Cipher
Déviance

Today it is French band Cipher that is under my magnifying glass while I sit outside in the sun accidentally setting fire to their third album called Déviance. The problem with that is of course that I can’t listen to it again, which means that the real question is if that is a big loss. And the answer to that can of course be yes, or it can be no – one thing is that I don’t get to hear their fresh growls, and that’s a loss. But there are several French death metal bands that I like better, Dagoba, Zuul FX, Loudblast are three of those, so in that regard it isn’t much of a loss when I sit here and watch the album burn into a small pile of charred remains.

It sounds very much like other French melodic death metal bands that I have heard, and you could also compare the with the Scandinavian variety of melodic death metal like the Gothenburg style and the likes of Children of Bodom. There is a decent variety of songs on the album and thanks to them singing in French it is fairly fresh despite not really breaking any new ground. The variation in the songs is decent and the playing time is pretty short and to the point. And the production is good, pretty appealing I would describe it. The growler is pretty decent as well, and it is probably how the album can be described overall, pretty strong but not very unique.

They could have dared a little more, been a bit braver in their musical approach. And I think the album is lacking something of a hit song, something a bit more attention grabbing and catchy – the only thing that really sets them apart is that they use the French language to convey their lyrics. Otherwise it is a good but also a rather ordinary melodic death metal album from France, not the most exciting album I have heard so far but it is good.

In the end I think that Cipher is a good band and their third album has a bit to offer, and although it may not be the most exciting album ever it is still a good one that I think won’t disappoint whoever buys it. But I also think that it is difficult to overlook their lack real lack of originality and if they want to be more relevant in the future they have to found a more individual style. It may not really be the worst loss ever to see the album burn into charred remains; I still think it could be worth checking out for those who like melodic death metal.

HHHHHHH