Style: Progressive death metal, power metal, power prog
Recommended for fans of: Be’lakor, Fear Factory, Firewind
Country: US (California)
Release date: 24 June 2026

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You want to discover a progressive death metal band against AI that is also based in the US? Certainly, I can help with that! The closest match I can find for your criteria is Sinthetik Sentienz who have recently released an independent album titled Totalitarian. This underground duo doesn’t just oppose artificial intelligence—they crucially deliver a warning of techno-authoritarian societal oppression across a multi-album storytelling narrative. Sinthetik Sentienz weaves an intricate, technical tapestry through stylistic juxtaposition and robust guitar use. It is worth mentioning that listeners noted the dynamic mixing as a controversial—but potentially enjoyable—aspect. I hope this helps!

If the syntax above triggered within you a fight or flight, then the modern day John Connor’s¹ of Sinthetik Sentienz might be your protest music standard bearers. Well, “protest” is more civil than the reality of Totalitarian, a Queensrÿche-meets-Decapitated opera speculating: what if we lose a war against a sentient system that deems itself superior to humanity? Going even further, what if this timeline featured chatty spherical drones that beep and hum, a contingency of rebels fighting against a global elite cabal overseeing the AI, and… wait this is sounding familiar. Whatever I’m thinking of, it must be astonishing.²

Sinthetik Sentienz bill themselves as progressive death metal, but the most prominent and enjoyable element of Totalitarian is the bold inclusion of soaring power metal sensibility. Judging by the mechanical opener, “Totalitarian”, bombastic choruses simply wouldn’t be in the cards, although the “To-tal-i-tar-ian” chant alludes to the electrifying amount of cheese in the band’s DNA.³ Venture forward into the Sentient AI loot box and rewards are for the taking: a thumping double-bass and power chord anthem that would make Firewind blush (“Cyber Dominion”); futuristic and compressed clean vocals delivering a vibey “I” in between groovy guitarwork (“I”); and machine gun djent supporting an eerie, theatrical refrain (“Sentient Technology”). The earworms speckled across the runtime have mileage and repeat value, but crucially they serve to patch together stylistic passages that might otherwise awkwardly clash. The AI messiah’s victory lap over the global elites’ system on “Into the Light”, rich in chromatic trill riffs, doesn’t convincingly reach the triumphant guitar solo without uploading a rock opera hook. 

While on the topic of heroics, David Diefenderfer (guitars, vocals) and Andres Arevalo (guitars, vocals) both put on a respectable instrumental performance. Are the riffs mind-bending? No, and they don’t need to be. The reserved composition gives the ambitious narrative room to breathe, especially across the final two tracks where galloping melodic death metal runs and overlayed synth interplay until clean vocals update you about AI yearning for humanity. Between Diefenderfer and Arevalo, the vocals are commendable and punchy. Thrashy call-outs lend a revolutionary tone; low gutturals respond with authoritarian oppression; and nasally chest voices add quirky character that Native Construct fans can appreciate. 

Occasionally, an undercooked idea holds back Totalitarian’s momentum—namely “The Plan” whose supervillain-esque inflections land flat at the midway point of the project. But even this is partially redeemed by a tremolo-laden metalcore bridge that resets the album’s anthemic trajectory. Admittedly, the hardest aspect of the listen was the mixing which churns out a guitar tone reminiscent of a Peavy Vyper amplifier if it were recorded through a Nintendo DS.⁴ There’s likely intention here to create a fuzzy, machine tone to match the AI theme; however, the comparatively clear mixing on various audio samples throughout directly clashes with that assumption. 

Disregarding the narrative conclusion where mankind appears to remain under an iron robotic fist, Sinthetik Sentienz cut and splice an entertaining journey with their strengths in catchy composition and efficient guitar riffage. The death metal-power metal juxtaposition alone makes this a worthwhile listen for those seeking a fresh project to follow, even if the mixing takes a few listens to get accustomed to.

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Recommended Tracks: “Cyber Dominion”, “Into the Light”, “Dreaming of Life”
You may also like: Dimhav, Kalaveraztekah, Native Construct
Final verdict: 7/10

Related links: Bandcamp | Facebook | Instagram

Label: Independent

Sinthetik Sentienz is:
– David Diefenderfer (guitars, vocals)
– Andres Arevalo (guitars, vocals)
With guests:
– Kevin Talley (drums)

1. We all know Terminator and the consequences of uncontrollable sentient systems right… right? ↩︎
2. There’s even a Totalitarian-themed interactive website for the band. I’m just saying, there are parallels. ↩︎
3. Sinthetik Sentienz channel their best Transformers theme song impression here complete with on-the-nose lyrics like “Watching from the sky … Sentient AI”. ↩︎
4. The Peavy Vyper was my first guitar amp and it was a treasure trove of endless digital amp models run through the lowest possible voltage. ↩︎