Defying Decay: Synthetic Sympathy
Defying Decay may have just created the soundtrack to summer 2026…
Commencing a new chapter with ‘Synthetic Sympathy’, the Bangkok hyper-pop metallers certainly live up to the essence of the subgenre on their third album. Hosting a dynamic mesh of emo screams, melodic choruses and maximalist riffs, ‘Synthetic Sympathy’ takes the best of pop, metalcore and, dare I say, nu-metal to create an album you won’t be able to resist blasting.
Metalcore is etched across my gothic heart, so the high energy and serrated screams in ‘21 Stitches’, alongside the slow-paced drama of ‘Built to Fall’, tick the dark-energy hybrid box. Elsewhere, Killian Quinn, in all of his emo glory on ‘RX Regicide’, quintessentially emo-core, revels in a lack of concern for adhering to conventional subgenre rigidity.
Every track is catchy, whether through lyrics or sonic hooks, which is essential when blending genres. The album invites you to stay for its full duration; even when the tone leans more pop, if you’re emo-screamo to your core, you can’t help but indulge.
If you do, however, need a song that feels like you’ve ripped your own heart out, ‘Debris’ has that covered. With a cinematic orchestral backdrop and pleading, rising vocals that facilitate cathartic release, it may be intended to be a little heartbreaking, but it’s also incredibly catchy and possibly my favourite track on the album. Not very metalcore, nor very goth of me, but if Defying Decay can break through conformity, then so can we all.
Entering a time machine with Thai-Belgian pop icon Violette Wautier, ‘Clouds’ transports you back to the 2000s, a time of tight harmonies, theatrical performance and exuberance, all of which this track delivers in abundance. In keeping with Y2K rom-com vibes, ‘Last Reply’ provides a boy-band tribute, complete with curtain bangs, synchronised dancing and a fading montage as we gaze longingly out of a window.
Throwing it back even further than the noughties, ‘System of Sinners’ thrusts you into a ’90s nu-metal segment, but not before rap enters the room. Vocalist Poom ‘Jay’ Euarchukiati doubles down on his polished rap skills in ‘Inside These Lies’, following a teaser of this talent in ‘MEANiNGLESS’.
Between the ’90s heartthrob moments and the rap-heavy turns, had Jay not concluded ‘Inside These Lies’ with a guttural roar, I might not have been sure I was still in the metal sphere. Hyper-pop metal seems to thrive on dancing between the lines, falling down the rabbit hole and meeting the hookah-smoking caterpillar.
I wasn’t expecting to describe the final track as ethereal, but here we are. ‘Hide and Seek’ is gentle and comforting without losing potency. Mark Mironov shows real contrast in the soft presentation of the drums, compared to the propulsive, anchoring energy that carries you there.
Dense with talent, versatility and genre-blending, Defying Decay could hardly have packed more into 14 tracks. Each song remains engaging, maintaining impact by drawing on different elements of the band rather than relying solely on harsh breakdowns and vicious screams.
Channelling raw emotional energy into hook-laden, bouncy tracks that draw in fans from across the heavy music spectrum is what makes this album feel like a summer anthem. ‘Synthetic Sympathy’ is released on 26 March 2026, so while spring is springing, get rehearsing for those summer nights.