Review by Nathan GDL on November 19, 2021.

Skepticism, after a long hiatus, has finally returned with a new LP. Now to begin, this LP is very, very, very different from the atmospheric qualities from previous efforts like Stormcrowfleet and Lead And Aether, although its differences make it great and make it tedious at the same time, so let us begin with a review.

Farmakon, in any sense, is Finnish for “pharmacology”, which translates to “wise remedy”. Just look at the lyrics to the song 'Farmakon Process' if you don’t believe me!

But let’s now get into the nitty grittiness of Farmakon. The first song, 'The Raven And The Backwards Funeral', literally opens up the album with such anger and power. Some would say that the lack of keys suits the song and the album respectively, but I think otherwise. Without keys, it sorely lacks the atmosphere of its forefathers, and that seemed to disappoint me. The next song in line is the greater and more “moving” 'Shred Of Light, Pinch Of Endless'. The fading in guitar notes with a new sort of sound is prominent in Skepticism’s new track. It does have a sense of anger regarding the song with the organic keys and the crushing drums and guitar.

Untitled, or track number 4, really brought me down. This new sort of song is what made this album my least favorite out of the Skepticism catalog. It’s boring and droning. Though I love my drone when Sunn O))) and Earth come into play, but when Skepticism tries that act, it really brings a low score. There's not much more to say about the record except that the two sister songs 'Nowhere' and 'Nothing' are pretty much the life and soul of the LP. I think this album deserves what it got, an 8.5.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10

Review by Adam M on March 16, 2017.

Sinister performs a very old school take on death metal, but with a new twist. Their style evokes classics like Entombed and Dismember, yet parallels the new music landscape as well by showing their Vital Remains influence at the forefront.

The overall mix not the strongest, but allows the punishing death metal to effect its purpose. The mid-paced grooves of the band are addicting and help cement the songs in the person’s head. The tempo the band performs at suits their wares and is very effective for a death metal excursion. The similarities in the band are of an older day of death metal. There is the usual evil approach that the likes of Vital Remains perfected and is capitalized on here. The songs feel very nefarious sounding overall. The similarities to Entombed and Dismember are more in the mid-paced grooves of the song and not their overall presence. The entirety of the music is indeed compelling and brings a new death metal conqueror to the fold. The problem here is that the music isn’t particularly innovative and doesn’t bring anything particularly new to the fold. This lets the music drag a bit and never reach its full potential. Still, the music performances are solid. The guitars buzz along at a nice pace and complement the music perfectly. The drumming is a stone pillar beneath the songs that gives them the support and backdrop they need.

If this band can move beyond their influences into their own field of play and innovate more greatly, I suspect promising things for the future. As it stands, there is a lot of classic death metal to worship on this platter. It has the ability to dig back into memory and bring out some memorable moments. Syncretism is a solid piece of death metal handiwork.

Rating: 7.7 out of 10