Review: “Heterodoxa” by Synthre

Exploring the synthesis of religious ideology at the beginning of the current era, when the once war-bound Assyrian empire became “Syriac” and one of the cradles of Christianity, Finnish Black Metal act Synthre offer up “Heterodoxa”. Drawing inspiration from this unlikely transformation, during which the old gods and demons of Sumeria and Mesopotamia started to walk alongside early Christianity, Gnosticism and other distinct yet interconnected belief systems, the promise is of dissonant guitars, ritualistic riffs and middle-eastern themes, however there maybe an air of familiarity. That’s because the project is the work of multi-instrumentalist Mircea Purdea of avant-garde Progressive Sludge Metal band Exhalus as its main protagonist, a cast of extras filling the void…

Harsh whispers through gritted teeth breathe life into “He Comes” as Industrial tinged sounds escape from Pandora’s box, blurring the lines between Black and Death Metal with melodic leads and aching female backing vocals. A sound of ethnic origin has indeed been captured on the opening cut and that continues into “A Sudden Storm” with a melancholic introduction having the qualities you’d expect from Arabian nights. The aching clean female vocals continue to torment in almost sultry fashion, mesmerizing like a snake charmer as they swirl, buried within the mix of powerful rhythm guitars and cold industrial drum patterns. There is a sinister nature to “Exhaltation” as it rises from the grave, tribal drum fills and drone like guitars accompanied by the harsh whispered vocals that gave the opening cut its edge. An uneasy yet hypnotic trance inducing quality runs through this one, which feels like the calm before a sandstorm and it has to be said that instrumentally this could be the soundtrack to the classic video game Prince of Persia. The same could be said of “Thy Word is Tempest“, a largely instrumental affair woven from a fabric of programmed drums and ethnic sounds with dark rhythm guitars over the top. This one burns like a forest fire, feeling almost unfinished without vocals and yet having all the instrumental quality to keep you engaged throughout. Tweaking the formula, “Thy Gaze is Fire” sees David De Liniers of Them fame on drums for a finale that feels more organic and has greater warmth than the other offerings. Another ritualistic act with repetitive rhythms designed to captivate, this one offers a way forward for project because while five tracks of fairly similar material that rely upon nuance work well, an album in this style would be too much [7/10]

Track Listing

1. He Comes
2. A Sudden Storm
3. Exhaltation
4. Thy Word is Tempest
5. Thy Gaze is Fire (ft. David De Liniers of Them)

“Heterodoxa” by Synthre is out 13th October 2024 and is available over at bandcamp.