Released by: Nightmare Records
Release Date: Out Now!!!
Genre: Power Metal/Progressive Metal
Links: http://www.cypherseer.com/
Line Up:
Zeno Rodrigo – Vocals
Sergio Ribeiro – Guitars
Rod Mariani – Guitars
Kristian Lolo – Bass
Lee Corrado – Drums
Tracklist:
1. Bloodline
2. The Curse
3. Dying Force
4. Faith Renounced
5. Aftermass
6. From the Womb
7. Soul Sacrifice
8. Red Rain
9. Haunted Saga Part II -Infinite Trance
10. Haunted Saga Part II -Lost, Plagued and Redefined
11. Haunted Saga Part II -As I Embrace the End
Wow, this is some interesting mess here! The more I listen, the harder it gets for me to say what kind of music these guys are actually trying to play. But before I get to rants-n-analysis – this is the second album by obviously completely unknown New Jersey-based ‘power’ metal band, and I’m gonna treat is a mystery (which it is to me).
So uh, let’s start from power metal then. The band is going the progressive/power metal way on this album (didn’t hear the debut yet) – emphasis on space-y keyboards, rhythms with complicated breakdowns, and melodic power metal guitar riffs. But behold, this is not USPM, not even by a tiny bit, and if I didn’t already know about the band hailing from NJ, I would easily bet 10 Euros on their Scandinavian origin. I wouldn’t be too far off the truth – actually, the album was mixed by Fredrik Nordstrom who has produced several In Flames or Dark Tranquillity albums, and you can definitely hear it here as well.
What makes Origins really special in my opinion are heaps of modern elements within the music – thanks to the vocal man Zeno Rodrigo, I can’t help but hearing alternative/core music whenever the vocal parts appear. There are also attempts on MDM growls and some notable symphonic elements, so the sound mix is really filled with plenty of channels/layers, but luckily it’s not another case of loudness wars, as all layers sound well balanced to me.
Don’t get a wrong idea though – surprisingly, the final result sounds very cool. While the modern arrangements can not be hidden, they are in perfect symbiosis with progressive power metal nature of the music, and rather than being a disturbance, they actually do add the unique flavor. The album also makes me think that In Flames might have sounded like this nowadays if they wouldn’t sign the blood pact with the nu-metal devil years ago. The fact that Cypher Seer’s music is all about power/prog instead of MDM is just another plus for this album. While it’s a strongly modern sounding release, even an old-school naysayer like myself must admit this is very well done. Fresh and recommended!
Written by Eeepi
Ratings Eeepi 7/10
About Author
