Band:	Synestesia
Album:	Feeniks
Style:	Gothenburg metal
Release date:	2009
A review by:	Darkside Momo

01. Nimeni On Feeniks
02. Minun Hymyni Kirkastaa Kasvosi
03. Kuka Nyt Saa Sen Tietää
04. Puhdas Sattuma
05. Merituuli
06. Suvanto
07. Lasialttari
08. Päätös
09. Rakastan Sinua
10. Tuli Palakoon

Synestesia are a band from Finland, but they do not play (extreme) power metal, funeral doom, or gothic/suomi, the three subgenres generally associated with their home country.

Their weapon of choice? Melodic death metal, in pure Gothenburg fashion. They are clearly inspired by the best In Flames or Soilwork... Except that it is all sung in Finnish. It doesn't sound strange when grunted, but during the clean vocals parts it really sounds strange and exotic to an untrained ear like mine (and don't even ask me what they are singing about).
The vocal lines themselves are pretty classical, but the vocalist is good, no doubt about it. Oh, and they also have guest female vocals here and there. These are both good and lame, as they can and do fit well (Merituuli comes to mind with its beautiful harmonies), but they also add a bit of cheese factor (Minun Hymyni Kirkastaa Kasvosi).

The songs themselves are quite short (three minutes and a half on average), catchy, and quite varied: there are some aggressive ones, others more melodic, and also a beautiful acoustic instrumental (Suvanto). They feature some damn good riffs, like the ones in Kuka Nyt Saa Sen Tietää (and their In Flames feel), great musicianship, and, just to be sure, the music is well written. Just for example, Lasialttari manages to have a great riff which is at the same time dissonant, aggressive and melodic, with pounding drums and great vocals. I could go on like this, as there are no fillers on this album. All the songs are somehow pretty upbeat... except for Tuli Palakoon, the last one, with its 6 minutes of crushing, introspective mid-tempo.

Just a word about the production: nothing to say, really. The sound is good, clean and powerful, just as if it when out from the Fredman Studio, except that they don't sound as cold.

Well well well... This album was a really good surprise! It really reminded of the time when both In Flames and Soilwork were still releasing great albums. All melodeath fans must listen to this Feeniks, and I hope that Synestesia will get all the fame they rightly deserve.