Beware the Heavens

Sinergy is an energetic power metal quintet with members from the United States of America, Finland and Sweden that made quite a few heads turn towards the end of the last century and the beginning of the new one. The musicians involved here are mostly veterans as Jesper Strömblad for instance had already been involved in In Flames and HammerFall at that point in his career while Alexi Laiho was the frontman of up and coming melodic death metal band Children of Bodom.

This is why it doesn't come as a surprise that the band comes around with excellent musicianship and decent songwriting right from the start. ''Venomous Vixens'' for instance opens with energetic guitar riffs and catchy melodies in three consistent, entertaining and focused minutes. The variable ''Warrior Princess'' shows the band's more atmospheric and epic side as it scratches the five-minute mark. Title song ''Beware the Heavens'' finds the perfect balance between those two approaches since it has an almost anthemic vibe while impressing with technically stunning neoclassical guitar play.

The band also offers a few interesting experiments that need some time to grow. Instrumental interlude ''Born unto Fire and Passion'' comes around with authentic cello, viola and violin sounds instead of relying on keyboard samples which makes the song quite dynamic. ''Razor Blade Salvation'' is a moody ballad with atmospheric keyboard layers, playful guitar solos and an overall slower rhythm that should appeal to gothic rock fans in particular.

However, the record isn't without its flaws. The production entirely focuses on the guitars, keyboards and vocals as the rhythm section is rarely given the occasion to shine which is regrettable since it's actually doing a more than decent job in the background. The biggest issue are however the vocals which are appeasing and melodic but also lacking charisma and energy since they sound quite thin. On this first album, Sinergy's obvious weakness is what should be its strength since it's the female lead singer. Another problem is the rather short running time since this record offers only thirty-one minutes of music without the two instrumental tracks.

Sinergy's debut album Beware the Heavens has been reissued on quite a few occasions and some include rather interesting cover songs. The group's energetic take on ABBA's ''Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)'' is one of the group's most popular tunes since Kimberly Goss' smooth and harmonious vocals fit this style perfectly and Alexi Laiho has proven time and again in his career that he knows how to make cover songs sound like his own tunes.

In the end, Sinergy's Beware the Heavens is an energetic neoclassical and symphonic power metal album with diversified song writing, inspiring keyboard sounds and technically stunning guitar work. Most of the band members were barely in their early twenties when this record was released and yet they sound like talented veterans already. The thin vocals, average production and short length drag this record down a little bit but it's nevertheless a solid album that shouldn't only please power metal fans but also fans of melodic death metal and even gothic metal.

Sinergy is a supergroup of musicians from other well known metal bands who came together for some old school Iron Maiden sounding metal. Everyone knows here that Alexi Laiho from melodic death metal act Children of Bodom is the guitar player for Sinergy. And to be honest, that's partly the reason why many people have checked out this band. Then we have Kim Goss' vocals, which are not at the level of Tarja Turunen or Anette Olzon, but certainly have a classic heavy metal sound.

So when it comes to the music, well, it is basically great sounding metal without all the growling of Children of Bodom but still with enough heaviness. One thing this band has that other bands do not is the amazingly well-composed guitar playing shown in songs such as "The Warrior Princess," and "The Fourth World". An interesting thing is how "Born Unto Fire And Passion" is a classical instrumental version of "The Warrior Princess," showing classical influence in their playing. Another interesting fact to know about the title song "Beware The Heavens" is how it was taken directly from "Translucent image" by IneartheD (former Children of Bodom).

Sinergy's style is nothing we haven't heard before but it's definitely good for some rocking out. So if you're a fan of Laiho style guitar playing or just some old school metal and don't expect anything as heavy as COB, then you'll enjoy listening to this album.

Take one Children of Bodom, slow them down a bit, refrain from an overuse of keyboards, season with some classy Jesper Strömblad songwriting and add rollicking female vocals to it. You have the basic recipe for the band Sinergy: crisp, not too polished power metal with an amalgamation of excellent musicians bringing their skills to the table. But it doesn't quite work out for this first outing as well as it could have with the names behind the music: Sharlee D'Angelo (Arch Enemy, Mercyful Fate, and Witchery etc.), Jesper Strömblad (In Flames) and Alexi Laiho (Children of Bodom) all contribute to the proceedings.

The songs combine Alexi's signature fluid neo-classical fret-play and Jasper’s sturdy rhythm guitars into carefully pieced together songs that work out between their styles. They don't go as far as touching upon the work of their respective main bands, but they lay promising foundations to build upon in future (Jesper would depart from the line-up after this album though). You get sizeable helpings of your traditional speedy, balls out numbers in “Venomous Vixens” and “The Warrior Princess”, lightly keyboard laced mystique in “The Fourth World” and an offering from the hit-or-miss ballad category. Metal bands either have the art of the ballad down to an invigorating, emotionally stirring impact, or just fall limply by the wayside. Sinergy comes somewhere in between, as they seem to be trying hard on these types of songs, but never quite get it right.

Vocalist Kimberly Goss, for whom this is the first band she could call her own sounds a little watery at this stage, but makes up for it with frequent bursts of raw power. She has her own individual voice that isn’t trying to clone anyone, but can be reasonably compared to other singers like Doro Pesch.

They breach no new frontiers, but this serves as a testing ground on which to collect some ideas together and the results are positive, thus Sinergy has continued inexorably onwards since. However, it has a sour aftertaste since it’s clear that a band of this calibre could have pulled out all the stops on this and really made something worth hanging on to. It falters up against the other two releases, but those meaty, fulfilling tunes make it a keeper.