Dive Into the World of Korean Metal with Synsnake
Photo: Watch Out! Records
As the world of K-Pop has expanded in popularity, so has the diversity of listeners for the genre. While it’s pretty common (and expected for a large margin) of listeners of western pop music to latch onto the genre, another popular avenue into the genre comes from those of us that grew up on more alternative and emo music. Within that comes masses of subgenres, though many would assume it’s the pop punk crowd that may gravitate more towards K-Pop. For me, personally, I came from heavy metal, growing up in the golden age of nu-metal in pop culture. As the metal genre expanded in popularity in the 2000s, it started to take root globally, and bands from all across the world joined in the genre. While metal music is most known for its origin in the U.S. and certain parts of northern Europe, the east has its own group of emerging bands boasting their talent within the genre. Enter Synsnake–a band that hits just right at my own point of nostalgia.
My favorite metal band in the whole world, Lacuna Coil, is from Italy. Upon first listening to Synsnake, I got a very pleasant twinge of nostalgia for the similarity they held to my favorite band of 17 years. Female fronted metal bands have become more numerous in recent years, but I still remember the days when they were a commodity. So these days, I see women fronting metal bands, and you have my attention.
Synsnake was formed in 2016 by guitarist Kim Jaemin and consists of vocalists Oh Sera and Cho Seongmin, bassist Choi Hyunjae and drummer Jung Ilho. After various member changes and some EP releases, the group had their first full album Fluxus drop in 2021. Now, four years later, we have the second full album drop in Nodes. We have previously discussed Fluxus at the time it dropped, and we are pleasantly surprised to find that Nodes takes a turn into even heavier metal influences.
Tracklist
“Mercury”
“Parasite”*
“Hyper Real”
“Drops End”
“Arena”
“Vanilla Sky”
“Layers”
“Black Flag”*
“Salvage”*
“Closure”
“Wolfsbane”
“Graphite”
*Writer standout picks
The Pre-Release: “Parasite”
“Parasite” was released two weeks before the album, and truth be told, it was this song that hooked me into the album release. This track is very classic metal, with heavy guitar riffs, double drumming, and a heavy focus on Seongmin’s screaming vocals. The contrast in the chorus of Sera’s angelic vocals complements the much harder tone of the song, just how I like my heavy metal. This type of sound to me is what makes metal music so particularly special–beautiful vocals juxtaposed by intense screaming. It’s exactly what hooked me into the genre so many years ago, and Synsnake’s ability to master that juxtaposition is fantastic. A couple parallels that come to mind: Slipknot’s “Psychosocial” or Atreyu’s “Bleeding Mascara.” I absolutely adore hearing the melodic method that I fell in love with continue decades later, and so happy to see Synsnake carrying that torch.
As far as music videos go, we don’t often get the extensive storylines or metaphoric aesthetics prominent in K-Pop, but there’s still something refreshing and nostalgic about a video simply showcasing a band performing their music with passion. I love Sera’s style in the video, simply a classic black and white attire accented by combat boots. Simple but effective, the video is reminiscent of early 2000s music videos of the metal scene.
The Title: “Wolfsbane”
“Wolfsbane” continues with the heavier metalcore sound of the pre-release, which is a shift from the previous title release “Saturn in the Loop.” While I personally prefer “Parasite,” this track still goes hard and has a killer guitar solo. One different visual in the music video that I love is the red filter over the video when Seongmin performs his verses, just a nice little added flare to the overall performance of the track.
Nodes definitely has a heavier metal feel than the previous release, but it’s not the only type of rock present on the album. There is a good diversity of melodies, such as the more pop punk influenced “Vanilla Sky” and softer rock ballad “Closure.” “Mercury” kicks the album off on a very intense heavy note, transitioning into “Parasite” before supplying the more mellow “Hyper Real.” I will say that Sera has a very unique vocal timbre, which is constantly contrasting with the screamo verses. Overall, I would say this album is for those of us that prefer our metal more powerful and fierce, with a few breaks for the sound in between to add more depth to the album overall.
I’m very happy with this album release from Synsnake. After two decades of enjoying the metal scene and watching it evolve with time, it’s always a treat when a band goes back to the roots I so fell in love with at a young age. I love watching the metal scene expand even more globally and showcase even more talents for us across the world. If you’re a metal listener, definitely check out this album, you won’t be disappointed.
“Parasite” Title Score: 9.5/10
“Wolfsbane” Title Score: 8.5/10
Nodes Album Score: 9/10
Total Score: 9/10
Edited by Cara Musashi