Review Summary: The re-union of the former Zero Hour singer Erik Rosvold and Tipton brothers could not have been more successful as they produce their finest work to date.
Let’s get the facts straight. DeEvolution is the best progressive metal album of 2011. It manages to avoid the tired routines most other prog metal acts circle around and focus on the factors that actually matter: deep atmosphere, memorable melodies and stylish instrumentation that never detracts from the songs. In other words, Cynthesis seems to be channeling more from the likes of Pink Floyd and even Porcupine Tree than from Dream Theater. But what really gives them the advantage over all these bands, is the pure quality of the singer Erik Rosvold.
The vocals on this album are amazing. I can hardly stress this enough. Not only does Rosvold have a great range, he makes reaching any note sound effortless. He never sounds like he has to strain his vocal chords and simply possesses a great tone. But most importantly, he sings good vocal melodies. In the mellow sections, he quite literally carries the album on, making sure that no moment sounds dull. Rosvold's emotional delivery also makes the futuristic concept behind the lyrics all the more convincing.
The other members pull equally impressive performances to support the vocals. The mix gives room for every single instrument and especially allows the bass of Troy Tipton to take an important role, which is only a good thing. Far too few metal bands take advantage of bass as an instrument that can be placed in the spotlight. The guitar work of Jasun is equally admirable and deserves special praise for holding back when necessary and playing as a part of the whole rather than as the central instrument. The drumming of Sean Flanegan is also professional, if not anything extraordinary as the band stays rather mid-tempo for the most part with ‘Divided Day’ offering the only blast beats on the album. The ambient keyboards provide the background for a big part of the album, the extra layers contributing towards the immersive, at times even cinematic atmosphere.
And atmosphere is what Cynthesis really succeed in. Different sections of songs are seamed together very naturally, with songs like ‘Profits of Disaster’ and ‘A Song of Unrest’ building up from Erik Rosvold’s vocals accompanied only by clean guitars and light keyboards to the moment the rest of the band kicks in. Other songs follow different formats, but they all share the sense of all the pieces being in the right places.
With DeEvolution Cynthesis have succeeded in not only making a throughout solid debut release, but also beating their contemporaries with bigger progressive metal names like Dream Theater, Symphony X and Opeth failing to match DeEvolution with their 2011 efforts, making this a good candidate for the progressive album of the year -title. In short, if you’re a fan of atmospheric rock or metal, you owe yourself to check Cynthesis out.
