UMUR "Vault of Inner Conscience" is the 2nd demo release by US, Illinois based thrash metal act Sindrome. The demo was originally released on cassette tape in 1991. Sindrome formed in Highland Park in 1986, and got a break almost immediately after releasing the "Into the Halls of Extermination (1987)" demo as they supported Whiplash on their "Ticket to Mayhem (1987)" tour and later Death on their tour supporting "Scream Bloody Gore (1987)". Lineup problems meant they didn´t release "Vault of Inner Conscience" before 1991. They disbanded in 1993 without having released an official studio album. There been a couple of lineup changes since "Into the Halls of Extermination (1987)", as guitarist Chris Mittlebrun (Death Strike, Master) has left. He is replaced here by two guitarists in Mick Vega and Ken Savich. The latter reportedly didn´t play on the demo, although he is credited for it.

Stylistically the material on the 5 track, 23:44 minutes long demo pretty much continues the technically well played and raw thrash metal style of "Into the Halls of Extermination (1987)". The band have taken the technical playing up a notch and the sound production is also more professional and powerful sounding. The demo was recorded and mixed at Morrisound Studios, Tampa, Florida, which is where a lot of contemporary US death metal bands recorded their albums, and "Vault of Inner Conscience" as a result feautures a powerful, meaty, and relatively brutal sound compared to most thrash metal releases.

The band are technically very well playing and lead vocalist Troy Dixler has a dark and powerful voice, and his delivery is raw. The material on the demo is also well written and effectful. It´s impossible not to bang your head while listening to this release. In fact it´s a bit hard to understand why Sindrome were never signed to a label when they were active, because the quality of this release is higher than on quite a few contemporary thrash metal studio albums. Maybe they just missed their chance...because by 1991 the thrash metal scene was in decline, and the interest from labels was probably not that high at that point. A 4 star (80%) rating is fully deserved.

UMUR "Into the Halls of Extermination" is the first demo release by US, Illinois based thrash metal act Sindrome. The demo was originally released on cassette tape in December 1987. Sindrome formed in Highland Park in 1986, and got a break almost immediately after releasing "Into the Halls of Extermination" as they supported Whiplash on their "Ticket to Mayhem (1987)" tour and later Death on their tour supporting "Scream Bloody Gore (1987)". Lineup problems meant they didn´t release their second demo "Vault of Inner Conscience" before 1991. They disbanded in 1993 without having released an official studio album.

Stylistically the music on the 5 track, 18:56 minutes long demo is technically well played and pretty aggressive thrash metal (a 6th track titled "Brought to the End" was also recorded during the sessions, but was left off the demo. It was included on the 2016 compilation album "Resurrection: The Complete Collection"). Considering this was released in late 1987 it´s a fairly brutal thrash metal release (but not a raw and primitive one). It´s not terribly original music but it´s very well performed and Troy Dixler is a pretty unique sounding vocalist (although he has always reminded me greatly of Bruce Corbitt from Rigor Mortis). He has a very powerful, dark, and raw voice and his delivery is commanding. While the material doesn´t necessarily receive any points for originality, it´s still well written and relatively memorable.

Considering that "Into the Halls of Extermination" is a late 1987 demo release the production is very well sounding, and there´s nothing here which indicates that you´re listening to a demo and not a regular studio EP/album. It´s through and through a highly professional release and a 3.5 star (70%) rating is fully deserved.

UMUR "Resurrection: The Complete Collection" is a compilation release by US, Illinois based thrash metal act Sindrome. The compilation was released through Century Media Records in March 2016. Sindrome was formed in Highland Park in 1986, and got a break almost immediately after releasing the "Into the Halls of Extermination (1987)" demo as they supported Whiplash on their "Ticket to Mayhem (1987)" tour and later Death on their tour supporting "Scream Bloody Gore (1987)". Lineup problems meant they didn´t release the "Vault of Inner Conscience" demo before 1991. They disbanded in 1993 without having released an official studio album.

"Resurrection: The Complete Collection" is a 2 disc compilation featuring the material from the "Into the Halls of Extermination (1987)" and the "Vault of Inner Conscience (1991)" demos plus a bonus track from the "Into the Halls of Extermination (1987)" sessions titled "Brought to the End" on disc 1 and 6 tracks recorded live at The Iron Rail, Chicago, January 21st 1988 on disc 2. The material on disc 2 is exclusive to this release.

Stylistically the music on the two demos is technically well played thrash metal in the more brutal end of the spectrum. It´s not death/thrash by any means, but it´s still pretty brutal. The basic style is the same on the two demos (although the material on "Vault of Inner Conscience (1991)" is a bit more technical in style), but there´s been a lot of development between the two demos when it comes to musicianship and especially when it comes to the sound production. Both demos are well produced and are fully on par with sound productions on contemporary studio releases by other artists, and especially the material from the "Vault of Inner Conscience (1991)" demo features a pretty impressive sound considering that this is a demo recording. It should of course be mentioned here that all material have been remastered for this compilation.

The live tracks on disc 2 are not quite as impressive. Sindrome are obviously a very well playing/singing act, but the show is recorded in what I would characterize as bootleg quality, and it´s not always pleasant on the ears, although it provides the listener with an authentic documentation of what a Sindrome show sounded like in 1988.

So upon conclusion "Resurrection: The Complete Collection" is a high quality release when it comes to the material featured on disc 1 while the material on disc 2 is a bit more redundant. Sindrome has grown into a bit of a cult act over the years, so it´s great to finally have the recorded material they left behind compiled and available on one release. The two demos have seen some sporadic reissues and limited vinyl releases throughout the years, but they´ve never been readily available as they now are on "Resurrection: The Complete Collection". A 4 star (80%) rating is deserved.

Primeval Scum Vault of Inner Conscience is a solid, heavy-hitting thrash metal EP. This band was talented and probably deserved a lot more recognition than they received. If given the chance to produce a full length album with a decent production, I'm sure Sindrome would've become a household name.

This album sees Sindrome step farther away from the death metal influenced thrash of their previous EP Into the Halls of Extermination. The songs generally have a science fiction or space-based lyrical theme, which is always makes for a fun listen for me since I'm a total nerd.

Musically, Sindrome inhabits a middle ground between the sounds of Metallica and Slayer. Faster and more aggressive than Metallica, but not as evil as Slayer. This EP is not particularly memorable or catchy, but the songs are well-composed and have their merits. It's a free download on Sindrome's website, so it's worth it if you're a thrash fan that's already explored the discographies of all the well-known bands.

Time Signature Sindrome was an influential American underground band who were among the pioneers of the death-thrash genre. They only released two demos though. This is one of them.

While their first demo was more in the vein of death-thrash, Sindrome's second demo "Vault of Inner Conscience" has not real death metal influences, but offers intense technical and progressive thrash metal along the lines of Annihilator and Artillery.

There is some amazing riffage on this album and some impressive guitar acrobatics, too. The compositions are somewhat complex, full of changes, twists and turns, and other challenging things.

Recommended to fans of thrash metal, power metal and technical and progressive extreme meta.