aaamusic | On 30, May 2011

If there were still any active volcanoes in Wales, along with ash and molten lava, Kryophere would most definitely also be expelled. They’re large, attention grabbing and oh so volatile sounding in their spanking new debut album, Hiraeth. But what makes them so different from other metal bands? At first impressions it seems not much. Epic and moody band name? Check. Long, mosh-worthy hair? Check. Pig-screeching vocals? Check. Imperceivable lyrics? Check…But wait one moment, is that a Midi we can see? No band can be seen without one nowadays, it’s almost an industry ‘must’, and this is where Kryophere begin to save themselves from drowning in a sea of their own stereotypicality. There are some very intriguing instances in the album, one of the most inventive is the sample of a starting car being infused with the instrumental sound of an explosion. Nice. If we really listen hard we begin to notice that there are actually up to three different vocals flinging the lyrics in a track between them like Piggy in the Middle. There is nothing about this particular setup that detracts from their music, we all know that listeners like variety in their music. Assume The Position, first track off the album and the most widely distributed, is an example of Kryophere at their height – it brings together everything that lay separate in the album, such as the relay-styled vocals, the relentless beat and the synths that transforms portions of their album into atmospheric soundtrack music. The  micro-detailing in other tracks such as Generation Seven and Serious Fun may be temporarily reminiscent of Evenessence and Linkin Park respectively (tentative link) but they never stray from the core nature of metal. So do not be fooled, there is restricted access Hiraeth – metal fans only please.

Author: Angel Lambo