Having passed through the grandiose selection process at Nuclear Blast, Swedish modern death metallers SONIC SYNDICATE have recorded their second album, which from the very first track hits the listener with a practically flawless modern melodic death metal structure. Naturally, not without the currently fashionable flirtation with clean vocals — which, incidentally, are very, very good on their own merits. The low growl carrying the main vocal lines is also quite solid and, most importantly, articulate — for me, that's no small matter. The band's reference points seem to be IN FLAMES. The material overall turned out quite listenable, with a noticeable immersion effect during playback. However, the album's main drawback, I would say, is its monotony. The songs don't stand out individually (aside from the excellent clean-vocal ballad "Enclave"), amounting to a fairly high-quality but largely indistinguishable mass. On one hand, that's a flaw — since there don't seem to be any standout favorites. On the other hand, a considerable dose of positive emotions is present during listening. Which takes priority is a matter of personal preference. I'll settle on saying the album is interesting and quite worthy of a place in any collection. P.S. The album includes a cover of "All About Us" by you-know-who. It didn't grab me.
