Proving that decent Metal music isn’t limited by geography, the sophomore album from Israeli metal band Sintax is a highly anticipated one as it gets its international release via Sliptrick records on 2nd February 2021. Formed in 2013 from Showrchtsechaye and DeuSphera, the band have featured on the Israeli Headbangers Ball, while 2015’s “Sway for a Better Day” remains highly respected album. Something of a concept release, the album tells a story of technologies that rise against us and a dystopic prophecy taking in the subjects of anarchy, politics, religion, philosophy, war and sex. If it’s half as good as the apocalyptic future depicted in Terminator then it’s going to be epic.

Old school traditional Heavy Metal with a modern production and an exquisite mixing and mastering job from Mark Mynett at Mynetaur Productions is what you get with “Nano 3000“. Frontman Yehi Zaken has a hoarsely intense vocal style and with “Skeleton Scale” we witness the power of the bands pre- Death Metal groove sound, with a particularly punchy rhythm and face melting solo. There is some early Fear Factory influence felt in the opening guitar work of “Reefers Sting And Honey” as Nir Baruch brings the pounding rhythms in true Gene Hoglan style. It’s one of these cuts which is over far too quickly and could easily go with another verse and chorus. Gang chanted vocals rear their head in the galloping joy of “Most Hated Man In The Universe“, a pulsating riff fest as Yoav Gruper and Roi Illouz play off against each other in impressive fashion, more than happy to take some of the Speed Metal of Slayer and inject it into the tail end of this one, then throw down with a ripper of a solo which then takes us seemlessly into the lead part of “Sight Got Past” which sounds distinctly like “Psychopath” when chanted with fist pumping attitude at the end of the track

Everything in the first half of the record has a blistering pace to it as the band capture their live energy like lightening in a bottle and as “Nano 3000” comes out swinging, you could be listening to Exodus fronted by Max Cavalera, such is the quality of the Thrash resurgence in this one. Similarly “Shooting Stars” has an air of Metallica about its opening before diving headlong into Speed Metal like all the best crowd surfers. One of a few tracks that uses a spoken word element from Yehi Zaken, whereby he sounds like the evil TV voice over dude, it’s a neat trick with some nostalgia for the 80s Bay Area Thrash Metal scene. There are a couple of fun elements that pop out of the mix of the record over multiple listens, one of which is the solo at the start of “Lethal And Armed“, which has some surprise punk rock moments which appear and are gone within seconds. Saving the best to last with the brooding, menacing, frenetic riff fest that is “Lunchtime Funeral“, a complete headbanging delight, Sintax deliver in styl a stand out among stand outs