Cyhra's 'Requiem for a Pipe Dream' - Album Review

It is always a shame when a band that seemed to hold a lot of promise seems to fizzle out creatively early on - quickly failing to capitalise on the aforementioned promise and instead becoming a weaker overall prospect. One band that I was really quite excited about early on is Cyhra - the Swedish pop metal supergroup that was originally put together by frontman Jake E and guitarist Jesper Strömblad when the two decided to join forces after originally agreeing to work on each other's solo albums. I am not sure exactly when the band was formed, but their debut album, Letters to Myself (which I reviewed here), dropped in 2017 - and it was an album that I enjoyed from the off. Given that E had recently left the pop metal act Amaranthe and Strömblad is a legend of the Gothenburg metal scene, most notably as a member of In Flames, Letters for Myself felt like a real combination of those two worlds. The focus might have been more on E's past, given the hooky and accessible nature of the material, but Strömblad's riffs and sense of melody are both recognisable from a mile off - and there was enough of the latter's influence to ensure that there was still quite a bit of bite. Cyhra could have been a bit of a one-off, but they became a going concern - with No Halos in Hell (which I reviewed here) dropping in 2019. Looking back, I think that Letters to Myself is the stronger album - but No Halos in Hell saw the band smooth out their sound and really showcase their own, distinct approach. It was also the first album to feature guitarist Euge Valovirta as a full-time band member and songwriter. Valovirta's influence certainly reduced the band's reliance on Strömblad's distinct style - but No Halos in Hell did not contain any real warning signs. During the next few years I ended up seeing Cyhra live three times: once in 2019, once in 2020, and once in 2022. They impressed each time, and their 2022 set at Bloodstock Open Air saw a new song played - which warmed me up for 2023's The Vertigo Trigger (which I reviewed here). Reading my review back now, I was fairly positive about the album at the time - but my view on it has soured. It is an album propped up by a handful of strong songs - but there are also quite a few bland numbers included and, in truth, it was the start of a decline. Despite being credited as the band's bass player on the album and as part of group songwriting credits, reading the CD's booklet in more detail revealed that Strömblad did not play on the album nor co-write any of the songs. Strömblad's has rarely played live with the band, as has been typical of his general involvement in his various projects over the past decade or so, but his complete lack of involvement in the third album was strange - especially as the band seemed to try and bury this information. Three years on, then, and we come to album number four - with Requiem for a Pipe Dream dropping last month. I have to say, I had no idea this album was coming out until about two weeks before it was released. I had not been keeping up with the pre-release singles, as the first one that dropped without any reference to a new album did little for me - and I started to accept that Cyhra were, perhaps, no longer for me. I had to give the new album a go, though, and I was pleased to see when I got the CD that Strömblad was actually involved this time. It seems guitar and bass duties were shared throughout between him, Valovirta, and Marcus Sunesson - Strömblad's live replacement who has since become a full-time band member. Strömblad also co-wrote five of the songs here - so I had higher hopes for something more akin to the first two albums before my first listen.

Sadly, though, a few Strömblad co-writes does not save this album. Requiem for a Pipe Dream is certainly not terrible, but it is easily the weakest Cyhra album so far - and it lacks the handful of standout tracks that made me stick with the last album despite being quite the step down from what came before. There is no real bite here, with the guitar riffs largely buried in thick layers of synth - and overall there is relatively little to write home about. There are a handful of decent tunes here, though, and opening cut Bleed with Pride is one of them. The song's opening riff certainly harks back to the melodic style of those first two albums, but there is a strong synth presence over the top of it which does round off some of the edges. Melody-wise, though, the song is on the stronger side. The guitar harmonies and riffs do recall that melodic death metal edge that Strömblad brought to the band originally - and there is a bit of crunch to the verses. The chorus is typical of the album's overall approach, though, as it is a bit bloated with too much synth, formless guitar rhythms, and vocal harmonies. The last album did not feel that well produced from memory, unlike the first two, and this album is similar at times - with an unclear and stuffed mix sometimes that fails to let any nuance shine through. The chorus vocal hooks are decent, though, and E sounds fine vocally - so the combination of this and the decent riffing gets the album off to a reasonable start. Superman follows, which was one of the singles released prior to the album being released - but sources online suggest that it, and some of the other singles, have been re-recorded. I think that this was the song that turned me off when I heard it last year, but it has grown on me somewhat - even if it lacks in any real metallic moments. There is very little riffing here, with crunching guitar rhythms about as metal as the song gets, although the drumming from Alex Landenburg is quite hard hitting and punchy at times. Mix-wise, this song sounds a bit clearer. E's voice sounds much clearer, and he sounds pretty good during the chorus - even if there is a lack of weight generally throughout. Some of the chorus melodies do stick in the brain after a few listens - and the use of subtle harmonies and pop refrains largely works well. A riffier approach would have been welcome, though. Miss Me When I'm Gone opens with a chiming synth melody - under which a bassline, which also sounds like it comes from a synth, rumbles away. Whilst the rest of the band later kick in during the chorus, this opening verse is pure pop. Occasional programmed drum beats later join in, and E starts to sing - his vocal melodies pure modern pop with a hip-hop edge. This is not really what I want in my metal, even in a pop metal song such as this, and overall this song is one that gives me cause for concern going forward with Cyhra. The chorus is weightier, but none of the flash of the first two albums is found in the riffing or melody approach - and a later instrumental section, which is a little heavier, just consists of some very processed, groovy guitar riffs. It feels like a token inclusion - and sadly quite a bit of the album is like this.

Ghostbound is a bit more like it, though, as it opens with a pretty hooky harmony lead guitar motif which harks back to the early days of the band. I do not need Cyhra to sound like In Flames, but that melodic approach, especially when considering guitar leads, was a big part of the band's core sound - and so much of this album lacks such. This song is one of the best cuts, though, as it has some energy to it and actually fuses a proper metallic approach with the band's pop sensibilities. The opening guitar melodies are hooky as detailed, whilst there is generally some bite and a heaviness throughout. The verses are chunky, with percussive drumming and strident vocals from E, whilst the chorus ups the pace - introducing some proper double bass drumming and vocal hooks which recall power metal somewhat. The chorus sticks in the brain, and is one of the album's strongest moments, whilst the guitars are ever-present - going back and forth between heavier riffing and melodic leads. This song shows that Cyhra can still write strong songs like they used to - but it seems that this is a sound that they no longer wish to focus on. In the Center of a Miracle returns to a much more overtly poppy sound - with synths and effects-heavy piano melodies dominating early on. The song is something of a ballad, albeit a bit chunkier in places, but E's vocals are very emotive and ballad-coded - especially as the verses are largely just the aforementioned piano, some programming, and vocals. There is some crunch to later verses, but they never feel truly metallic - whilst the guitars feel a bit lifeless during a somewhat amped-up chorus, even if E's vocal melodies here are decent. It is certainly not a bad song, but everything feels so processed and overproduced - and it is another cut that has a bit of a muffled mix at times due to too much happening at once. Skin from Bones is a bit heavier again, as the song opens with a groovy riff, backed by some stop-start double bass drumming, and overlaid by an industrial-sounding guitar lead. Whilst certainly not a song that is going to compete with the best that Cyhra have done in the past, compared to many of the blander cuts here, Skin from Bones at least has some life to it. The main riff is quite memorable and the grooves are a little tech metal-inspired - but then the song adopts more hip-hop influences during the second verse, during which E adopts a semi-rapped approach vocally. It sounds so awkward and somewhat ruins the song for me - although there are still parts of it that I like. The chorus is decent - but another instrumental section that consists of a slow-moving, effects-heavy guitar riff also acts as a let down. Ghost I'm Meant to Be opens with some more harmony guitar melodies. Strömblad's melodic approach is very much evident here - and this is another song that overall I like quite a bit. There are clear links back to the older albums - with a good mix of guitar leads, overall weight, and pop hooks. The verses are not the heaviest, but a strong bass presence and a strident E vocal suits the stripped back arrangement - and it always clearly one of those songs that builds towards its chorus, which ends up being cinematic and smooth with big vocal hooks. There is even something of a guitar solo towards the end of the song - something of a rarity on this album.

Mark of My Sins continues in a fairly crunchy manner. There might not be plentiful guitar leads and melodies here, but the riffing throughout is quite strong. There is some energy here, too, even if the pace is not all that high. The riffing throughout has something of an industrial feel, with the riffs having something of a danceable feel at times - but the vocal melodies throughout are not all that memorable in my opinion. E has a history of writing really strong vocal melodies, both for Amaranthe and for Cyhra, but they are lacking on the whole throughout this album I think. There are some standout moments as I have already indicated, but his choruses do not pop as they usually do too often here - and I also feel as if he is generally singing in a less powerful way, perhaps in attempt to sound more pop than metal. This is a song with some of the right ingredients, then, but I think it is let down melodically - particularly from a vocal perspective. Venom in Me opens with some flashy guitar melodies, and overall this is a song which gets more right than it gets wrong. The chorus is another with a stuffed mix, and I wish that some of the synths were stripped away, but E sounds much better here - with some more intricate melodies and he throws in a few tricks, including a higher-pitched section, to make the chorus pop. The song is pretty weighty throughout, too, with some pretty decent riffing at times - even if the harmony melodies from the song's intro end up having less of an impact as they should, with synth melodies dominating later on. The album then comes to a close with Box with Spirits, which feels more subdued than the last couple of numbers. There is some quite busy guitar riffing throughout the verses, which is nice, but it is largely mixed into the background - with synths and the bass taking a more prominent role. A few In Flames-esque harmony guitars are thrown in, which again are welcome, but this is another song that never really feels like there is enough bite here. So much of this album, even when there are riffs churning away in the background, just feels quite lightweight - and the overt heavier sections, particularly instrumental moments, rarely feel like proper metal. There are some better riff-led moments here, though, but there are also more of those effects-heavy riffy sections that go nowhere - although there is a proper guitar solo here which is certainly welcome. Again, this is song with some good ingredients - but a lack of real conviction, and it is perhaps fitting that the album ends in this manner as it sums up the album's overall character. It is a shame, really. I do not hate this album, but I cannot see it having any real staying power with me - especially as the previous one did not either and that was better overall. There are a few decent songs here, but nothing rivals the band's best work of the past - with even songs like Ready to Rumble on the previous album a step up compared to what is served here. Cyhra are certainly a band that I have much less interest in now than I once did - particularly given than I only genuinely like about half of their catalogue by this point. Requiem for a Pipe Dream may be where I get off the Cyhra train - but I still hope that the future can bring the bite back to this band.

The album was released on 5th June 2026 via Reigning Phoenix Music. Below is the band's promotional video for Superman.