Eden Synthetic Corps – The Encyclopaedia Of Black (Album – Scanner / Dark Dimensions)
Genre/Influences: Industrial, Dark-Electro, Crossover.
Format: Digital, CD.
Background/Info: Portuguese formation Eden Synthetic Corps (ESC) strikes back with their seventh album in history. A few changes happened in the line-up like the return of their previous drummer plus a new member playing synths.
Content: ESC is a band I watched evolving throughout the years. The opening piece of the album clearly confirms this evolution towards a more Industrial/Crossover sound. Sometimes touching ground with Metal influences the sound becomes more Industrial like when driven by menacing guitar playing. But there still is a strong Electronic component which is more coming through during the last part of the work.
+ + + : This new work sounds a bit like ESC.v2. It reveals a different band when reminding their early stuff. The Metal & Industrial influences never have been that strong and at the forefront. The guitar playing injects aggression and stands for a true evil presence. I however prefer the more Electro-driven tracks emerging at the end of the album. These songs have this little extra coming through at the elevating choruses but also on heavy, epic-like arrangements. “Claustra” is an overwhelming and powerful piece illustrating this Electronic side.
– – – : Dark-Electro lovers who supported ESC right at the band’s debut will be probably have some difficulties to recognize the band listening to this album.
Conclusion: “The Encyclopaedia Of Black” took me by surprise revealing a band in evolution and exploring different paths.
Best songs: “Claustra”, “Sleeplessness”, “Homem”, “Parasomnia”, “Macula”.
Rate: 7½.
Artist: www.edensyntheticcorps.pt / www.facebook.com/edensyntheticcorps
Label: www.darkdimensions.de / www.facebook.com/pages/Dark-Dimensions-Label-Group/486014725206
The album arrived on 28 January 2022 through Scanner, part of the Dark Dimensions Label Group, on CD and digitally. The eleven tracks are “Narcissus”, “Itch”, “Macula”, “Phantom”, “Yearn”, “Mismatched”, “Parasomnia”, “Homem”, “Sleeplessness”, “Claustra” and “Tar”.
Discogs lists the release as “The Encyclopaedia Of Black Sleep”, while the Bandcamp release page and this review use “The Encyclopaedia Of Black”. The line-up on the record is Marco P. on all vocals, Ricardo R. on guitars, João V. and new member Walter T. on synths, and returning drummer Daniel R.
Listen to “The Encyclopaedia Of Black”:
About Eden Synthetic Corps
Eden Synthetic Corps is a Portuguese band active since 2005 and signed to Scanner, one of the labels in the German Dark Dimensions group. The band opened with the dark electro of “Matte” in 2006, “Enhancer” in 2008 and “Eight Thousand Square Feet” in 2010, then moved into more experimental territory with “Breathing Salt” in 2013.
Side-Line reviewed Eden Synthetic Corps – Sandwalkers in November 2015, the album that started the band’s shift towards a more organic sound. “Gold” followed in 2019, and the band also appeared on the label retrospective V/A A Human Scan(ner) – The 20th Anniversary Compilation in 2021. Along the way the group played shows in Russia, Ukraine, Austria and Germany and placed songs in the Deutsche Alternative Charts.
Four years after this album the band revisited its back catalogue on “Away From Human Standards”, released through Scanner in 2026.
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