Cypher 16

With all the attention and great write-ups these young Brits have been receiving over the last four years, I think I must be amongst the few still with reservations. They tag themselves as a new organic rock band, which fuse electronic and metal influences with hints of industrial to create their own unique musical mix. What they prove on “The Man of the Black Abyss” however is that unique is not always great.

Formed back when they were only 16 years old, the band almost immediately went out on their first tour of the U.S, playing with metal heavy-weights Mudvayne, as well as In This Moment, Head P.E. and Nonpoint. The tour was a great success and the band has had numerous invites to return from fans and industry alike. If that wasn’t enough, the autumn of 2009 saw Cypher16 become one of the first British metal bands to tour India, playing shows in Goa, Bangalore, Mumbai and Pune. Again the response was huge, especially for such a young group of musicians.

“The Man of the Black Abyss” is more of taster of what’s to come than anything, and whilst there are signs of brilliance there are also moments that are pretty dull and I could happily skip. The opener “Symphony to End it All” is obviously going to be one of the “fan-favourites”, with it’s haunting Synths throughout. Of the six tracks on here, it is only “Reaper” and “...And the Force (Threw Him Across the Room)” along with the aforementioned opener that stand out and really show what potential the band could have.

Whilst I agree with the hype to a point, I’m certainly going to reserve my judgment for the debut full-length. One to watch for the future!