Cipher System – Communicate The Storms

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Bands in the melodic death metal genre are often quite heavily dismissed (mostly by traditional death metal fans), but it bares reminding that melodic death metal has evolved to become a very different – but equally enjoyable – genre to the one that birthed it. This should be especially noted when considering the music of Cipher System, a perfect example of a band that have grasped this genre for all its worth, especially the elements that make it so unique. With the key comparisons being Natural Born Chaos-era Soilwork and the early works of Scar Symmetry, alongside elements from progressive rock, Cipher System’s sound is characterized by subtle guitar leads trading and intertwining melodies with spacey keyboard flourishes, leading to a melodic, heavy but very cosmic and futuristic sound. Frankly speaking, Communicate The Storms is everything that this year’s melodeath releases have failed to grasp (including the latest from Scar Symmetry, as well as Omnium Gatherum‘s which also fused progressive with melodeath). Cipher System forgo overindulgent technicality for maximum melody, with some of the guitar lead being much less mind-bending than some in the genre, but leaving every note capturing your attention and feeling important. Karl’s vocal style is perhaps less diverse than his peers, but certainly has all the unbridled aggression without crushing the melodies underneath it. This is something we can be thankful for, as the band’s spiraling, progressive melodies are really what makes this album what it is, entwining and developing unusual, imaginative and memorable songs. Simply put, Cipher System seem to understand what this genre can achieve, and that it isn’t simply a more melodic, commercial cousin to its more brutal cousin. Quite possibly the melodeath album of this year, and certainly one of the best in recent years.

Written by James Donovan
More: 2011, Albums, Death Metal, Quick.Play Reviews, Cipher System