I stumbled upon Enter The Void completely by chance. I was browsing a label’s cassette selection and saw it sitting next to The Zenith Passage—no expectations, no hype, just curiosity. What I found wasn’t just another tech death album; it was a revelation. This album has entered that small, sacred circle of records I spin almost weekly. I see these albums as my friends. 

A Refreshing Divergence from Tech Death’s Stagnation 

Modern technical death metal has fallen into distinct factions (this is by no means an exhaustive or well organized list, it’s just the framework I have in my mind): 

• The 90s-inspired camp, still drawing from Cynic and Atheist.
• The Necrophagist school, which spawned much of the German and modern US scenes. 
• The French scene, where Gorod thrives and Gojira once belonged.
• The Canadians, who pull from everywhere. 
• The Artisan Era sound—cohesive but often predictable. 
• The modern wave following The Faceless and The Zenith Passage.
• The many children of Obscura, a band now drained of all vitality. 

Synaptic comes from Germany, a country whose tech death scene largely follows in Necrophagist’s footsteps. But Enter The Void flips that entire sound on its head. Emotion is back in tech death. The band takes the precision of the German school but injects it with unrelenting creativity—song structures that refuse to be formulaic, riffs that mean something, and a willingness to break into melodic death metal moments not just for the sake of variety, but because the song demands it. 

Musicianship

The musicianship displayed in any technical death metal is nothing to laugh at, but here, it is certainly taken to a new level. Simon’s guitar work is undoubtedly top-notch. He’s able to do everything the music requires and more–melody, riffage, and some quite insane solos and lead lines! I can’t even pick out a single solo to complement, not because they aren’t memorable but because they’re all superb. The guitar work fuses and interacts with the bass wonderfully. The bass has a “wobble” in the high end that makes it constantly audible. It’s light but anchoring and constantly interacts with the guitar work to amplify and elevate it. When on its own, the bass shines brilliantly as well. Mario’s vocals also deserve a good mention. What can’t he do? He has a very distinct timbre and color to his voice that provides a unique soundprint for the band. 

Standout Tracks and the Art of Controlled Chaos

While the album as a whole is excellent, two tracks define its essence: 

• “Malfunctional Minds” – A truly honest 10/10 track. The riffing is unpredictable yet purposeful, the solo is exceptional, and the bass work stands out at every turn. The drumming, while beyond my expertise to analyze technically, is far from boring. The song refuses to signal its transitions—one moment, you’re caught in whirlwind technicality, the next, the mix drops to a single harmonic from the bass before it throws you back into the storm. It’s like being strapped to an electric chair, watching flashes of your life whip around you—except there’s also a tornado that rips you out of the execution chamber. And aliens. 
• "City of Glass" – A track that captures the album’s core duality: it is unmistakably technical death metal, but it has fun. There’s a bouncy counterpoint to the riffs that injects much-needed vitality into the genre. 

The final three tracks—"Illucid Wake," "City of Glass," and "Embrace The Void"—form a clear thematic arc, culminating in a proper resolution. The bass shines in the softer sections, pulling off some funk-influenced riffage, while the piano reintroduces motifs from earlier in the album. The album closes with a volume-pedal swelled guitar fade-out, leaving behind that reverberating silence effect you get after a great movie. You sit there thinking, Wait, it’s over? Don’t take me out of this world. I want more. 

A Time Capsule Bathed in the Present 

Part of what makes Enter The Void so unique is its origin. The band was originally active from 2004 to 2010 and had written 80–90% of the album during tech death’s golden age. Unfortunately, they disbanded before recording a full-length. During lockdown, original guitarist/bassist Simon decided to finally complete the album. Mario Hann joined on vocals, bringing Kai den Hertog on bass. Life and scheduling pushed the album’s release back further, but the wait was more than worth it. 

This makes Enter The Void feel like a time capsule of 2000s tech death, but one refined by modern production and finishing touches. It doesn’t just regurgitate Necrophagist-style riffage—it reinvents it. The album effortlessly moves between technical death metal, groove, and even melodic death metal, never losing sight of the greater structure. Malfunctional Minds, in particular, throws you between Necrophagist-esque phrasing, Atheist-style riffing, and pure chaos. 

The New Standard for Tech Death 

This album isn’t just a great entry into the genre—it’s a new standard. Of course, there will always be bands like First Fragment who carve their own path, but this is what tech death should be. It’s creative, alive, and unafraid to break free from the sterile, mechanical approach that plagues so many bands. 

I don’t know what Synaptic will do next—I wouldn’t dare prescribe it. Their minds are what made this album what it is. But I will be waiting eagerly.