Cipher System are Swedish and sound like Soilwork. They’re not a new band by any means, having been around for 10 years. This is their second album. I knew they were from Sweden before I began to listen to “Communicate the Storms”, but even without this information there’s no way they could be from anywhere else with a style like this. We have intrusive melodies, catchy riffage, all-pervasive heaviness, frenetic drumming, cleanly delivered aggressive vocals, breaks, changes of pace and subtleties. It’s the epitome of Swedish Melodeath. I’m not complaining.
For all there’s a template, it’s clear that a lot of thought and skill has gone into creating the end product here. The subtle and understated riff of “Forget to Forgive” goes through my head as I write. It’s fluid and mobile. It’s definitely for absorbing and joining in the energy. In general I’m ok with modern Metalcore but it can be showy without tying the bits together and aggressive to impress but little more. This is not the case with “Communicate the Storms”. It’s fresh. The songs are strong. The compulsive riffs are accompanied by good harmonies and at one point a spoken section but it’s not formulaic. There are no silly solos. What the album has is collective, forward-driving heaviness with twists and turns interwined into the framework. Slam, bang – time for “God’s Terminal” – the melodic juggernaut continues. Yes it’s got the feel of Soilwork, Disharmonia Mundi and a more mature version of Sonic Syndicate, but let’s enjoy it for its own sake. The energy is super, and there’s nice keyboard and guitar work giving it an extra layer in the background. ”End My Path” is another complete meal. Engaging instrumental passages and sheer movement provide the force.
It’s always a good sign when an album of an energetic nature like this can step up a gear and provide an added dimension, and this happens here with the utterly awesome “Objection” and “The Stairway”. The start of “Objection” signals danger in the air. The intro would be worthy of a James Bond film, if Metal was the chosen genre. But that’s just the start. Strong and captive accompaniments help to create a masterpiece of Metal melody. It’s fluid of course, and I particularly liked the fact that that familiar “dangerous” intro reappears. We’re in the know and it makes us comfortable as listeners. Heavy and harsh as it is, I feel very comfortable with this album. Then “The Stairway” delights us still further by increasing the intensity level still further. The subtle guitar riff has the ring of The Haunted about it. It’s pumping, catchy and rhythmically colourfully as it steps up and down with the smoothness of silk. The final three are heavily blasting tracks, culminating with “The Failure Starts”. The tracks may be thematically dark and there is added aggression but there’s no loss of subtlety or sharpness in the guitar work and of course there’s no loss of catchiness, harmony or melody. At no stage during this album did my head stop moving to the fast and frantic fare on offer here.
This is Swedish Melodeath at its best. If you don’t like the style or are fed up with it, then you won’t like it and may find it hackneyed. I didn’t. I thought that on a technical level “Communicate the Storms” was superb and best use was put to combining the musical elements to create an absolutely pulsating and enjoyable album. Magnificent.
http://www.myspace.com/ciphersystem
Andrew Doherty
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