Cyhra - The Vertigo Trigger - August 2023

[Jester Slave]

I'm begging, someone write proper choruses for this retard. Verses too if you're already at it. How the fuck do you release three singles without a single vocal note to which one could bop his head? The cracks were already beginning to show on their second record, but it had its moment, though nowhere near as memorable as their debut.

Yes he's always been a whiny bitch, but he made it work, especially on their first record. He had a tempo in the verses, had some (admittedly over the top) emotions and catchyness to his voice. Now he sings a supposedly amped up chorus of "ready to rumble" like he's on the verge of crying. Like he's literally begging us to rumble with him a bit, because he is all out of ideas and this will be the last Cyhra album if we don't rumble a lil' bit with him.

"If I" ended without me even realizing if it had a chorus or not. I can't wait for that old, bald fuck and his meatloaf son to hype me up with the promise of a record which bangs even harder, than these already dope singles.

 

[DE4life]

Album has released... will convey my thoughts soon.

 

[DE4life]

Okay well, the album sucks, as you'd expect at this point from listening to the singles.

Cyhra's "identity" at this point is basically Amaranthe-lite. Pop-metal with no substance and annoying electronics everywhere. Jake stays in basically the same register the entire album, at best you get a few filters thrown over his voice to make it sound slightly different every so often. Lyrics are embarrassing. Guitars are even more boring than on Halos. At least on Halos you had some really good intros, and parts of certain tracks had some really nice stuff. No such luck on this album. Bass and drums are pretty much just there, none of the cool intricacies of LTM, although we had already lost that by the time Halos was released.

Might do a track by track review later, but this album doesn't really deserve it. Nothing new, nothing interesting, the album's existence has no value.

Special shout out to 'The Voice You Need To Hear', lmao... it sounds like a Eurovision song. It's actually one of the better songs on the album, probably because it isn't a metal song and Cyhra clearly want to write pop rather than metal. But yeah, I could 100% imagine this being sung at Eurovision.

Oh, and also, I still have no idea where this being Cyhra's "darkest album" came from. This isn't a 'dark' album in the slightest, it's light and poppy. As with Halos, the artwork doesn't remotely convey what to expect from the music.

 

[DE4life]

Yeah, my favourite song on this album by some distance is the non-metal faux-Eurovision entry... lol. Please tell me Jesper wrote that song.

Ashlight and 1,000,000 Fahrenheit may also have something to them. Nothing special, but they're probably on the level of the decent Halos stuff - and for me that's where we are with this album, a step below Halos, which was already way below LTM.

 

[Xpyro125]

Well, I'm going in now. I'll give my thoughts below, God save us all.

1. Ready To Rumble- This song is absolute dogshit. 0/10
2. Let's Have My Story Told- It isn't really that metal, with it being more of a keyboard-driven song, but it actually has decently good lyrics and a genuinely enjoyable chorus. The solo and guitarwork are all very clearly Euge, and his playing works surprisingly well here. Alex is also present here! This should've been a single instead of the shit we got. 8/10
3. Live A Little- I'm seriously mixed on this one because it genuinely feels like a Battles song if Jake E and Euge were at the helm instead of Anders and Bjorn. The pop-drenched arena/alt rock almost maybe works? It's definitely something my friends would enjoy more than I would. The solo also feels like a joint Euge and Jesper effort, but it's nothing I'll remember after I wake up later today. Additionally, this is one of those "political" songs that says the world's gone mad without actually commenting anything beyond "authority figures are crazy liars", so yippee. I'm not sure what the fuck I'm supposed to want from this, and I'm not sure I got it. 3.5/10?
4. 1.000.000 Fahrenheit- The electronic intro is annoying, but it actually kind of comes together once the guitars kick in. The vocals are okay in the verses, but the lyrics fucking suck. The chorus definitely has a catchy, addictive quality to it that I quite like, but it's done in the laziest way possible. Additionally, the guitars in the bridge are a decibel or so louder than they should be, but it's some surprisingly nice modern core stuff that's better than what I'd expect to hear from Cyhra. There's also four bars of a solo that barely exists, but... You know. 4.5/10
5. Buried Alive- The intro is basic hard rock/core, but it's cool. It's then immediately ruined by the verse kicking in and becoming completely different. It becomes something strangely power metal, and the drums in the chorus, while sounding programmed (At least the kicks), are played well. There's definitely something to be enjoyed here, even if it's not exactly cohesive. The lyrics are, once again, nothing, but it's fine. The solo is a nice flicker-y harmonized bit, but it builds up to absolutely nothing. The power metal feel is seriously different for Cyhra, though it's more modern-feeling rather than even harkening back to Jake's previous work with Dreamland. It's one that'll probably grow on me a lot if I give it repeated listens. 6/10
6. The Voice You Need To Hear- Oh Christ. Jake explores his range a lot here, and somehow, it sounds like a pop punk Axl Rose kind of grating rather than being good like he usually is. Additionally, this is the ballad song that each Cyhra album has, and while it's not quite as mellow as the others (Having more energy), it feels like a mix of a Sleep Token ripoff (Particularly with the section that has trap beats) and an old Disney musical song. This is absolutely not one that I'll ever willingly listen to again. 0/10
7. Life Is A Hurricane- I think I gave this a 4/10 before? I think I'll drop that down to a 3/10. This is one with a shit chorus.
8. If I- I think I gave this a 4 or a 5 before. It's a 4. This is one with a shit chorus.
9. Fear Of Missing Out- It has a surprisingly really fucking cool core riff- A hell of a lot cooler than it has any right to be. But even crazier than that is that the opening line is "Are you the great deceiver?". Christ, Jake's going really fucking recent with his In Flames references. In any case, this feels like a new school In Flames song, but if Jake was the vocalist instead of Anders- To the point of the guitarwork feeling like Bjorn's and Jesper's works in a new, but familiar way. The synth sequencers remind me of The Mirror's Truth in specific. I don't think the chorus really pops the way I'd like, but honestly? I like this one quite a bit. The solo is even pretty new IF-era Jesper. I'm pretty sure he and Euge wrote this one together, but I'm also pretty sure that I'm wrong about that. Also like an In Flames song, they do a key change for the final chorus that I wish they didn't do. 7/10
10. Ashlight- It's strange, spacey, and slightly European-feeling. It's drenched in pianos and synths with some hard rock-styled guitars that work surprisingly cohesively with the material. The vocals have multiple tracks, with the main ones having light effects/being harmonized(?), and it sounds surprisingly great. This is the only song so far that I feel has the level of care and nuances that Letter To Myself had, and the uplifting energy here works wonders for it. Even the chorus is great, and even Alex is here on drums. I kind of wish they didn't have that slow breakdown section, but it feels pretty Jesper, so I'm down for it. The solo is also really fucking weird, but that absolutely works for this song. It feels like a proper musical journey, with the song even reaching a climax with Jake following the "final" chorus with another one that ends with a phenomenal high note from him. Easy 9.5-10/10, and it's 100% my favorite song off the album. This is what I want Cyhra to be, this is the Cyhra I fell in love with. It's different than what they did on Letters, and it's different from everything else on the album, but it's wonderful music. It's magical. I'm happy.
11. Too Old For Fairy Tales- Another reference to "the great deception". Shit's wild. In any case, it's okay. It feels like it's Euge and Jesper here for the composition, though mainly Euge if I had to guess. Lots of wah, but it's not intrusive. It's certainly not what I'd expect from a closing track, as it's not any heavier than the other songs on here, and it doesn't seriously stand out as a closing track either. But it is good. That being said, the bridge and solo ooze Jesper's melodic harmonized playing that feels like it's straight from Colony-RTR. It's definitely not how I would've ended the album, as it very much leaves me with a feeling of "That's it?", but I'll take it. 7/10

Average Score- 4.81/10
Average Score Without The Singles- 5.75/10

It's a higher score than I gave No Halos (Though I didn't give an average there, so that might be incorrect), and I came out enjoying the album a hell of a lot more than I thought I would. I have no fucking idea why the singles were made the singles, much less even on the album, as aside from The Voice You Need To Hear, they're easily the worst songs that Cyhra has ever put out (Maybe with except to If I, but I'm not 100% sure on that one, maybe it is), with the choruses of the singles having absolutely no fucking effort put into them, whereas even 1.000.000 Fahrenheit has some effort placed into its chorus' enunciation. The only songs I'd buy are Let's Have My Story Told, Buried Alive, Fear of Missing Out, and of fucking course, Ashlight, but aside from the singles and The Voice, I'd definitely say it's better than No Halos... But there's one caveat.

This doesn't feel like Cyhra to me. Not at all. This is a Jake and Euge album (And maybe Marcus, I forgot to even consider him, though I've only listened to a couple Engel songs and really don't know his composition style) with three songs of a Jesper feature, not a Cyhra album. Alex pretty much isn't here, and Jesper is here on barely more than a quarter of the album (With no bonus tracks in sight). It's certainly a better product overall than Halos, but that's at the expense of the last few remnants of the band I loved feeling like an almost familial group. That's really the biggest problem above anything else. I could live with Cyhra feeling more like Amaranthe, I could live with some pop metal and Sleep Token ripping off, and I could even live with modern metal/arena rock stuff so long as everyone felt like a part of it and gave it the care, the melody, and musicianship that they did on Letters To Myself (Though that last part is me dreaming big there). Aside from Ashlight, I can't really say any of that is the case now. I'm more excited for the music going forward, but I'm less excited for the band, and that was the part I really got attached to. It started out with three guys I absolutely loved and two equally talented guys I learned about for the first time all coming together and just making stuff they loved together. It wasn't perfect, but it was everything I loved from them. That isn't here anymore- It feels even further from any sort of possibility than before, and that's just fucking heartbreaking for me.

 

[DE4life]

Agree with a lot of your thoughts, although as noted... I actually like The Voice You Need To Hear. Keep in mind I also like a fair few Eurovision songs and I also like Disney music, so maybe that's why basically if I ignore the fact it's Cyhra and they're meant to be a metal band, I think it's a really good pop song. If I compare it to something like LTM or even the best bits of Halos then it's trash.

 

[Xpyro125]

Oh, and also, I still have no idea where this being Cyhra's "darkest album" came from. This isn't a 'dark' album in the slightest, it's light and poppy. As with Halos, the artwork doesn't remotely convey what to expect from the music.

Holy shit, I completely forgot that they hyped it up to be their "darkest album". Fuck, I'd argue that this is actually their "lightest album". Shit's fucked.

 

[Xpyro125]

Agree with a lot of your thoughts, although as noted... I actually like The Voice You Need To Hear. Keep in mind I also like a fair few Eurovision songs and I also like Disney music, so maybe that's why basically if I ignore the fact it's Cyhra and they're meant to be a metal band, I think it's a really good pop song. If I compare it to something like LTM or even the best bits of Halos then it's trash.

I like old Disney music, but I don't think it works well with the way the band did it hear. But honestly, I'm all for metal bands diving off the deep end into all sorts of other shit, so maybe that's the one positive I can give it. I don't think it's a 0/10 in the same way (This Is Our) House is a 0/10, but relatively speaking compared to the stuff that's here and on Halos... Yeah, I just don't like it. I respect your opinion though, it's awesome that you can find merit where I can't. Maybe I'll just have to listen to it a couple more times before it clicks.

I won't do that for a while, but maybe soon enough.

 

[DE4life]

Holy shit, I completely forgot that they hyped it up to be their "darkest album". Fuck, I'd argue that this is actually their "lightest album". Shit's fucked.

Absolutely baffling tbh, what about this do they think is "dark" exactly? The artwork is the only part of it that I'd classify that way, but all of their artwork looks like this, going back to LTM, so there's no change there.

LTM is still by some distance their darkest album, as a couple of the songs actually have some genuine gothic touches (for example the opening to Heartrage). There's zero of this on Vertigo Trigger.

Also how did they not call a song The Vertigo Trigger? That's actually a decent song name. Instead we got "If I", "Ready to Rumble"... well, actually, almost all the song titles are generic or garbage.

 

[DE4life]

I like old Disney music, but I don't think it works well with the way the band did it hear. But honestly, I'm all for metal bands diving off the deep end into all sorts of other shit, so maybe that's the one positive I can give it. I don't think it's a 0/10 in the same way (This Is Our) House is a 0/10, but relatively speaking compared to the stuff that's here and on Halos... Yeah, I just don't like it. I respect your opinion though, it's awesome that you can find merit where I can't. Maybe I'll just have to listen to it a couple more times before it clicks.

I won't do that for a while, but maybe soon enough.

It's a bit like Liberation from SOAPF, by most of my sensibilities and preferences I shouldn't like it, but for whatever reason I do.

It strongly reminds me of a recent Eurovision song, either from this year or last year... I'll see if I can find it when I get home from work later.

 

[Xpyro125]

Absolutely baffling tbh, what about this do they think is "dark" exactly? The artwork is the only part of it that I'd classify that way, but all of their artwork looks like this, going back to LTM, so there's no change there.

LTM is still by some distance their darkest album, as a couple of the songs actually have some genuine gothic touches (for example the opening to Heartrage). There's zero of this on Vertigo Trigger.

Also how did they not call a song The Vertigo Trigger? That's actually a decent song name. Instead we got "If I", "Ready to Rumble"... well, actually, almost all the song titles are generic or garbage.

Ashlight is genuinely the only title I liked in the first place, and it was the one I expected to enjoy (As a 7/10, mind you). I hated pretty much all the other titles, maybe with exception to Buried Alive, though that's pretty generic.

Man, a title track would've been really cool. Fucking crazy that they opted out of it on this album.

It's a bit like Liberation from SOAPF, by most of my sensibilities and preferences I shouldn't like it, but for whatever reason I do.

It strongly reminds me of a recent Eurovision song, either from this year or last year... I'll see if I can find it when I get home from work later.

Funnily enough, I get that exact same sensation from Ashlight. Complete Liberation feeling right there. That makes so much fucking sense as to why I love it so much now, I fucking love Liberation.

 

[DE4life]

Actually, in terms of Eurovision I think this is the song it reminded me of:



Obviously not like-for-like, but the same vibe.

 

[DE4life]

Ashlight is genuinely the only title I liked in the first place, and it was the one I expected to enjoy (As a 7/10, mind you). I hated pretty much all the other titles, maybe with exception to Buried Alive, though that's pretty generic.

Man, a title track would've been really cool. Fucking crazy that they opted out of it on this album.

I mean, maybe it's for the best. Letters to Myself is alright, but far from my favourite from that album, and No Halos in Hell is one of the most generic, forgettable, pointless songs that has ever been created. It would have been a shame for them to have a cool song title like The Vertigo Trigger only to then ruin it with an average or worse song - which, let's face it, based on the overall album is more likely to have been the case than them actually giving us something decent.

Funnily enough, I get that exact same sensation from Ashlight. Complete Liberation feeling right there. That makes so much fucking sense as to why I love it so much now, I fucking love Liberation.

Ashlight is definitely growing on me, I can see the Liberation comparison - and yeah, I like that one a lot too. But then I like pretty much all the IF ballads, with the exception of Chosen Pessimist. Even Pure Light of Mind was one of my "favourites" off the new album, although I use the term loosely as I don't really have any real favourites off Foregone.

 

[Xpyro125]

Actually, in terms of Eurovision I think this is the song it reminded me of:



Obviously not like-for-like, but the same vibe.

It may not quite be my sort of thing (It's something I definitely have to send to a couple of my friends though, they'd absolutely love it), but honestly? It's pretty damn good for that style, I respect it.

 

[Xpyro125]

I mean, maybe it's for the best. Letters to Myself is alright, but far from my favourite from that album, and No Halos in Hell is one of the most generic, forgettable, pointless songs that has ever been created. It would have been a shame for them to have a cool song title like The Vertigo Trigger only to then ruin it with an average or worse song - which, let's face it, based on the overall album is more likely to have been the case than them actually giving us something decent.

Letters' title track is great, but it's a fantastic song in a sea of fantastic songs, you know? It stands out most for its heavy riff, but that's the big thing- Not that I'm complaining.

No Halos' title track is just a diet Out of My Life, which is already a diet Karma. No thanks.

So yeah, you do make a good point.

Ashlight is definitely growing on me, I can see the Liberation comparison - and yeah, I like that one a lot too. But then I like pretty much all the IF ballads, with the exception of Chosen Pessimist. Even Pure Light of Mind was one of my "favourites" off the new album, although I use the term loosely as I don't really have any real favourites off Foregone.

I can't remember all of IF's ballads off the top of my head, but Evil in a Closet's second half is something I definitely have to be in the mood for. And as much as I want to love The Chosen Pessimist, there's a whole fucking minute where it doesn't build anything up that could easily be cut out without compromising the song whatsoever. If you ever have a section like that in a longer song, congratulations, you've failed to justify its length. Otherwise, it's a wonderful song to me, but I wouldn't listen to it in its entirety unless if I was really in the mood for it.

 

[DE4life]

It may not quite be my sort of thing (It's something I definitely have to send to a couple of my friends though, they'd absolutely love it), but honestly? It's pretty damn good for that style, I respect it.

Yeah it's a cool song, nothing wrong with it from a pop standpoint, and that's pretty much how I feel about The Voice You Need To Hear - if it came on when I was watching Eurovision I'd think it was alright, and might even download it to listen to again. It's a bit weird to be in the middle of a supposedly metal album, though - mainly because it's totally different to everything else. Compare to Inside a Lullaby, which is also a pop ballad on a metal album, but continues to retain the overall atmosphere of LTM despite the change in style.

I can't remember all of IF's ballads off the top of my head, but Evil in a Closet's second half is something I definitely have to be in the mood for. And as much as I want to love The Chosen Pessimist, there's a whole fucking minute where it doesn't build anything up that could easily be cut out without compromising the song whatsoever. If you ever have a section like that in a longer song, congratulations, you've failed to justify its length. Otherwise, it's a wonderful song to me, but I wouldn't listen to it in its entirety unless if I was really in the mood for it.

Well, in terms of what I'd class as IF ballads...

Everlost Part 2 - cool little track
Satellites and Astronauts - top tier track
Dawn of a New Day - not really anything great, but not bad either
Metaphor - I like this one a lot
Evil in a Closet - also top tier for me, the solo in this one is awesome. Vocals let it down a little admittedly, but instrumentally an all-timer
Discover Me Like Emptiness - a bit of a hidden gem, nice track
Come Clarity - similar to Evil in a Closet, instrumentally really nice, vocals are shit
TCP - the last minute of the song is okay, but it takes way, way too long to get there. Feels like a very basic idea stretched out to an absurd length
Liberation - no issues for me
Through Oblivion - purely as an electro-pop track, it's good
With Eyes Wide Open - best guitar work on SC, best vocal performance on SC
Like Sand - this one sucks
Here Until Forever - as @eochaid always says, one of the all time metal classics, up there with the best ballads ever made
Wallflower - it's actually decent, in my view TCP done in a much more detailed and clever way. No surprise as it was Engelin who apparently wrote this one, not that Bjorn gives him any credit for doing so
Follow Me - more like Autotune Me, the song itself is fine, but it's a shame how the vocals were processed
Stay With Me - very good track, would have benefitted maybe from a tad more work, as it does get a bit repetitive

Not going to bother with the Foregone stuff, but these are generally what I'd consider to be "the ballads".

 

[Xpyro125]

Yeah it's a cool song, nothing wrong with it from a pop standpoint, and that's pretty much how I feel about The Voice You Need To Hear - if it came on when I was watching Eurovision I'd think it was alright, and might even download it to listen to again. It's a bit weird to be in the middle of a supposedly metal album, though - mainly because it's totally different to everything else. Compare to Inside a Lullaby, which is also a pop ballad on a metal album, but continues to retain the overall atmosphere of LTM despite the change in style.

In a way, I guess that's how I feel about Pure Light of Mind. It doesn't maintain the same atmosphere that Foregone does, but that is very much in the best sense of the sentiment, which is certainly the opposite of how I feel here. It's moreso the execution than anything, as I've come around to a lot of poppier stuff in the past year than I have in the decade prior.

Well, in terms of what I'd class as IF ballads...

Everlost Part 2 - cool little track
Satellites and Astronauts - top tier track
Dawn of a New Day - not really anything great, but not bad either
Metaphor - I like this one a lot
Evil in a Closet - also top tier for me, the solo in this one is awesome. Vocals let it down a little admittedly, but instrumentally an all-timer
Discover Me Like Emptiness - a bit of a hidden gem, nice track
Come Clarity - similar to Evil in a Closet, instrumentally really nice, vocals are shit
TCP - the last minute of the song is okay, but it takes way, way too long to get there. Feels like a very basic idea stretched out to an absurd length
Liberation - no issues for me
Through Oblivion - purely as an electro-pop track, it's good
With Eyes Wide Open - best guitar work on SC, best vocal performance on SC
Like Sand - this one sucks
Here Until Forever - as @eochaid always says, one of the all time metal classics, up there with the best ballads ever made
Wallflower - it's actually decent, in my view TCP done in a much more detailed and clever way. No surprise as it was Engelin who apparently wrote this one, not that Bjorn gives him any credit for doing so
Follow Me - more like Autotune Me, the song itself is fine, but it's a shame how the vocals were processed
Stay With Me - very good track, would have benefitted maybe from a tad more work, as it does get a bit repetitive

Not going to bother with the Foregone stuff, but these are generally what I'd consider to be "the ballads".

Everlost Part 2- Fucking love it- Instrumentals are top tier, though I have to be in the mood for the vocals
Satellites and Astronauts- Completely agreed, absolute top tier, more than 10/10
Dawn of a New Day- I have to be in the mood for it. The scream is awesome, but that doesn't justify the rest of it.
Metaphor- Incredible song, love the folksy, bluesy feel of it
Evil in a Closet- Love the bluesy feel there, completely agree with your opinion overall
Discover Me Like Emptiness- I forget which track I said was my favorite off of STYE, but I'm pretty sure it was this one. If it wasn't, I'd like to change my vote
Come Clarity- Absolutely love this one, 9/10
TCP- I'd cut out a solid minute of the first half, it'd be perfect then
Liberation- 10/10, ending SoaPF with A New Dawn then this was perfect
Through Oblivion- Pretty fucking nice, but I kinda have to be in the mood for it
With Eyes Wide Open- I used to fucking love this one, but now I have to be in the mood for it- Still love SC's variety
Like Sand- It's alright, but the acoustic performance brought it a bit more life (Not too much though)
Here Until Forever- I do genuinely love this one, but it's way too in your face compared to how it should've been
Wallflower- 10/10, every bit of the track feels justified, Engelin did a phenomenal job here
Follow Me- Honestly, I loved it upon my first listen, but Stay With Me is superior in every single way
Stay With Me- Completely fair on the repetition, but I can get over it and say it's 10/10
Foregone Pt. 2- On the lower end of IF's ballads by a wide margin, definitely the cutoff point between everything above and the dogshit ones- It's Like Sand-tier.
Pure Light of Mind- Genuinely the best part of Foregone despite simultaneously being the most IF and least IF song on the album. Shit's fucked.

I was considering asking if the Acoustic Medley counted, but then all of the acoustic instrumentals would count, and I just don't want to count those up right now. Two hours of sleep is not the kindest thing, especially when the adrenaline's worn off and I can go back to bed.

 

[DE4life]

Pretty much all the IF acoustic tracks are great, so no need to rank those - if they've done one, then it's nice.

Very early impressions of TVT I'd say:

Songs I enjoyed:

Ashlight
1,000,000 Fahrenheit
The Voice You Need to Hear

Listenable but forgettable:

Fear of Missing Out
Buried Alive
Life is a Hurricane
Too Old for Fairy Tales
Let's Have My Story Told

Garbage:

(Are You) Ready to Rumble
Live a Little
If I

So, overall not quite as much garbage on this one as I'd initially feared. Unfortunately the stuff that isn't garbage is mostly, to my ears at least, only listenable at best - but otherwise very average and uninspired. Only three songs, right now, which I'd likely put on my huge random shuffle list - but if I'm being honest, that's three more than I expected to have from this album based on the singles, so I can't complain.

 

[Xpyro125]

Pretty much all the IF acoustic tracks are great, so no need to rank those - if they've done one, then it's nice.

Very early impressions of TVT I'd say:

Songs I enjoyed:

Ashlight
1,000,000 Fahrenheit
The Voice You Need to Hear

Listenable but forgettable:

Fear of Missing Out
Buried Alive
Too Old for Fairy Tales
Let's Have My Story Told

Garbage:

(Are You) Ready to Rumble
Life is a Hurricane
Live a Little
If I

So, overall not quite as much garbage on this one as I'd initially feared. Unfortunately the stuff that isn't garbage is mostly, to my ears at least, only listenable at best - but otherwise very average and uninspired. Only three songs, right now, which I'd likely put on my huge random shuffle list - but if I'm being honest, that's three more than I expected to have from this album based on the singles, so I can't complain.

I genuinely didn't expect to buy even two songs, much less five, so I'm really happy with this. Even then, I skipped out on Too Old For Fairy Tales and 1.000.000 Fahrenheit when they're songs I'd absolutely consider getting as an impulse purchase if I'm in the mood for them. I think that No Halos has more prominent guitars overall, but The Vertigo Trigger has cooler guitarwork pound for pound, and that much swayed me quite a bit. It's a bit more than heavy for the sake of heavy, and I'm glad. After I heard If I, I basically gave up on the album, and I only remembered to listen to it because I saw Orbit Culture's new album on iTunes today. I'm so fucking glad this isn't just worse No Halos.

I'd say I enjoyed Let's Have My Story Told, maybe 1.000.000 Fahrenheit, Buried Alive, Fear of Missing Out, Ashlight, and Too Old For Fairy Tales

I found Live A Little and If I to be okay I guess

And I'm absolutely not feeling Ready To Rumble, Life Is A Hurricane, or The Voice You Need To Hear

 

[DE4life]

I think Halos has better high points compared to TVT - there is some sublime guitar work on that album, even if only in small spurts - but TVT for me is more consistent and doesn't have any major dips in quality. It's also less confused than Halos, which seemed to be some kind of weird faux-Power Metal album. TVT drops the Power Metal fakery and is mainly just your standard melodic metal/hard rock hybrid - again, basically Amaranthe but a little lighter due to the lack of screaming vocals.

I think both Halos and TVT pale in comparison to LTM, but both have some redeeming features. I feel like you kind of have to be partial to pop-metal and general pop to really accept those merits though. Your standard old school Metallica/Megadeth/Iron Maiden fan is not going to be feeling anything but disdain for Halos or TVT.