SYNOD

Before reading, know that I am a self-professed metalhead, and I am no stranger to extreme metal music in general. Having been around the block a few times in terms of underground metal, I can safely say that there are quite a few albums in death metal that have blown me away. With that in mind however, it's expected that I would run into at least a couple of albums I really don't find much to write home about, and Canadian technical death metal act Wetwork's third album 'Synod' is one such example.

When the average metal fan thinks of death metal with female vocals, the cornerstone is likely to be Sweden's Arch Enemy. Having introduced people to the concept of female growlers, the occurence is still very rare. Considering that Wetwork shares this trait with the aforementioned band, they are instantly distinguished from their peers. However, the overall quality of the music sadly lacks, and makes the album a painfully forgettable experience. Having obviously been influenced by genre pioneers Death to some extent, the majority of the music is an unyielding barrage of heaviness, typical of the genre. There are a few sections in which a more 'mellow' approach is used in the vein of Athiest, but the atmosphere and complexity of Wetwork's jazzier material fails to amount to any worthy comparison.

Instrumentally, the style and musical approach is generic, but functional and skilled in sections. The bass work here seems to rise above the other instruments in terms of enjoyment; as it stands though, there isn't anything horribly wrong with instrumental execution. The fatal problem here is in fact, the same thing that makes Wetwork a somewhat unique group, their female singer. While females probably aren't inately poor growlers, the vocal work of Krysten Parker here is excrutiatingly bad, to the point where it ruins much of the other aspects of the album. Lacking the power or range of the typical death metal singer, the singing seems to rest uneasily in a higher, raspy pitch range. Add in some awkwardly repetitive vocal phrasing and there is enough failure to sabotage the entire album.

While Wetwork may have potential as is heard in sections, forgettable composition and a dreadful execution make 'Synod' a very avoidable album.

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