Cyhra is back with a vengeance.
Formed in 2016 in Sweden by Jake E (vocals/keyboards, How we End, ex-Dream Evil, ex-Amaranthe), Jesper Strömblad (guitar, The Halo Effect, ex-In Flames, ex-Hammerfall…), Alex Landenburg (drums, Kamelot, Mekong Delta, ex-Annihilator… ) and Peter Iwers (bass, Fleetburner, The Halo Effect, ex-In Flames), the band quickly released a debut album on Spinefarm Records and welcomed Euge Valovirta (guitar, Red Wold, Godsplague, ex-Shining…).
Peter Iwers retires from the band, which releases its second on Nuclear Blast in 2019, then recruits Marcus Sunesson (guitar, Engel, ex-The Crown, ex-Night Crowned) before embarking on the composition of The Vertigo Trigger, its third album, released in 2023.
Ready To Rumble, the first track, opens with driving modern sounds, followed by a solid rhythm to which the band adds vocal parts and a few airy leads. The band adopts a slightly more melancholy touch with Lets Have My Story Told and its explosive choruses, leaving quietness to more minimalist verses on which the vocalist takes center stage, just as on Live A Little and its Hip-Hop-influenced rhythm. But strangely enough, the mix works, even placing majestic orchestrations on the intense chorus, then 1. 000.000 Fahrenheit returns to more energetic elements that make the sound catchy. There’s also a heavier, groovier break, while Buried Alive returns to a construction based on calm verses broken by more energetic choruses packed with heady melodies, then The Voice You Need To Hear lets keyboards and vocalist lead the way. A few violins and catchy tones join the duo before Life Is A Hurricane introduces heavier riffs in catchy, jerky patterns, followed by If I, which follows quite the same logic, with a few cybernetic effects added to the vocal parts. Leads are also more virulent, while the atmosphere calms down again with Fear Of Missing Out, which lets heady harmonics punctuate simple but relatively effective riffs. The band reintroduces calmer parts on Ashlight, which is adorned with soaring keyboards to contrast its rhythm before a dark break weighs the sound down, before letting the final chorus and its vocal explosion lead into Too Old For Fairy Tales, the last track, closing the album with the same elements as it began, leaving the groovy riffs to work.
Cyhra continues in the same vein, offering simple riffs with a catchy groove mixed with heady melodies and powerful vocals. The Vertigo Trigger doesn’t reinvent the style, but delivers catchy, easy-listening compositions.
70/100