Style: Technical death metal (mostly harsh vocals)
Recommended for fans of: The Faceless, Arsis, Necrophagist, Gorod
Country: Germany
Release date: 15 January 2015
Prolonged hiatuses are par for the metal course. The numerous, famous examples need not be mentioned here: suffice it to say that we fans have been conditioned into a patient bunch. But how about a debut album born out of a lengthy hiatus—without a fanbase eagerly waiting, speculating about the band’s status? Abandoned, the band’s compositions silently Enter the Void, perhaps. Such is Synaptic’s story. In this case, fortunately, an album furiously reemerges fifteen years later with the force of a thousand suns. Well, not quite that many suns—let’s go with “an adequate amount of suns.” Simply put, Enter the Void is a solid, by-the-numbers technical death metal record.
Most of Enter the Void’s material was written between 2008 and 2010, and then the band broke up. In 2020, the band reformed, reworked and completed its material, programmed some drums (which sound excellent), and recorded the rest. At the start of 2025, Enter the Void finally entered our dimension, unleashing a barrage of intricate riffs and fiery leads backed by a full-bodied, heavy production.
Rather than get straight to the point after its prolonged time in limbo, the album begins with a minute-long, instrumental track to ease the listener in, patiently building tension through guitar swells, glitchy distortion, and some subdued fretboard tapping. When the second track, “Malfunctional Minds,” hits, one thing quickly becomes clear: instrumentally, the band is tight. Synaptic fill their riffs with as many notes as possible, while agilely starting and stopping on a dime. This jagged, gas-brake style—even if slightly tiresome as the album goes on—works well when a band’s technical abilities are this strong. And, through contrast, the smoother, groovier parts really shine: the bouncy bridge in “Malfunctional Minds” and the hard-hitting riff following the first verse of “The Lost Continent,” where blasts are traded for a stripped-back, quarter-note beat, are especially effective.
Along with “tight,” “active” suitably describes the band’s sound. The guitarist throws virtuosic, often neoclassically influenced solos on top of already-complex riffs, and his shorter leads cover much of any ostensibly open space. Just listen to the final moments of both “Architects of the Night” and “City of Glass” for a masterclass in glorious guitar excess. The bassist not only keeps up with the guitar rather than relying on root-note repetition but also finds the stamina to let his fretless playing stand out, consistently wandering away from the guitar and even dropping a few of his own solos, most notably in the middle of “City of Glass.” Generally, rather than lean on a single riff or melody, Synaptic quickly move from one idea to the next. But that’s not to say the songs lack structure or effective repetition. Melodic refrains are well-utilized, and each song’s numerous pieces flow naturally.
Zooming out, Enter the Void is a bit of a structural oddity. The album’s short runtime of thirty-four minutes is a strength given its intensity and the sheer number of ideas it holds. But those thirty-four minutes are split among eight tracks, and four of those include the intro, the short instrumental cut “Memories of a Forgotten Future,” a quick flamenco-inspired prologue to the album’s epic “City of Glass,” and the brief (and extremely catchy) epilogue that follows. “Memories of a Forgotten Future” is the oddest of the bunch. It feels as if one minute of riffing and soloing was removed from one of the core tracks and placed randomly in the album’s center without any context. And vocally, Enter the Void is bang-on average—harsh vocals fill most of the album and sound exactly as one would expect, with relatively uninspired clean vocals sprinkled in to add some welcome variety but not much else. The clean vocals at the end of the final track are delivered with a tone that sounds particularly out of place; and unfortunately, that’s the last we hear of the vocalist, ending his performance on a somewhat sour note.
Nonetheless, Synaptic’s debut plays like a release from a mature band with an established presence in the genre. This is partly because the band retreads much of what’s already been done, sure, but their performance and songwriting are as good as many of tech death’s stalwarts. Enter the Void’s meaty production also makes it an auditory joy. Perhaps a product of its prolonged creation, the album fits into the ‘00s era (hints of Necrophagist, Spawn of Possession, Arsis, and The Faceless abound) while also sounding right at home in 2025. If the band can expand their style further and inject more unique ideas into their next release, we could be in for something special; and if not, we’ll likely get another fun, eminently listenable tech death offering. Either way, let’s hope the next album comes before 2040.
Recommended tracks: Architects of the Night, City of Glass
You may also like: Exuvial, First Fragment, Spawn of Possession
Final verdict: 6.5/10
Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Instagram | Metal-Archives page
Label: Lifeless Chasm Records – Bandcamp | Facebook | Official Website
Synaptic is:
– Simon (guitars)
– Kai den Hertog (bass)
– Mario Hann (vocals)
