Review Summary: She wrote this for Him. He will never hear it.
Cenobia is a mysterious multimedia project, the only detail of which I have discerned after months of music video releases being Her Australian nationality. The project encompasses a slick presentation complete with a distinct visual language on display with a video for every track, an ever-unraveling lore telling of a loose concept contained in a diverse, engaging packaging of modern metalcore and adjacent influences.
Cenobia's videos depict a sort of Dark Souls boss-type figure, a vengeful spirit shroud in black, wearing an unconventional crown with long, piercing nails, blood often flowing, scenes of drowning and being overcome and hooded faceless figures looming over her. Indeed, the figure referred to only as She or Her, laments in her songs the wrongs visited upon her by some obscured former companion referred to in kind as Him.
She remains the focal point of the experience at all times - Her vocal delivery really bears out the gamut of painful recollections she sings about. Her singing voice instantly transforms into pained shrieks, furious growls or aggravated screams as quickly as lightning flashing, illuminating Her painful recollections contained in the lyrics. Or as in
Make Us Whole Again her mournful tone swells like a sea of sadness as She pleads for reunification. This moment of forgiveness and weakness does not last for long, as She is imminently consumed by the anger she evidently carries towards Him. The diversity of Her vocal performance is the absolute lynchpin of this project, a variety of styles all performed to an excellent standard, drenched in emotion that causes a visceral reaction, dragging the listener down alongside Her spiralling reminiscence to feel every ounce of rage, sadness and regret that come from a love that has scorned once too often.
As alluded to earlier, little to nothing can be discerned about the rest of the project. There is a 'full band' sound at play here but whether this is a mono-artist setup, a band or an entirely digital production I couldn't say. The music definitely errs towards the contemporary modern melting pot of metalcore-adjacent genre influences. Clean and tight production, chuggy guitars, rather straightforward and crisp drumming patterns - all of it is fitting if not exactly outstanding. However, the music carries the tone of the vocals and lyrics, accentuating them beautifully without becoming the focus, allowing Her to remain central to the entire performance. There is an earnestness to the approach of this particular sound, whereas many established acts have purposefully drifted towards this style, this project feels like it was always envisioned as such rather than a type of cynical trend-chasing exercise. I encourage those who hold an automatic distaste for anything tagged modern-metalcore to try this, I would argue that
Cenobia applies this style without the vapid popularity seeking it is often abused for. There is a true harmony between the vocals and music whereby they compliment each other adeptly, the music following Her ever-varying vocals wherever they may lead.
My enjoyment of this EP was doubtlessly helped by its runtime of thirty minutes spread across six tracks. Each song feels like its own concept, each possessing its own pacing and rhythms but united by the ongoing lyrical concepts and themes. The experience ends before a sense of monotony can intrude, something I suspect could happen if this was a full LP. Going forward, if
Cenobia was to keep this project as interesting as I find it currently, the lyrics will have to move on to a next chapter - perhaps what happens after letting go of all of these deeply negative emotions that crowd Her like the darkest of skies. The pain She refers to will be relatable to many, but a rebirth will be fitting after this emotional purge as more wallowing can too easily become rote and stale. This is indeed hinted at in the latest video for closer
Constellations with it's golden visuals and slightly brighter musical tone certainly telegraphing a new dawn. As a note, while I contend the songs can be enjoyed perfectly fine on their own, there is much to be gained from the full video experience - clearly a lot of effort went into these, and the videos certainly assist with immersion into Her world and feelings.
With this I'm happy to recommend this EP as a promising debut, and I will be watching eagerly to see where this project moves in terms of creative direction. Performance wise, everything was satisfying and praise-worthy. If the writing goes on to be engaging and evolving, I'm all on board for where She leads me next.
