Review: Cydemind – The Descent

Style: Progressive metal, Neoclassical metal, Jazz fusion (instrumental)
Recommended for fans of: Dream Theater, Haken, Artificial Language, Syncatto
Review by: Doug
Country: Canada
Release date: 4 November, 2022

I don’t know how you could have clicked past this album art without recognizing that violin is a major feature of The Descent, except maybe if you thought it was a viola (sorry to the three viola players reading this). Just in case, though, let me tell you that the violin is a major feature of The Descent. Although strings get their due representation in progressive music, especially from the more symphonic bands, it’s rare to find bands who feature a dedicated violinist or who make the violin the star of their performance; enter Cydemind. Their violin focus is not a new gimmick and is just one of the neoclassical compositional tools the Quebecois group exercise in their pursuit of great music.

While some instrumental bands sound more like they simply cut the vocals out of a regular voiced track, Cydemind’s violin feature allows them to maintain a stronger primary melody more akin to a vocalist’s traditional role. Although broken up here and there by other instrumental solos, Olivier Allard’s violin consistently stands at the forefront while the other band members provide rhythm and backing, much like the roles of the soloist and orchestra in a concerto performance. Cydemind’s composition isn’t quite so complex as one would find in classical music, but they achieve a satisfying level of depth. Plus, the album format makes for more variety of sound and better accessibility, even with two tracks longer than ten minutes. The Descent rotates through a few musical styles, some tracks showing the classical influence more fully while others appeal more to jazz or traditional metal sensibilities, but all succeed in different ways at highlighting the violin virtuoso against a pseudo-orchestral metal backdrop.

Alongside the classical foundation, The Descent owes a lot of its influence to Dream Theater and their numerous copycats. You’ll hear it most in the guitar and keyboard parts: Cydemind write excellent, complex music where the “background” parts have nearly as much depth as the main melody and both guitar and keyboard are liable to break out into impressive solos at any moment. Consider “Breach” with its tight passing of solos and melodies from one instrument to the next, each musician equally exhibiting their own personal performance while also contributing to the layered blend of harmonies. Or for a different approach, their longer and more complex tracks like “Call of the Void” and “Hemlock” develop segmented structures, their parts interconnected but each distinct and offering something new for the audience to chew on. Whatever the style, Cydemind demonstrate impressive songwriting talent all throughout their work.

I described this album in the excerpt as “A violin concerto for the modern age” and while I mean it jokingly, at least in part, I can’t deny that it’s actually a pretty apt description of The Descent. Obviously the classical influences and the format of interplay between violin soloist and backing “orchestra” paint a concerto-like picture to begin with, but there’s a more critical (and obscure) piece. A casual listener would be forgiven for overlooking this album’s inclusion of a central musical theme, which each track quotes and develops as a variation. Introduced right off the bat in “Obsessions,” the theme’s variations are most noticeable at the starts of “Breach” and “The Last Stone” and also become more evident in all their permutations the more you digest the album and come to recognize how even the more subtle and less familiar recapitulations tie the whole experience together. This is what, in my mind, establishes Cydemind as more than just the Yellowcard of prog metal: their songwriting employs that good old slow-burn flourish that, even within the insular and highly talented prog metal community, elevates bands like Dream Theater that are uniquely worth your investment of time and attention.

Many bands imitate Dream Theater in instrumentation and presentation. Some even manage a fair approximation. The rare pearls that compensate for the parade of pale imitators, though, are the elite few who replicate specifically their replayability – the subtle elements that go unnoticed on the first or even the fifth listen, but present themselves in fresh perspectives once you devote the attention to dig through the music’s layers. Cydemind are one such pearl, and The Descent gleams ever bright from within the haze of unremarkable mimics.

Recommended tracks: Breach, Call of the Void, Hemlock, honestly all of them
You may also like: Ztla, Etrange, Feather Mountain
Final verdict: 9/10

Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Official Website | YouTube | Facebook | Instagram
Label: Independent

Cydemind is:
– Olivier Allard (violin)
– Alexandre Dagenais (drums)
– Camille Delage (keyboards)
– Nico Damoulianos (bass)
– Kevin Paquet (guitars)