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By JEFF MAKI
In Flames vocalist Anders Friden calls Sonic Syndicate's Only Inhuman “A new force in Swedish metal; melodies and songs for the melodic generation. A monster of an album!” Reading this immediately garnered my attention, as I am a huge fan of In Flames (though you can't always rely on Anders' taste). I think it was last year that he was high on Coheed and Cambria, and well ... there you go. But still with his highest regard, Sonic Syndicate must have some sort of promise, right?
The six-piece band features two vocalists, a guitar duo and an ultra-hottie on bass: Karin Axelsson, also listed as providing vocals. Only Inhuman is their second album, following their 2005 debut, Eden Fire. Their sound is what those familiar with the genre might expect, taking the best elements from popular Swedish metal bands: vocal styles of In Flames and more notably Soilwork, keyboards and sample effects of Dark Tranquility, and adding a certain American metal feel with a little Trivium thrown in. The band does not blatantly rip off any of these bands; in fact, Only Inhuman sounds like a recording from a band that has been around for years, not a second album.
I have a feeling there will be a pessimistic attitude from some people, given the clean choruses, hooks and borderline metalcore sound, but there's no denying that Sonic Syndicate has talent. “Blue Eyed Fiend” is Sonic Syndicate at its finest. It's a heavy, fast fucker of a song that is catchy as hell. This one reminds me of something from In Flames' much maligned Soundtrack to Your Escape. Though a keyboardist is not listed in the bands ranks, keyboards are the driving force behind much of the material. Swirling snyths surround the opener “Aftermath” and the Soilwork structure of the powerful “Double Agent 616.” “Enclave” is the ever-present power ballad rocker. Though it shows the band's diversity, it seems out place here, sounding like a different band. “Denied” features some of the most memorable vocals of the album, again with clean/harsh style layered like Soilwork. The style grows somewhat tiresome starting at the middle of the album, with almost every song having a similar structure: keyboards-heavy guitar opening-clean chorus-back-up screams-rinse, lather, repeat. “All About Us” is a monster of a jam, and it's here that Sonic Syndicate shows signs of their own style. It's a more accessible song, but the looming keyboards and heavy guitar structure are unlike anything I've heard.
Had Only Inhuman been released five years ago, Sonic Syndicate would be an elite force in the Swedish metal genre. While the band and album are top-notch, originality must come into play. That being said, fans of any of the mentioned bands will love this shit. And if you are new to the genre, then Sonic Syndicate would be a good summation of everything that's happened in the last few years.
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