The Synthwave Radioshow
terrordyne
'rebirth'
Best track: rapture
click album cover to listen
In review today is Rebirth, the latest offering from Californian dark synth artist Terrordyne. Rebirth is a 7 track mini album released through Ghostpile records and is the third release from Terrordyne in 2019. Do we have ourselves a deliciously dark unholy trinity? Let’s find out!
'The Reckoning' sucks you into the album and is dominated by entrancing sidechain compression and you get some stylish synth bass riffs here. This is a very retro feeling darksynth track, compared to those artists who place more emphasis on modern production techniques. For you tom fill lovers out there got some really articulate and humanistic fills.
Next up we have 'Stygian' which features The Encounter who is part scene favourite part kickass skateboarder. The intimidating quotes from The Iceman complement the track perfectly. The track drops into an atonal but very melodic sequence. The pads are like broken glass dripping with blood and the filters soar like fighter jets roaring over your head.
'Synchronicity' starts with beautiful, churning washed-out pads and a genre staple gated snare reverb as the bass naturally rolls over the track. The beats build and build up until the end result, which is a song that you wouldn’t be wrong in saying it is groovy as sin.
'Survival' opens with a surprisingly melodic melody line and when the track kicks in you’re treated to a bouncy bassline that dances around the straight rock beat. The track heavily invokes a classic slasher feeling with the use of long sustained filtered bass stabs. The track breaks down into a strangely sentimental mid section before dropping once more, bringing back the bounce.
Angelic brass patches sing as though they are the musical equivalent of god rays in the opening to 'Rapture'. Machine gun snare rolls punctuate the piece effectively. The track has a divine but unholy aesthetic to it, the choices of sounds used, from choirs to the reverb. Which is juxtaposed by the pulsating, tension filled bass line which releases toward the end.
In the intro for Terrordynes remix of 'OCCULT PROGRAMMING' by 'CYBERCORPSE' the snare pulls and pushes the groove of the track which is an interesting touch that not many use as effectively as it is showcased here. Terrordyne approaches the drop in a tasteful homage to the original and the bassline is frantic and well thought out (much like the percussion).
In conclusion Rebirth by Terrordyne is a fine addition to the bountiful darksynth subgenre. Although at 7 tracks you can’t help but want more! The production quality here is clear and punchy but also manages to remain very dynamic, there’s a real sense of space that lends itself to long listening sessions. You will find lots of references to different themes such as retro slashers and religion to name a few. Terrordyne has all the bases covered here as there’s something to quench all manner of darksynth thirsts. In that regard it’s a very accessible darksynth release, it’s interesting and sounds great. Jack gregory 7/10
a visual representation of the album:
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