Synaptic – Enter the Void
Band: Synaptic
Title: Enter the Void
Label: Lifeless Chasm Records
Release date: January 15th, 2025
Country: Germany
Format reviewed: High-Quality Digital Recording
Let me start with the fun fact of how this album got to my ears… It was my birthday, and I wanted to listen to something new. An album that would have been released on the day of my 50th birthday. And I went to Metal Archives (do you know a better place for searching about Metal?), and one of the albums appearing there fresh from that day was “Enter the Void” by Synaptic. Didn’t know the band, but the description made me nod in agreement. Progressive/Technical Death Metal, yeah, why not? And after listening to it, I felt I had to write about it. Because I really had enjoyed a lot during the 34 minutes it lasts, and I love writing about the albums I like in order that maybe other metalheads will read it and feel curious and go to listen too…
Ahh enough of silly talk. Let’s go to the important things.
Everything is well done in this album: the skilled and technical playing, the clean production and the mixing, even the placement of the songs, with some short instrumental tracks to give some air to breathe in the midst of a very technical album, which I think it’s an extra point. Otherwise the listener could end up a bit too overwhelmed…
Because there’s a great display of technical skills when it comes to the guitar playing. Simon is the six string virtuous guy, and he shines fully in every track, be it with the impressive riffs, the melodic lines, the stratospheric solos… and the way his guitar entwines with the bass, played by Kai, another fantastic musician, it gives me goosebumps. Just listen to the beginning of “Malfunctional Minds” for example, or “The Lost Continent”, where the guitar plays like crazy and the bass resonates with a low rumbling sound that fulfills everything. The bass has a very important role in the music done by Synaptic, as you already have listened to in those aforementioned songs. It provides a gorgeous background of low notes perfectly balanced with the rest of the instrument and vocals.
Another impressive aspect of this album is the drums. Even if they are not played by a real drum kit. To be honest, I didn’t notice they were programmed drums, Simon did a brilliant job with this. The short instrumental piece “Memories of a Forgotten Future” is just amazing, the way the drums join (or “assault”, to name things properly) the guitar along with the deep bass is fantastic, and that short solo at the end… hats off!
Vocals are another hellish thing to highlight. There are screams, growls, and also a few clean passages. Mario delivers the perfect kind of voice in every part of each song, ensuring my perception that these songs are not at all monotonous, but very varied. And, did I mention the high technical skills all through the album? Ah sure I did.
The songs are diverse in tempo, tunes and the amount of brain infection they provide. And, talking about variations: there are some “fun” passages like the prog hints in “City of Glass”, the amazing groove in “Embrace the Void” (the epilogue) with that piano and again, guitars and bass “dancing” together some latino rhythms and leading the listener to a fun departure of the album…
I’m still amazed by the accuracy these three musicians put into this album, being “Enter the Void” their debut apart from the EP released in 2008 but back then Synaptic was a band with a different line up, Simon is the only remaining founding member. So, I think it’s fair to say this one is their debut album. Definitely, a band to follow in their future endeavors. 9/10 by Sílvia
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9/10 Epic Storm
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