Only Inhuman

Sonic Syndicate developed a rather metalcore-ish sound on their second release “Only Inhuman”. Probably under the pressure of Nuclear Blast they developed a more radio friendly sound. The music itself is very catch with many transitions between clean and harsh vocals.

My biggest problem with the music itself is the fact that the melody is dominated by the keyboards. Sonic Syndicate has two talented guitarists that blend their guitars very well together, why not actually use them? They just support the keyboard and give the music the heavy feel. The keyboards do a decent job but they just get overbearing through out the entire album. There is a distinct lack of guitar solos on the album and this is major problem. This album desperately needs solos. The drums are sufficient with nothing special going on. The bass work is solid and often holds the songs together. Sonic Syndicate elected to add a second vocalist for this album. The new vocalist is the number one reason for the “core-ish” sound they developed. He screams more than he growls. But both vocalists together mix well splitting lines and mixing harsh and clean vocals. This definitely separates them from the rest.

Lyrically they are rather stupid. One too many crappy relationships really don’t need to be sung about in EVERY song. And yes every song is about a failed relationship and/or suicide. This also helps further the metalcore sound the album portrays. “All About Us” (the T.A.T.U. cover) is interesting but pointless. It is entertaining to hear death metal remakes of pop songs but it really seems to be kind of filler in the album. “Enclave” is dominated by clean vocals and tries to be progressive showing the range the band can play. It’s a good song but it sure as hell isn’t death metal. It’s more like a power ballad written for some girl. The best songs on the album are “Denied”, “Aftermath”, and “Double Agent 616”. The problem though is that these songs will probably offend most true metal fans with their catchiness.

Sonic Syndicate made an interesting sound by mixing the metalcore and melodic death metal. The result was enjoyable for me but will not be for all listeners. The songs are catchy and listener friendly and would really be enjoyed more by fans of the metalcore genre than the melodic death genre.