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Artist: NEON SYNTHESIS
Album: Alchemy Of Rebirth
Year: 2009
Neon Synthesis already has a link with the Industrialized Metal Webzine from the roots of it's creation. Not only was one of the first interviews on our webpage in collaboration with this four piece, as well - if I'm not mistaken - the review of their first release, 'Promo004', was one of the very first reviews on here as well. Most people might know this band better from their debut album 'Our Empty Rooms' - which was self-released by this band in 2006 and showed us a more than excellent alternative for leading names such as Deathstars and The Kovenant, just with a more darker approach. It wasn't a surprise at all to me that not too long after, this band found shelter at a record label in their native country - namely Killer Pool Records - who released their 'Alchemy of Rebirth' album in 2009. This album can be devided into two major parts and ten tracks.
The release opens with 'Nihil'. It's an accessable electro metal track, mixing wave influenced keylines with heavy riffing and diverse vocal lines, blend together with powerful drumming. 'Visions From Above' opens with dark electro keys and drumming, to be followed by a track mixing the forces of EBM and metal perfectly together. It's a pretty gentle midtempo track, with a repeatative synth line and strong vocal parts. 'Betrayal' is a moving track, with a danceable beat and recogniseable vocal and keylines. The riffing on this track give the song a certain strenght and power, which is an essential part of this song. 'Like Ashes on a Waste Land' follows. It's a very wave based track, with heavy sounding basslines and wellmixed keylines and drumming. The diverse vocal lines give the song a slightly metalish attitude, and the recogniseable chorus even gives it a certain amount of accessability. 'Solitude + Fear' is a song that already was on the 'Promo004' and 'Our Empty Rooms' releases, but the one on this release includes noticeable adjustments. It includes fragments of accoustic guitarwork, more experimental intermezzo's and keylines and slightly different programming when you compare it to the original track, resulting in a very dreamy gothic/wave track with punctual riffing and heavy drumming. Moving to part two of the album, blessed with the name "To Light", we kick off with 'Artificial Paradise'. It's probably the most heavy track on the release, with strong drumming, heavy riffing and essential and present keylines. The dark, sometimes even evil sounding vocal lines are an excellent adjustment to this track, making it my personal favorite on this release. 'The Sweetest Nightmare' is again a little more gentle and atmospheric. It excellently mixes gentle dark electro loops with cold keylines and an overall wave attitude with the industrial metal attitude of this band. 'Through the Looking Glass' is the shortest track on this release, but still nearly four minutes long. It again shows a high wave level, with welladded keylines and a more outgoing chorus, without becoming too powerful to neglect the rest of the track. Although the next track is the 9th of this release, it's blessed with the name 'VII'. It's one of the more danceable and uptempo tracks on the release, with wicked drumming and excellent keylines. It contains a repeatable bassline all over the track, which synchronizes excellently with the riffing and the vocal lines. The release ends with 'Catharsis', which is a slowly moving track sailing from pure wave parts to atmospheric electro metal parts, with a gothic attitude overall.
The fact that Neon Synthesis already knew a lot about decent song structures was already confirmed by their preverious releases, yet confirmed for one more time with 'Alchemy of Rebirth'. Every song is more than decently build, even the more experimental ones, and each song shows a different identity, which is an effective force on this album. Although the song lyrically seems like a concept album, they stand their grounds seperately from eachother with ease - and you could listen to both the whole album or the songs seperated without getting bored of them.
'Alchemy of Rebirth' doesn't only bring you musically very interested compositions, as well lyrically they show us essential and unique approaches. As I already slightly mentioned in the track by track review - the album is divided into two parts - namely "I - Through Fire" & "II - To Light". This is clearly noticeable within the lyrics. As well, the lyrics are - on the contrary to many bands I've heard in this genre - very deep and poetic. On a high exception, I quote here a few lines: "Can you feel the pressure of Nothing? Can you see the self destruction of society?" (Nihil), "Shadows are falling on my face, the last gleam of light in the bottom of my eles" (Like Ashes on a Wasteland), "Pity is food for the depressed, boredom is the ambition of losers" (Through The Looking Glass). Of course these are just fragments, but when you decide to get hold on this release, I would strongly recommend to dissect the lines within the booklet as well.
Overall, Neon Synthesis delivers with 'Alchemy of Rebirth' an album that doesn't contain any weak spots, no matter if you use the naked eye, venoculars or even a powerful microscope. It's a perfect release in every way, beating out the latest releases by larger names within this compareable subgenre of the industrial metal genre (Deathstars, Samael, ...) with original songbuilding and a freshly new approach. People who are still waiting for the new The Kovenant release will be able to spend their free time a good way by checking this out as well. Essential for anybody reading this webpage.
Vote: 100 / 100
Review by: Gerardo
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1. Nihil
2. Visions from Above
3. Betrayal
4. Like Ashes on a Waste Land
5. Solitude + Fear
6. Artificial Paradise
7. The Sweetest Nightmare
8. Through the Looking Glass
9. VII
10. Catharsis
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