Despite the somewhat puzzling band name, Wetwork are a seriously intense technical death metal band. These four Canadians, led by female growler Kristen Parker, conjure up images of many of death metals more technically oriented bands, like Death, Centinex, Hypocrisy, and of course Arch Enemy. While Kristen's vocals are just as lethal as Angela Gossow's, Wetwork are far less melodic than Arch Enemy, and utilize more heavier riffs and rely less on flashy leads. Featuring pulverizing drum work throughout (check out "The Servants of Twilight") and plenty of nimble bass playing, Synod serves up a steady diet of competent thrash and death metal that is just technical enough to appeal to the crowd that likes a little more musicianship in their metal. Parker begins the song "Heavens Advocath" with some beautiful spoken word narrative before the crushing & complex riffery and rhythms come bashing into the mixing alongside her deadly vocal delivery. It's a non-stop affair from start to finish here, and as much as that will be a good thing for many listeners, after a while some of the songs start to sound the same and steamroll on and on at the same pace. A little variety in tempo (like they churn out on the doom & groove of "Nature of Repention"), or even a few atmospheric numbers thrown in might have helped a little. Perhaps it's also the lack of melody that does some of these songs in. After a few listens nothing really stands out as overly memorable. Tunes like "Shelter of Hypocrisy", "Depths of Greed", and "Crawlspace" are all decent and thrashing metal numbers, but sound rather interchangeable.
Don't get me wrong, Synod is a powerful release from a band of talented players. With some growth on the songwriting front, a skilled producer, and a big push from their record label, I could see Wetwork going far.
Track Listing
1. Prea Letum
2. Heavens Advocate
3. Shelter Of Hipocrisy
4. Depths Of Greed
5. Crawlspace
6. Nature Of Repention
7. Venison
8. Pontious Pilate
9. The Servants Of Twilight
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