System Syn - All Seasons Pass (Book/CD) Review

This fall when I went to the concert for Imperative Reaction/God Module/System Syn it was my second time seeing System Syn and meeting the founder and lead singer, Clint Carney. He is a good friend of my gal pal, Annabel (DJ AnnabelEvil) who is the manager of Vampire Freaks. She introduced him to me at the Pre-Triton Festival party. I saw him perform at Triton, spoke to him there, and now I got the chance to speak to him again, after the 2011 show in NYC.

Clint is not only a talented song writer/musician (he is a member of Imperative Reaction, God Module, and his own band, System Syn), but he's also a talented artist (his paintings can be found online for sale from time to time, follow him on Twitter to see more). On top of that, he's a well spoken, humble man who was both polite and interesting to speak with. What we spoke of this time around was that we both had been published this year. Yay us! Right? RIGHT! His book is a self published novella that you can get to go with his newest CD. That's right, WITH his CD.

System Syn's newest album, All Seasons Pass, is something unique and that is why I'm reviewing it for you all today. Even if you're not a fan of Industrial music, I think you'll find this interesting.

In 2010 a woman in California went missing. Then she was presumed dead, killed by her husband. Clint followed the story in the papers but due to how it intrigued him, he got in touch with those involved in the investigation. He was allowed to learn what they knew, as long as he didn't divulge real names and so on. He took what he learned and wrote a novella. He also wrote an entire album based on the events that revolved around this situation.

Per his website...

The album tells the true story of the final tragic days of a young woman, as seen through her eyes and through the eyes of those around her.

The book reveals the real life story that inspired the album, including never before published photos and evidence from the investigation.

Did her husband kill her? Did she just run away? Did she have a lover? Did he kill her? Did she kill herself? Or was she on the run? You only can find out if you read his book. It's a tragic tale and yet, one I feel people should know. This poor woman was plagued with depression. Depression her mother wouldn't even acknowlege. How can YOU accept something about yourself when your family doesn't? How can you beat it if you don't admit you need your medication or have support?

The music Clint has devised to go along with the story is amazing. He gets into the heads of multiple characters (including hers) and takes you on a journey. The music is powerful and the lyrics are quite compelling. One of my favorite lyrics comes from the song, Homecoming. It's written from the perspective of a man sitting, watching her house, waiting for her husband to come home...to see if she's with him or not. For he knows if she's not with him, she's very likely dead. He says, "I thank you for the time I have to wait." For in that time, she could still be alive and he's hoping...hoping she is...for he knows something no one else knows.

But I won't spoil any more for you...I recommend this album/book combo (only $26 on their website...click the title of this blog to go there) to writers, musicians, and lovers of industrial and rock music. The music itself is not as heavy as God Module or even some of System Syn's other stuff. I think it speaks to a wider audience.

I rate this with five out of five stars...

So go snag this book/CD combo OR...you can aways find the CD on iTunes!

Happy Reading/Listening!

Tamsin :)

P.S. You can also follow Clint on Twitter: @SystemSyn