Although he thunders through your intestines with Amenra, Mathieu Vandekerckhove’s solo project Syndrome draws on the essence of his musical existence … Melancholy music for attentive listening, subtle & introspective, in which he explores the boundaries of postrock, ambient, folk, drone and minimalistic electronica. On new issue ‘Forever and a Day’ (out 16/09 via Ghent’s Consouling Sounds – AB’s favorite Belgian alternative label), successor to the internationally acclaimed masterpiece ‘Now and Forever’ from ‘12, Vandekerckhove digs into the deepest caverns of his soul, there where romanticism & darkness hole up together in perfect symbiosis.

Like pretty much everything that stems from the Church of Ra collective (Oathbreaker, CHVE, The Black Heart Rebellion, Amenra, Hessian, …), this discerning gem is accompanied by intense artwork based upon a sculpture by Carlos Vandekerckhove, Mathieu’s father. 

“It literally was a centerpiece in the young and adolescent life of Vandekerckhove, with him growing up in constant proximity of the sculpture. Now in his adult life, the sculpture becomes the centerpiece of his musical development. His coming of age…” The circle is complete.