CoC : Sinergy - To Hell and Back : Review

Sinergy - _To Hell and Back_
(Nuclear Blast, 2000)
by: Paul Schwarz (6 out of 10)

Sorry, press release, but I don't think a title such as "metal goddess" can be anything but hyperbolic when applied to Kimberley Goss, the black metal back-up singer turned "true metal" wailer. The sophomore release of her "true metal" band Sinergy sees only Children of Bodom's Alexi Laiho salvaged from the line-up that recorded last year's _Beware the Heavens_. But not to worry, the departure of Jesper Stromblad and Sharlee D'Angelo has wrought no changes to Sinergy's style. The key difference is simply that _To Hell and Back_ is better than its predecessor. Goss' vocals aren't so ludicrous in their attempts to imitate the masculine metal vocalist, and Laiho's melodic compositions this time gel better with her vocals. It's musical rehash but it's well-executed and at least differs from the endless stream of Priest/Helloween rip-offs that pollute Europe's metal mags and festival second stages -- though mostly this is simply because _To Hell and Back_ has a woman singing rather than a man with clamped testicles.

(article published 12/8/2000)

ALBUMS
7/7/1999	P Schwarz	6	Sinergy - Beware the Heavens