Although they were formed all the way back in 1993, French ‘Hybrid Death Metal’ group Hypnosis have yet to really make a mark on the Metal scene. It’s a pity; as disproportionate as the quality/quantity ratio in Industrial Metal is, the great bands truly stand out, and in a fairer world Hypnosis would have what it takes to join the ranks of Red Harvest, Aborym, and others. As the situation stands, I wasn’t even aware of their existence until the arrival of this in the mail, a copy of the worldwide release of Hypnosis’ fifth album. The band have a pretty complex sound; initially seeming like a Melodeath band with too many keyboards, but as you get used to it the songs flow better, and the backing bells and whistles make more sense. Driven by the base Metal elements, especially Pierre and Cindy’s guitars and the extremely well-programmed drums (I thought the band had a human drummer until I did a little research!) the electronic elements are as often melodic keyboards as they are more typically Industrial effects, and they form a distinct yet surprisingly subtle addition to the music.

If The Synthetic Light Of Hope reminds me of anyone it’s of Dutch experimentalists The Monolith Deathcult, the growls especially sounding similar but the music overall being a less epic style. There are more moments of Death Metal fury overall than of bleepy experimentation – Dead Is The Sun particularly vicious – and the balance overall is sound, the likes of Blood Tears catchy and memorable and the infrequent female vocals used well. As Alex mentioned in his review of Seeds Of Fate, the band differ from The Project Hate MCMXCIX by keeping the intensity up for the female vocals, here provided by guitarist Cindy who has a more ‘typical’ voice, nothing operatic or especially gothic. There’s not a massive amount of difference between songs, the driving pound of The Day We Failed fitting in well with Into Troubled Waters’ mid-paced blast, and the shorter (just under three minutes as opposed to over four) Wasted Land more of an atmospheric interlude than an actual song.

Ultimately, it’s the lack of diversity which really holds Hypnosis back, as the basic formula for their sound is excellent. Songs like An Ordinary Day have an almost brutal attack that’s backed up brilliantly by the electronic elements, and the melodic riffing in parts of My Deepest Solitude will appeal to all. It’s just not quite good enough, however, and although The Synthetic Light Of Hope is an enjoyable album, it’s not one that will earn the band the name they’ve been working so long and hard for.