Sylosis / Architects guitarist Josh Middleton recently spoke with Music Radar, offering nine tips to aspiring players. He also comments on putting Sylosis back together after splitting the band up in 2016.

Keep an eye on the angle of your wrist

Middleton: "The main thing for me was learning 'Battery' by Metallica and playing it over and over again, all day long. I remember when I couldn’t do that – and it was so frustrating. I realised a lot of it came down to your wrist angle. Some guitar companies make completely flat bodies with a low profile and a hipshot bridge, and you can’t quite get the angles you need unless you’re sat the right way. All of that stuff plays a big part in your picking. If you hold your wrist out straight, with your pinky at three o’ clock, then twist the pinky down to half four – that’s my starting point for picking. Whenever I’ve taught other guitarists who have been struggling with picking, I’ve noticed their pivot points were different. So some people need to readdress their technique, this felt like it was key – at least for me. I try to use my wrist as much as possible."

Practice unplugged as well as with distortion

Middleton: "That’s a big one for me. When the distortion is on, there can be all these unwanted string noises and scrapes that you might not be aware of. I think people need to practice in two different ways – with an amp, using a lot of gain, but also with a totally clean sound or not plugged in at all. If it sounds clean unplugged, hopefully it will sound clean distorted… but you have to be used to playing distorted so you’re muting your strings properly and not getting unwanted noise."

Check out the complete rundown of tips here.

Middleton recently announced the long-anticipated return of Sylosis with their upcoming fifth studio album, Cycle Of Suffering, set for release on February 7. The announcement also delivered a first look at the band, since their 4-year hiatus, with the launch of the official video, “I Sever”; available everywhere now.

Middleton has released a guitar playthrough video for the band's new single. Watch "I Sever" unfold below:

If that wasn’t enough, Sylosis take to the stage for the first time in four years to headline Islington Assembly Hall on February 13 - Josh promises that this will be the biggest and baddest Sylosis live show to date.

Josh comments: "After three long years, Sylosis are back! I want to thank all of our fans for their patience and support over these last few years. Cycle Of Suffering is dedicated to them. With this new chapter, we close another; I’d like to thank Carl Parnell for his time in Sylosis. Many great memories made with him and I wish him the best in his career. Now we welcome Conor Marshall to Sylosis! Another man in another band (Conjurer) - Conor is an amazing player and compliments what we do really well. A warm welcome planned for 13th February where we play our first show in over 4 years! We’re excited and focussed – see you in 2020!"

Tickets for the show are on sale here.

You can find Cycle Of Suffering pre-order options here. Pre-order digitally to receive "I Sever" instantly (via Amazon and iTunes only), or pre-save the album via Spotfy, Apple Music and Deezer, here.

Cycle Of Suffering tracklisting:

"Empty Prophets"
"I Sever"
"Cycle Of Suffering"
"Shield"
"Calcified"
"Invidia"
"Idle Hands"
"Apex Of Disdain"
"Arms Like A Noose"
"Devils In Their Eyes"
"Disintegrate"
"Abandon"

"I Sever" video:

Sylosis lineup:

Josh Middleton - Vocals/Guitars
Alex Bailey - Guitars
Conor Marshall - Bass
Ali Richardson - Drums