Review Summary: Breaking off the chains.
Eden Fire was a decent melo-death record that was ultimately held back by too much consistency and not quite enough punch. The best moments were great, but others just didn’t stand out enough. SS had, however, made an impression, and had an opportunity to capitalize with their sophomore record,
Only Inhuman. Killer album art aside, was the record only another sophomore slump?
It’s obvious from track one that the group wanted to be more melodic this time around. Yes, there’s still plenty of screaming, but interspersed with stronger clean vocals, more spidery synths, and more open chords and palm muted picking than just pure chugging. Both the screams and cleans have improved on “Aftermath”, as well as some fun double bass drumming. This track serves to show that Sonic is indeed back with a vengeance, and this more melodic and improved approach continues into “Blue Eyed Fiend”. The chorus hook “making my way to heaven through a thousand miles of hell” will stick in some part of your brain, as will the snake-like synth in the verses, the synth-and-guitar harmony that runs throughout, and lead-guitar melody in the bridge. Speaking of guitar, the clever dueling between the lead and the rhythm in “Psychic Suicide” save the track from being mid-album filler and are very engaging. There’s also an airy synth-solo that graces the guitars in the bridge. On the more melodic side of the spectrum, take a track like “Enclave”, which features clean guitar picking, an anthemic chorus, and some pretty strong clean vocals mixed with icy keyboard melodies. Lyrics are slightly cheesy (“I would cross the seven seas just to get to you”), yes, but it’s a great exploration into a different side of Syndicate not shown on EF. “All About Us” has much more of an emphasis on cleans and synths, though some screams do show up, and the track keeps the end of the record from becoming too stale.
Then we come to a Sonic Syndicate classic, right up next to “Jailbreak”. Even those who tend to hate this band come back every and now and then for a guilty listen of “Denied”. And no-one can blame them. The chorus is blatantly fun and catchy, the tempo is just right for headbanging and jumping around, the climaxing end brings goosebumps, the guitar work is pretty simple but works just right and is massively fun to play, and it’s the perfect mix of heavy and light. It’s just an anthem waiting to happen.
For all the positivity and promise, consistency is still a bit of a problem for the band and holds what could be much better back a little. Also, let’s note lyrics. On the previous record, the band threw in some Biblical, apocalyptic imagery every now and then that spiced up the angst pool a little bit. Here, we get “what is love but a psychic suicide”, when we know that band can do much much better. Still, I would highly recommend this record. It’s more focused, a little more varied, improved upon, and just overall a better listen. If you wanted more from
Eden Fire and don’t mind a little more melody, this is worth a purchase.
