Cyhra's 'Letters to Myself' - Album Review

As a music fan, I am always on the look out for new bands to get my teeth into. Having consumed so much music over the years, this quest for new things to enjoy can often be harder than it was a few years ago but there still seems to be enough out there to keep me on the hunt. One such band that I have recently stumbled upon is the Swedish group Cyhra who formed earlier this year. I suppose that it is fair to label Cyhra as a 'supergroup' as the members of the band are all well-known names in the metal world. The core of the band is frontman Jake E (Dream Evil; Amaranthe) and guitarist Jesper Strömblad (In Flames; Ceremonial Oath; HammerFall; Dimension Zero; The Resistance) who apparently put this new band together after inviting each other to work on their respective proposed solo projects. Instead of undertaking two separate projects, the two decided to join forces and create a new band that incorporated many of the sounds that the two had become well-known for throughout their careers. E and Strömblad have written all the songs on the band's newly-released debut album Letters to Myself together and the album's sound is a real meeting of minds. Strömblad, being one of the founding members of the seminal melodic death metal act In Flames, is known for crafting heavy but melodic guitar riffs and leads. Those instantly-recognisable sounds are all over Letters to Myself but melded with E's soaring melodic clean vocals and more pop sensibilities. E's work with Amaranthe is also well-known. The pop metal act has grown in popularity over the past few years, partly due to E's strong vocals and melodic songwriting, and there are certainly similarities that can be drawn between Amaranthe and Cyhra when it comes to the melodies. Letters to Myself is a fairly poppy album overall, which is something that is largely different to what Strömblad would usually be a part of, but let us not forget that he co-wrote much of the material on the first three HammerFall albums so he is no stranger to a more melodic sound. His iconic riffs and guitar leads are very prominent here though, so his style has fitting in with E's more poppy approach perfectly. Joining the core pair are bassist Peter Iwers (In Flames) and drummer Alex Landenburg (Annihilator; Axxis; Luca Turilli's Rhapsody) who have formed a tough and heavy rhythm section which is a perfect backing for the more melodic toppings created by E and Strömblad. Interestingly, this is the first album that Strömblad and Iwers have performed on together since In Flames' 2008 album A Sense of Purpose so it great to see this two old comrades working together again. Letters to Myself also featured the guitar skills of Euge Valovirta (Godsplague; Shining), who played most of the album's guitar solos, who has now been added to the band as an official member going forward which will allow the album's twin-guitar leads to be recreated live perfectly.

After an electronic and percussive intro, Karma kicks the album off with one of Strömblad's signature guitar leads. It is fair to say that the metal world has been missing his guitar playing, and this opening riff reminds us exactly why he is held in such high regard. E's voice is certainly poppier than anything he has ever worked with in the past, but the mix works well. E is a modern star in his own right, and it is Amaranthe's loss to lose him, and it is great to hear him handle all of the vocals in this band without having to compete with two other singers. The verses have a strong Amaranthe vibe with electronics and less guitar work, but the choruses are melodic metal gold with some strong vocal harmonies atop that intro riff. The song sums up Cyhra's sound perfectly, and it is a great number to open with. Heartrage is more overtly metal, with a tougher opening and faster, more guitar-heavy verses. Despite Strömblad's influence over the sound, Cyhra probably has more in comparison with Amaranthe than In Flames. Cyhra are certainly heavier than Amaranthe, but the melodies are just as infectious and the synths and electronics are just as prominent. This comparison might put some people off, as Amaranthe are often seen as quite a divisive band, but the melodies here are so memorable that I am sure they will be hard to resist. Here to Save You opens with an acoustic intro, but slightly thrashy riff soon kicks in to drive a strong verse. Most of the songs here have quite basic structures, but contain plenty of light and shade to keep things interesting. This song for example mixes slower and quieter sections in the verses, with heavier sections as things move towards the chorus. As expected too, the chorus is the song's focus with E's soaring vocals really standing out and carrying a fair amount of emotion with them. Muted Life opens with a slightly symphonic feel as Landenburg's staccato drumming drives everything as the keyboards stab away behind him. Most of the synths here are programmed by E and Strömblad, but some of the keyboard parts throughout the album are played by Jonah Weingarten (Pyramaze; Echoterra). The synth work dominates here, with the guitars and bass creating tough rhythms beneath. There are still moments for Strömblad to shine however, with some excellent harmony guitar leads that lead into a fantastic, but short, solo from Valovirta. Closure is a bit of a ballad with a slower intro that sees acoustic guitar chords mixed in with dense piano notes and subtle guitar leads. E's vocals are made for faster, more expressive songs, but he still does really well when it comes to ballads. His voice is instantly likeable and he sounds great when slowing down to sing something with a little more emotional weight. While the choruses here are a little heavier, with a stronger guitar presence, the song remains in the ballad category. Letter to Myself picks the pace up a bit after the slower previous number and returns to the melodic metal sound that characterises the album. The riffs here really sound like something that could have been found on an old In Flames album, but mixed with something overall more melodic. While the vocal melodies here are not as instantly memorable as those which have come previously, the song still impresses with a really smooth sound. E his some impressive high notes here too, something which he is not exactly known for, and that shows off his extensive vocal range.

Dark Clarity, with a title that sounds like it should have been an old In Flames track, opens with a great twin-lead guitar riff before everything drops out for a sparser verse that is based around an off-kilter drum pattern from Landenburg. The music on this album does not exactly provide too many opportunities for Iwers and Landenburg to really shine, as the rhythms and grooves are fairly basic throughout, so it was great to hear something different during this song. The chorus here is really poppy, with lots of synths and electronics sitting above Strömblad's basic, tough guitar rhythms. Holding Your Breath opens out like an Amaranthe song with a collection of synth sounds and a strong groove provided the drums. This vibe dominates the song for the most part, with the verses featuring relatively little guitar work as E's voice dominates. Things change for the chorus however which actually sounds a little like modern Kamelot! The slightly dark vibe that characterises that band's work is present here and it works well in contrast with the synth-heavy verses. E unleashes some more really high vocals here too which helps the song to stand out. Rescue Ride is built around a piano motif which drives the verses. Despite a more upbeat chorus, this song is mostly a fairly low key affair with verses that are content to almost boil under the surface. The chorus however is very close to the Amaranthe songbook with overtly poppy melodies that will definitely appeal to fans of E's previous band. Black Wings opens slowly, but soon builds up as Landenburg takes over with some machine gun drumming that helps the song build towards the chorus. The slightly choppy verses have a slightly emo feel about them, something which is not often found in metal, but it works well. The standout moment of this song however is the chorus. The pace slows a little here and E takes over with a really expressive and powerful vocal performance. I feel that more people will be aware of how good a singer E is after hearing this album, and this performance shows that he is more than capable of leading a band on his own. Inside a Lullaby is another slower song and one that prominently features the piano playing of Weingarten. The keyboards throughout this album are often used in a more atmospheric or rhythmic capacity, but they take the lead here as the classically-inspired melodies roll through the song as E croons atop them. Weingarten's work with Pyramaze has gained him a lot of plaudits recently, and this beautiful performance really reinforces that. It makes this song what it is, and it is a perfect ballad. The album comes to a close with Dead to Me, which features rather awkward spoken word sections that sound more like something that should be on a Five Finger Death Punch album. This is the band's only real misstep on the album in my opinion, as this chest-beating monologue really does not fit well in the song, or with the band's overall sound. Despite that, the song is still strong with a delicate acoustic build up that culminates in another excellent chorus. Cyhra really have a knack for writing memorable catchy choruses, and this could be one of the most interesting of the bunch. If only those awful spoken word sections were not a part of this song, as it would probably be one of the album's best songs otherwise! Overall, Letters to Myself is a really strong debut from Cyhra and a great reintroduction into the metal world for E and Strömblad, who have both been without bands of late. The songs here are instantly memorable and I really look forward to seeing where they go from here.

The album was released on 20th October 2017 via Spinefarm Records. Below is the band's promotional video for Karma.