SYNTHETIC

I had the pleasure of receiving a copy of Hemina's début EP As We Know It and was immensely impressed with the depth displayed within. Although the production was flawed the CD conveyed a strong sense of potential, a veritable diamond in the rough. Suffice to say their latest effort Synthetic applies a healthy dose of aural polish and reveals the 5 carat progressive-metal diamond that lay within.

From the moment the album begins, you feel you are being taken on an emotional and musical journey, as the melancholic intro 'This Hour of Ours' swells smoothly into the energetic guitars of 'To Conceive a Plan'. Such emotional depth is on display throughout the album, as the sophisticated song-writing and lyricism weaves a symbolic tale of self-discovery.

Stand out tracks include 'The Boy is Dead' and 'Haunting Me', which introduce a darker sound to the skilful melodicism found throughout the album, "Hunting is for Women' which transitions from almost ethereal ambience, through a pounding rhythmic assault and into melancholic rock before fading into an acoustic section that builds into an electronic outro to create the energy for the next track without sounding disjointed or awkward.

To close out the album Hemina unleash the sublime 'Divine' on the listener, a 13:28 conclusion that ties the rest of the album together both musically and lyrically. Featuring intricate musicianship and a notable dark reprise of 'Even in Heaven' that further cements the fact that Hemina have what it takes to craft truly amazing progressive music.

Unfortunately the album falls just short of being a truly perfect album, by falling back on convention a little too much on occasion. This is exemplified by the song 'With What I See', which detrimentally flirts with 80s rock. The simplified song-writing on this track stands out when surrounded by the technicality of the rest of the album.

Despite a few missteps (almost an inevitability for a bands first full-length album) the overall high quality demonstrated throughout all facets of the album, from the song-writing, lyrics, production and the packaging make this a must-have album for fans of heavier progressive music and cements Hemina at the forefront of the Australian music scene.

4.5/5