I love Dead to Me. That’s pretty dark, especially the intro monologue. “… you are all dead.. to me.”
I think the only thing from NHIH that can compare in tone is Man of Eternal Rain. That’s a solid jam.
I think the only thing from NHIH that can compare in tone is Man of Eternal Rain. That’s a solid jam.
Absolutely. The concept is fine, albeit not exactly original, but the execution is horrible. Euge is a perfectly capable guitar player on a technical level, so the fact he actually wanted it to sound this way is baffling to me. The actual solo is a lot worse though.
I've actually come around to the chorus somewhat, it's probably the 'best' part of the song, although it's a low bar. The rhythm was jarring to me at first, but I do appreciate they tried something unconventional and it's actually not too bad.
I'd also agree that Jake's vocals on this are okay - still not strong enough, he's really lacking power in key moments, but the general tone and rhythms are fine in of themselves. But then, Jake is a competent singer, so this is to be expected. It's not like with Anders where I'm shocked if a clean section sounds good. I fully expect Jake's singing to be on point, because he is a genuinely good singer. It's just disappointing he isn't pushing his range at all. Compare to LtM and it's like he's playing it totally safe now, not taking any risks or experimenting. It's a shame because I think he could expand his abilities, but he seems happy to sit in his comfort zone with vocals that are technically solid but lacking any real spark.
The monologues kind of ruin Dead to Me whenever I try to listen to it. Cut those out and it's a fine track, but kind of difficult to do as they take up two sections of the track, both in the intro and in the middle. I do appreciate the attempt to do something different, though, even if it doesn't work for me.
The gothic/darker tracks that immediately come to mind for me are Heartrage and Black Wings. They both just have a very cool aura about them. I miss that Cyhra.
And yes, Man of Eternal Rain is like a track from the LtM sessions that found its way onto NHIH. Very good song. I sincerely hope that at least one of the tracks on the new album is on a similar level. Maybe one that Jesper helped with.
Listening to Halos as a whole, it actually sounds a lot better having heard the first two singles from the latest album. Still a step down from LtM, but there are parts of the album I really like.
First two songs are bad. Out of my Life is a budget Karma, and the title track is just boring.
Battle From Within - It's inoffensive pop-metal, but I don't think it's bad. I've always thought it had a really good chorus. The vocals are the strongest part of the track by far, Jake sounds really earnest in this one. From memory it was inspired by Jake's brother committing suicide, and I think he brings that emotion through in his performance. The lyrics are cheesy, but they often were on LtM, so it's not a big deal. Anyway, I know this song tends to get shit on by most, but I've never had a problem with it.
I Am The One - Not much to say about this one, it isn't very memorable. A typical Cyhra cookie-cutter track.
Bye Bye Forever - Stupid song title aside, this really isn't a bad song. The melodic operning is solid. The verse vocals have a good rhythm to them. "Bye Bye Forever" aside, the chorus is good. There's a nice, Jesper-inspired section starting at 02:43 which reminds me a bit of the acoustic break in Alias.
Dreams Gone Wrong - Always liked this one. Good energy, good riffs, nice melodies, excellent chorus. Cool to hear the bass in the verses, and interesting that they seem to use a very similar vocal technique to Anders in Clayman with the mumbling sound beneath the main vocals.
Lost in Time - I really didn't like this one when I first heard it, but over time it's grown on me. It's not as good as Inside a Lullaby or Closure, but I don't think there's anything particularly wrong with it either. Jake's singing is good, the keys are well done, the chorus is distinctive. The 'full band' version of the track is also quite nice.
Kings Tonight / I Had Your Back / Blood Brothers is where the album really loses momentum. Three extremely boring, unremarkable tracks that are completely forgettable.
Hit Me - An interesting one, as I really like half the song, and really dislike the other half. The opening is quite good. By this point in the album the gimmick of "melodic opening followed by slow verse spotlighting Jake" has gotten really stale, but focusing on the track purely on an individual basis the verses are OK. The chorus is catchy, but kind of embarrassing with stupid lyrics. Where the song really shines, with what may actually be the best part of the entire album, is the section starting at 02:44 and ending at 03:12. This part of the song is fantastic and reminds me so much of In Flames. A real shame it's buried within a lot of mediocrity. It's almost worth listening to the rest of the track just to hear this part.
Man of Eternal Rain - We all know this is the best song on the album, no further description needed.
Kings and Queens - Continues the trend of having a pretty nice melodic opening, followed by a Jake showcase verse. If the album didn't have numerous songs like this, following the exact same template, it might not be so bad... but unfortunately it does, which means by the time you've got to this point you're tired of hearing variations of the same thing. Even on an individual basis this song isn't very memorable. I wouldn't say it's bad, it's just very average. Even the solo doesn't quite hit right. There is a nice In Flames sounding part briefly after the solo, but it's not enough to make the song worth listening to as a whole.
I don't like Lies. Vocal rhythms are weird throughout, electronics add nothing, chorus is disjointed. There's a horrible electronic part towards the end of the song that's like the out of place electronic breakdown in Here to Save You, but worse. Bit of a rubbish way to end the album.
Overall I'd say there are six worthwhile songs on NHIH, and most of those still have some major flaws. The only two i'd give a complete pass to are Dreams Gone Wrong and Man of Eternal Rain. The rest needed a bit more work. Outside of those six, the others seem to be written as pure filler, following a standard template which gets old fast.
I keep wanting to like NHIH, but every time I come back to it I come to the same conclusion that it would have been better off as a six track EP with more time given to improving the better songs.
First two songs are bad. Out of my Life is a budget Karma, and the title track is just boring.
Battle From Within - It's inoffensive pop-metal, but I don't think it's bad. I've always thought it had a really good chorus. The vocals are the strongest part of the track by far, Jake sounds really earnest in this one. From memory it was inspired by Jake's brother committing suicide, and I think he brings that emotion through in his performance. The lyrics are cheesy, but they often were on LtM, so it's not a big deal. Anyway, I know this song tends to get shit on by most, but I've never had a problem with it.
I Am The One - Not much to say about this one, it isn't very memorable. A typical Cyhra cookie-cutter track.
Bye Bye Forever - Stupid song title aside, this really isn't a bad song. The melodic operning is solid. The verse vocals have a good rhythm to them. "Bye Bye Forever" aside, the chorus is good. There's a nice, Jesper-inspired section starting at 02:43 which reminds me a bit of the acoustic break in Alias.
Dreams Gone Wrong - Always liked this one. Good energy, good riffs, nice melodies, excellent chorus. Cool to hear the bass in the verses, and interesting that they seem to use a very similar vocal technique to Anders in Clayman with the mumbling sound beneath the main vocals.
Lost in Time - I really didn't like this one when I first heard it, but over time it's grown on me. It's not as good as Inside a Lullaby or Closure, but I don't think there's anything particularly wrong with it either. Jake's singing is good, the keys are well done, the chorus is distinctive. The 'full band' version of the track is also quite nice.
Kings Tonight / I Had Your Back / Blood Brothers is where the album really loses momentum. Three extremely boring, unremarkable tracks that are completely forgettable.
Hit Me - An interesting one, as I really like half the song, and really dislike the other half. The opening is quite good. By this point in the album the gimmick of "melodic opening followed by slow verse spotlighting Jake" has gotten really stale, but focusing on the track purely on an individual basis the verses are OK. The chorus is catchy, but kind of embarrassing with stupid lyrics. Where the song really shines, with what may actually be the best part of the entire album, is the section starting at 02:44 and ending at 03:12. This part of the song is fantastic and reminds me so much of In Flames. A real shame it's buried within a lot of mediocrity. It's almost worth listening to the rest of the track just to hear this part.
Man of Eternal Rain - We all know this is the best song on the album, no further description needed.
Kings and Queens - Continues the trend of having a pretty nice melodic opening, followed by a Jake showcase verse. If the album didn't have numerous songs like this, following the exact same template, it might not be so bad... but unfortunately it does, which means by the time you've got to this point you're tired of hearing variations of the same thing. Even on an individual basis this song isn't very memorable. I wouldn't say it's bad, it's just very average. Even the solo doesn't quite hit right. There is a nice In Flames sounding part briefly after the solo, but it's not enough to make the song worth listening to as a whole.
I don't like Lies. Vocal rhythms are weird throughout, electronics add nothing, chorus is disjointed. There's a horrible electronic part towards the end of the song that's like the out of place electronic breakdown in Here to Save You, but worse. Bit of a rubbish way to end the album.
Overall I'd say there are six worthwhile songs on NHIH, and most of those still have some major flaws. The only two i'd give a complete pass to are Dreams Gone Wrong and Man of Eternal Rain. The rest needed a bit more work. Outside of those six, the others seem to be written as pure filler, following a standard template which gets old fast.
I keep wanting to like NHIH, but every time I come back to it I come to the same conclusion that it would have been better off as a six track EP with more time given to improving the better songs.
Xpyro125
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I actually quite like "Lies", though I think a good chunk of my love for it comes from Jesper's guitarwork (Which I know is his because he posted it on social media around a year or so before "Out of My Life" was even released as the lead single). I think that disjointed feeling in the chorus comes from the drumwork having a sort of funk-styled beat to it after each time Jake says the title, kind of like the drumwork of old Korn or something (It was the first comparison I could think of in terms of drumming). I actually quite like that, as it's a very different pattern overall compared to the usual passable beat in these slower post-Letters songs. The electronic part during the breakdown is a bit obnoxious, but I don't mind it too much. I would've preferred an actual solo here, but just taking it out shows how bland the guitarwork in the breakdown is, if you can even call it that. It's one of the bigger highlights of the album for me overall though, which is really fucking depressing to say. None of the other bonus tracks did anything for me either, so I'm glad that this one did.
I don't even care enough to talk about the rest of the album. It's depressing that most of it is better than the two singles from the new album so far, so I'm just desperately hoping for a pleasant surprise with a couple songs on this album because my expectations are that low.
Well, I don't think it's totally hopeless. First two singles from NHIH were pretty uninspiring (Out of my Life & Battle From Within), but we got a few decent songs out of the album in the end. It's a bit sad that this is also realistically our best hope for this album, too, but at least there might be something on VT worth listening to.
When you really think about it, in a lot of ways LtM was a completely different setup. Jesper much more involved with actual songwriting, Jake mainly focused on lyrics/vocal melodies, Euge helping out and maybe Peter adding some stuff too.
Nowadays it's basically Jake & Euge writing everything, with Jesper maybe adding a few things here and there. It's really not the same Cyhra as the band that put out LtM, so I guess it's not practical to expect a return to that level of music.
When you really think about it, in a lot of ways LtM was a completely different setup. Jesper much more involved with actual songwriting, Jake mainly focused on lyrics/vocal melodies, Euge helping out and maybe Peter adding some stuff too.
Nowadays it's basically Jake & Euge writing everything, with Jesper maybe adding a few things here and there. It's really not the same Cyhra as the band that put out LtM, so I guess it's not practical to expect a return to that level of music.
So I've had Dreamland's Future's Calling album for over 15 years, don't listen to it that often as it's nothing special, but I do like a few tracks from the album. I've only just realised Jake was their singer (and founder, apparently).
It's fairly typical power metal for the time period, but it's alright. Now that I know Jake is the singer it's quite obvious, albeit he sounds much more like a typical PM singer on this album than he did in Amaranthe or in present day.
Haven't heard their other albums, but judging from the above Eye For an Eye was quite a step up in production values. Sounding a bit more like the Jake we know nowadays, although still in a range I would consider more suited to metal. Again, he basically sounds like a decent PM singer from the period. Nothing spectacular, but solid.
Dreamland's last album was Exit 49, and Jake sounds... quite different on this one. A lot of the vocals on this track don't even sound like him - maybe they aren't, but there's nothing to suggest there's another lead singer anywhere. We even have some growls, which I presume are not Jake? Could be him though. Anyhow this album is actually quite interesting, and apparently Jake composed most of the songs, so seemingly he can compose interesting metal songs - he just chooses not to do so for Cyhra. In a way that makes Battles From Within even more disappointing. I genuinely didn't realise Jake had a pre-Amaranthe history of being in a decent PM band and writing their songs - they're actually good songs as well.
Anyway, what happened to Dreamland Jake? This guy actually has some varied, flexible vocals and wrote solid music. I can only assume being in Amaranthe changed his perception of what "good" is, and he's now trying to replicate that with Cyhra. I'd rather have the Dreamland version of Jake writing and recording vocals for Cyhra, as I'm actually quite enjoying the Dreamland stuff.
For Exit 49 (the song) I'm pretty sure a lot of the clean vocals are actually not Jake, but a guy called Rick Altzi. So maybe Jake in general just works better when he doesn't have to handle all vocal duties... like in Amaranthe.
It's fairly typical power metal for the time period, but it's alright. Now that I know Jake is the singer it's quite obvious, albeit he sounds much more like a typical PM singer on this album than he did in Amaranthe or in present day.
Haven't heard their other albums, but judging from the above Eye For an Eye was quite a step up in production values. Sounding a bit more like the Jake we know nowadays, although still in a range I would consider more suited to metal. Again, he basically sounds like a decent PM singer from the period. Nothing spectacular, but solid.
Dreamland's last album was Exit 49, and Jake sounds... quite different on this one. A lot of the vocals on this track don't even sound like him - maybe they aren't, but there's nothing to suggest there's another lead singer anywhere. We even have some growls, which I presume are not Jake? Could be him though. Anyhow this album is actually quite interesting, and apparently Jake composed most of the songs, so seemingly he can compose interesting metal songs - he just chooses not to do so for Cyhra. In a way that makes Battles From Within even more disappointing. I genuinely didn't realise Jake had a pre-Amaranthe history of being in a decent PM band and writing their songs - they're actually good songs as well.
Anyway, what happened to Dreamland Jake? This guy actually has some varied, flexible vocals and wrote solid music. I can only assume being in Amaranthe changed his perception of what "good" is, and he's now trying to replicate that with Cyhra. I'd rather have the Dreamland version of Jake writing and recording vocals for Cyhra, as I'm actually quite enjoying the Dreamland stuff.
For Exit 49 (the song) I'm pretty sure a lot of the clean vocals are actually not Jake, but a guy called Rick Altzi. So maybe Jake in general just works better when he doesn't have to handle all vocal duties... like in Amaranthe.
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Okay, so I was listening to this one and thinking there is no fucking way that's Jake doing the growls. I am 95% sure it's Andreas Solveström, who did the harsh vocals on Amaranthe's first couple of albums. Sounds exactly like him.
Just had a look on Encyclopedia Metallum and yeah, it is him. I figured there was no way Jake could do those kinds of growls. Andreas is also listed as Dimension Zero's vocalist from 2016-present, although I'm not sure what that entails as they haven't released an album since 2007. Live performances I guess, but has DZ even done any live appearances since 2007?
Anyway, since Andreas is seemingly known to Jake and Jesper, and doesn't seem to be up to much nowadays, why not bring him in for a few guest spots on Cyhra? Some growls would help the music sound a but more aggressive, and he is (or at least was) pretty solid at this.
New Cyhra single, "If I" ...
The music video is just Cyhra being weebs, so no comment on that, but as far as the song goes... it's okay. Nothing here that I can really identify as being bad or cringeworthy, which is an upgrade from the first two singles. With that said, also nothing I can really identify as being particularly good either. Just a really average track. I expected worse from a song called "If I", though, so I'd say it exceeded my expectations overall. Plus points are no annoying choirs, no stupid vocal 'hooks', guitars are solid and there's no point where it feels like they're desperately trying to be the next Amaranthe.
Still not sure where this "darkest ever Cyhra album" stuff is coming from though. Three singles and I wouldn't classify any of them as dark. Quite the opposite.
The music video is just Cyhra being weebs, so no comment on that, but as far as the song goes... it's okay. Nothing here that I can really identify as being bad or cringeworthy, which is an upgrade from the first two singles. With that said, also nothing I can really identify as being particularly good either. Just a really average track. I expected worse from a song called "If I", though, so I'd say it exceeded my expectations overall. Plus points are no annoying choirs, no stupid vocal 'hooks', guitars are solid and there's no point where it feels like they're desperately trying to be the next Amaranthe.
Still not sure where this "darkest ever Cyhra album" stuff is coming from though. Three singles and I wouldn't classify any of them as dark. Quite the opposite.
The Grayfox
Gravesinger
I think I just don't like Cyhra very much to be honest. I find Jake's vocals to be pretty annoying. I would be fine if Jesper just wanted to devote his time to THE. The mix on the new album sounds pretty good from what I've heard though.
They just feel like a nothing band in general. No real identity, nothing unique or interesting about them. Unless you're a really huge fan of Jake's vocals - staying in the same range throughout with little to no variation - I don't really see what Cyhra offers anybody.
Xpyro125
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Man, this seriously brings me back to when I was an Amaranthe fan. Yeah, Andy did some vocals on the album, and I think it was the first work that he and Jake did together. They're actually still friends, as I think he went on to do a live performance with Jake in some capacity a few years ago (I want to say it was Dreamland, but I'm pretty sure they were long on hiatus by that point). And DZ pretty much hasn't done anything since 2007, which does suck, but I get it.
Okay, this is actually a great idea. He's still friends with Jake, and I'd hedge my bets that he's friends with Jesper because of DZ. It'd be awesome to have him do some guest work, especially since that's the sort of thing he does a lot of these days, rather than being a full member of a band due to familial commitments.
I'll be real, this one's instrumentals gave me a serious Blood Stain Child feeling- Every era of Blood Stain Child all rolled up into one- and I actually kind of really like that. The vocals in the verses in particular also hit pretty nicely. The chorus is completely generic, and it's easily the worst part of the song, but it's actually pretty alright otherwise- Save for the drums feeling weak as fuck in it. I genuinely have no idea what happened here, and I feel like they were programmed rather than actually played. Easy 6-7/10, and I'd be happy to buy the album if everything was up to the (Kind of mediocre, but overall decent) quality of this, though that may just be rather influenced by me being a massive Blood Stain Child fan. I do seriously recommend them, as they're a lot like In Flames in that they're a MDM band that went through a fuckton of different style changes.
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Jesus that autotune in Jakes vocals. Easily the most uninteresting metal song I have heard in a long time. How is it even possible for so experienced musicians to make elevator music like this. No emotion, no passion, nothing. Even Foregone seems like a masterpiece compared to this.
Xpyro125
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Mozaiq, yeah. Shit, Sadew even kinda looked like CC tour Anders back in the day. I'd say it's worth a listen, even if the guitarist's clean vocals are agonizingly horrible.
I'll send this as a rec for the rest of you guys, though it's certainly not representative of their discography- The album kind of reminds me more of Reroute, but it’s also very much its own thing
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Xpyro125
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Also, I came to the realization yesterday that surprisingly, despite being really good at crafting catchy, soaring, melodic choruses, Jake has gone 0-3 with these singles’ choruses. None of them are memorable whatsoever, and even though “If I” has the best one comparatively, I feel like I start to dislike it more and more every time I play it back in my head.
There is nothing centralizing nor anything really standout about any of the songs, save for the solos in “Life is a Hurricane” (The intro’s is cool, the later one is absolutely atrocious). Particularly because of the lower pitched vocals in the verses, the higher pitched vocals in the choruses, and the lack of soaring emphasis/annunciation in the endings of the choruses, they’re all same-y and boring as fuck, and it feels like everyone phoned it in. They had four years to craft this album, even if the money wasn’t really there (In spite of No Halos’ success), and despite the pandemic causing so many artists to stay inside and really channel their creativity and artistry, there just isn’t much of any of that here. I’m somehow less excited about the album than I was after I listened to No Halos. I know it’s a bit late to give this sort of reply and all, but if “If I” is the best they have to offer, a 4/10 is the best I’ll possibly give them.
At least THE is still kicking ass.
There is nothing centralizing nor anything really standout about any of the songs, save for the solos in “Life is a Hurricane” (The intro’s is cool, the later one is absolutely atrocious). Particularly because of the lower pitched vocals in the verses, the higher pitched vocals in the choruses, and the lack of soaring emphasis/annunciation in the endings of the choruses, they’re all same-y and boring as fuck, and it feels like everyone phoned it in. They had four years to craft this album, even if the money wasn’t really there (In spite of No Halos’ success), and despite the pandemic causing so many artists to stay inside and really channel their creativity and artistry, there just isn’t much of any of that here. I’m somehow less excited about the album than I was after I listened to No Halos. I know it’s a bit late to give this sort of reply and all, but if “If I” is the best they have to offer, a 4/10 is the best I’ll possibly give them.
At least THE is still kicking ass.
Xpyro125
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Apparently Jesper is going to be the live bassist. It'll be fascinating to see how that pans out, particularly with THE still (Seemingly) being the higher priority commitment for him. I hope he'll be able to be okay enough for touring, but I don't really have my hopes up.
It's kind of surprising that Cyhra made it a big announcement, but I guess it makes enough sense.
It's kind of surprising that Cyhra made it a big announcement, but I guess it makes enough sense.
Xpyro125
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So what I'm hearing is expect Mr. ASUS to be back in the band soon. Fuck it, he became part of the family anyways.
Would be far better if Jesper just had a role as a guest musician and contributor for Cyhra. I cannot imagine he had significant input into any of the singles that have come out so far. This is autopilot stuff that any competent musician could put together without serious effort.
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