguous, sharp,
unclassifiable and displaying a true veteran confidence of talent, but still staying
true to himself. Great job!! Buy "Premeditated" now!!

SickAmongThePure.com

Chosen by SATP Editor-in-Chief as the "Best of 2004" No. 1 album!
*** If anyone has a copy of this review, can you please post it on the forum? Thanks!

Gothtronic.com

The eight cd of System Syn already. I did not know of the existence of the System Syn project until i heard the remix they did for this other US band Symbiont. Not too strange that i wasn't aware of this project as actually this is the official debut on a label with the intention to really attain some success. Armed and ready for the real deal so to say. One can hear this band's been working hard for years while listening to the music, as the musical quality is very high and the compositions are well worked out and sound mature. The cd opens with an intro which seems to announce grave danger in a threatening way. After this, 'Momentary Absolution' kicks in, and this is a club hit for sure! Rather original vocal colors with a broad and deep emotional reach in the voice of Clint goes together with the distorted vocals typical of dark electro music and the track itself is a extremely danceable track. The way Clint uses the dynamics in his voice in this track reminds me a bit of Soil & Eclipse. 'Glass' slows down a bit, contains mid-tempo beats and has a good deal of synthpop influences. The music is quite mellow and it has been done well and really works good in combination with Clint's voice. 'Indifference' is een van de hardere stukken op deze cd and this could be labeled as straightforward dark electro. This track is very suitable for DJ's to use in club environments. Although i personally will spin 'Momentary Absolution' more often as this is a ingeniously superb track! It's the mix of style elements which make System Syn a different band which stands out of all the others in the popular EBM/electro world. A combination of dark electro with synthpop is not something one hears very often. The title track 'Premeditated' is a laid back and dark minimal track. Other tracks which can be recommended are: 'Halo', 'Would Have Killed' and 'All That Now Has Left Your Reach' which builds up tension very nicely. This cd is an enormous hit and really original. This is a must buy. The cd will be available in Europe through Out of Line.