New Wax Wednesday

All the gifts of life are held within these vinyl walls. For the more progressive-leaning listening cognoscenti out there, that altered reference is pure IYKYK — but it’s also a good way to announce that a cool Vancouver-bred band by the name of Syrinx have just dropped their sophomore LP that’s quite adroitly named Time Out of Place via Ocula Records on September 9, 2025.

To get a taste of what you’re in for with the prog/metal-ish inclinations of Time, check out the official clip for “A Waking Dream” through its official YouTube clip below.

The Time Out of Place LP’s first pressing is limited to 475 copies, all of them presented on blue or purple vinyl, and you can order your color choice directly from their Bandcamp page right here, for a quite reasonable minimum asking price of $25 each. (They’ve also made 200 Time CDs available too, for those of you who are digitally inclined.)

Some of you may already know that there was another Canadian band by the name of Syrinx — a pioneering electronic-music collective that released a few albums between 1970-72. And, of course, my opening-gambit modified lyric comes from Part II of Rush’s forever-epic title track to their March 1976 Anthem/Mercury LP 2112, a 20-minute full-side song from the legendary Canadian trio that constantly references the theological push-pull between the song’s idealistic protagonist and the uber-rigid Solar Federation’s pesky, oppressive Priests of the Temples of Syrinx.

On Time Out of Place, the four-piece Syrinx tackle the progressive artform with aplomb, adventure, and compositional prowess, track after track. Plus, there are some tinges of metal to be found throughout the proceedings as well. Ratings-wise, the Music gets an 8.5 for its ambition and execution, and the Sound gets an 8 — and, upon further listening, sometimes it even goes up to an 8.5, especially on a layered, widescreen cut like “1875” (which you can check out for yourself later in this post). If you like putting mind-expanding music on your turntable, then you’ll definitely dig spinning Syrinx’s Place, without a doubt.

To find out more about how Time Out of Place came to be, I recently chatted with Syrinx major domo Graham McGee — who handles the band’s production, guitar duties, and backing vocals along with playing Moog Taurus, Little Phatty, Minimoog, and Oberheim OB-X — for the firsthand scoop. Embrace the dark / Seek the light. . .

Mike Mettler: Hey Graham! Thanks for doing this, as I love what you’ve all laid down on Time Out of Place. First, I need some facts confirmed about the vinyl. Where did you have it pressed?
Graham McGee: Thanks, Mike! We had Time Out of Place pressed at Clampdown Records in Vancouver, BC. We chose a local plant to save time, and reduce shipping risks.

Mettler: Who cut the lacquers for you, and what was your source material — analog tapes, or digital files?
McGee: Paul at Aardvark Record Mastering handled the lacquers. We took kind of a hybrid approach with it. We recorded the beds to analog tape, and the rest was done digital. Then it was mixed on a SSL board, though our CDs were made from 24-bit/96kHz digital files.

Mettler: Did you listen to any test pressings? Were there any technical notes or adjustments from your end?
McGee: Yes. On the first batch of test pressings, there was a pretty significant skip on the first side. I was honestly surprised it wasn’t caught by the plant. It wasn’t my turntable, either — all five test pressings had the issue. Eventually, the lacquer engineer told the plant there was no problem, but I insisted there definitely was. Because of this, we didn’t have vinyl ready for release day, September 9, 2025, but we finally had copies in hand to distribute just a few weeks after that [i.e., by September 26 — and they emailed their Bandcamp followers about it to let them/us know what was what].

Mettler: How did you decide on the blue and purple color options? Will you keep them for future pressings?
McGee: We chose those colors because they match the album’s aesthetic. This first pressing will be the only one with this combination — if we repress Time Out of Place, we’ll likely tweak the colors slightly.

Mettler: I’ll keep an eye out for that just in case, though I do love having my purple LP. What kind of gear do you have in your current playback system?
McGee: I’m running some vintage Wharfedale speakers, a Sansui AU7500 amp, and a Yamaha YP-511 turntable. I’ve had this setup forever, and I’m very attached to it. My wife [Lady Chanelle, who also provides supporting vocals for the band whenever possible] will tell you how protective I am of it! Growing up, I also listened on a few classic vintage turntables that really shaped my ear.

Mettler: I can relate to that! Why is vinyl important to you, as both an artist and as a fan?
McGee: Vinyl is the complete package — full-size artwork, liner notes, posters, and other extras. It’s like unboxing a gift every time. I started collecting in the early 2000s as a teen when records were cheap, and I stacked up all the essentials. Later, I dove into ’80s private-press heavy metal, and world music.

As for favorite LPs — if I start listening to Rush, I’d never stop. I love them all.

Mettler: Hard to argue with you about listening to just about any Rush album on vinyl, and I’ve got ’em all. What was the first record you bought with your own money, and why did it speak to you?
McGee: Uriah Heep’s The Magician’s Birthday [which was released in November 1972 on the Bronze label]. My mom loves thrift shopping, and I stumbled across it when I was young. The cover immediately grabbed me — and musically, it blew my mind. Up to that point, I’d only heard mainstream radio rock. That album sent me on a hunt for music that was new to me.

Mettler: That’s a great album — and so is the one that Heep put out before it, [May 1972’s] Demons and Wizards. Anything else you want to add about your personal analog/vinyl story before we go?
McGee: On one tour, I was buying so many records we had to tie our music gear to the roof just to make room for my vinyl — all the way from Ontario to BC. That was one epic haul! I swear we went into every record store in Canada on that trip.

SYRINX
TIME OUT OF PLACE
1LP (Ocula)

Side 1
1. Mitosis (Second Light)
2. 1875
3. The Master’s Host
4. Solace Within Dreams
5. The Knowing

Side 2
1. A Waking Dream
2. Shades Of Your Purpose
3. Unraveler
4. It Left