HEMINA — Synthetic (review)

HEMINA — Synthetic album cover Album · 2012 · Progressive Metal Buy this album from MMA partners
4/5 ·
Time Signature
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Genre: progressive metal

Who says progressive metal has to always sound like Dream Theater? Certainly not the Australian progressive metal act Hemina who, on their debut album "Synthetic", offer their take on how progressive metal can also sound.

The complexity which is one of the defining features of progressive metal, is there, and the listener will certainly not be missing out on odd time signatures, complex song structures, epic moods, long songs with long instrumental pieces and lots of changes. So, no worries, this is certainly music which appeals just as much to the brain as to the heart.

But Hemina's "Synthetic" differs from many other progressive metal releases in that it is not characterized by hyper-technical playing (granted, their music is so much more more technical than general pop and rock music - just check out many of the guitar solos). Hemina draw extensively on modes of expression and different moods, and is rich in dynamics between heavy and soft passages. Needless to say, this dynamics works rather well.

As with so many other progressive metal bands, the synths are quite prominent in Hemina's music, but instead of relying on the usual keyboard acrobatics, singer and keyboardist Phillip Eltakchi uses the synth to create a tripped out and spacey sound, and his style sounds quite inspired by the progressive rock of the 70s. Indeed, it would not be completely far fetched, if you described the music on "Synthetic" as Genesis playing metal.

The production is obviously not raw, but, unlike on many other progressive metal releases, it is not exactly polished either, and this really fits quite well with the album's overall dark and melancholic atmosphere.

If you like progressive metal but prefer the slightly darker end of this genre, then Hemina's "Synthetic" is an album that is worth looking into. It is epic, atmospheric, symphonic, dynamic and quite impressive.
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