Four years after their independently released debut, UK based Metallers Synthetic return with the backing of Rock Of Angels Records and continue to expand the boundaries of their Metallic soundscape. Approaching Metal from a modern groove-laden standpoint, this Dark Heavy Metal also incorporates Speed Metal, Metalcore and Melodic Death Metal. Intrigued? Well, so you should be…
Once the mentally 12 year old me had got past calling the album “Clepsydra: There’s An Ointment For That”, it was clear to see the amount of thought that has gone into making sure Synthetic stand alone and avoid direct comparisons. Take the vocals for instance, on the first couple of tracks alone you can hear Pantera, Metallica, Sentenced, Sepultura, Moonspell and In Flames. Musically…well, kind of the same to varying degrees, with an intense mix of styles within each track and from song to song, yet there is always a cohesion and continuity without being the remotest bit predictable.
The production is great, enhancing the rhythm section well as it drives through the time/mood changes with ease. Down-tuned guitars frame perfectly the impassioned gravel-coated previously mentioned vocals, giving the whole album power, yet enhancing both groove and melancholy when needed. There is definitely a willingness from the band to blend a stark Finnish-style Dark Metal with an American type modern sound, and yet in its gloomier moments there’s even a touch of Paradise Lost or My Dying Bride, all carried off with intelligence and dexterity.
I like a bit of genre melding, on the whole it makes for an interesting and compelling listen and Synthetic have that covered here. This is an album that is both instant, yet also has hidden depths that are easily missed on early plays. Initially the vocals steal the show, as they are so varied and edgy, but gradually the guitars and keys vie for your attention with the intricate rhythms – you just know this album has legs. It’s great to see this band now has a label behind it, totally deserved and well worth checking out if you like an album to just be labelled “Metal”, then sit back and see what happens.
(8/10 Andy Barker)
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