Synaptic – Enter the Void
Release Date: 15th January 2024
Label: Lifeless Chasm Records
Bandcamp
Genre: Technical Death Metal
FFO: Archspire, Inferi, Beyond Creation, Gorod, Cytotoxin, Obscura.
Review By: Eric Wilt
Synaptic is a German technical death metal band that is coming off a fifteen-year break. Their only previous release was an EP in 2008 entitled Distortion of Senses, so even though their beginnings can be traced back to 2007 (and 2004 as Preemptyve Strike), their new album, Enter the Void, is their proper debut. After giving the album a few spins, all I can think about is all the amazing music we missed out on from them in the intervening years. Comprised of Simon, Mario, and Kai, Enter the Void sounds like a mature album filled with silky-smooth riffing, in-your-face-bass work, and pummeling drums. The vocals vary between a death growl and clean singing and fit the songs perfectly. I probably throw around the term album-of-the-year too much, but I would be very surprised if Synaptic doesn’t find themselves on everybody’s year-end lists, mine included.
Musically, Synaptic throws quality riffs around like candy at a parade. With impeccable technique, Simon and Kai barrel through the various sections of each song the way a Formula 1 driver handles a race car: constantly in motion, always on the edge of their seat, but never out of control. For a prime example of this, check out the instrumental Memories of a Forgotten Future. On this track, both the guitar and bass play lead roles as the song builds to a crescendo of flailing fingers and blast-beats. Another song on which Synaptic show their technical prowess is Malfunction Minds, which again sees the bass playing as integral a part as the guitar in the song’s structure and execution. With a variety that keeps each track fresh and daring choices of composition such as the flamenco section in Embrace the Void (Epilogue), Synaptic has thrown down the gauntlet for technical death metal albums in 2025.
If Synaptic had a motto, it would be Make Tech Death Fun Again, and with the release of Enter the Void, they do just that.
(5 / 5)
