Review Summary: The Cyberiam deliver a balanced reinterpretation of Rush-ian prog rock but with a modern twist.
Connected is an album I heard about long before its release date in early August, but it seems like most of the hype that revolved around this album in the prog-rock community became somewhat quiet upon release. Perhaps this is because the album fulfilled everyone's expectations, achieving nothing less. But to every metaphorical cup half-full, there simultaneously exists a cup half-empty. Is Connected by The Cyberiam truly one that succeeded just enough to meet the benchmark, or is there something more to this album than people gave it credit for?
Well, I would say "Mostly yes". This is worth an additional spin for those who've heard it one-and-done. Firstly, I'd like to contextualize the album a bit. Connected is somewhat of a concept album written and performed entirely during the pandemic. Adjacently, the album's themes are entirely commentaries on interpersonal dilemmas that have been exacerbated by quarantine, disinformation, and communication through the internet. Secondly, the reason why this album was so hyped, to begin with, is because each of the members have such exceptional resumes that it is almost laughable. Their drummer has a long history of side projects and is also an actor who has many background roles in shows and as film extras. Their keyboardist was a student of Jordan Rudess. And their lead vocalist/guitarist was on the music competition shows: American Idol and The Voice. That is really not something you hear too often from members of a prog rock/metal band.
To begin talking about what Connected sounds like, it would be best described as a very studied combination of Rush, Enchant, and Porcupine Tree, with a smaller hint of 90s Dream Theater. I use the word "studied" here in a good way because they have done research on a lot of classic prog-rock bands but take their now-older sound to the modern era; modern themes, modern musical concepts, and a modern-sounding mix and production. Fans of these bands will know what they are getting into but will be pleasantly surprised with what innovations The Cyberiam brought to the table. However, there are times where the band will make explicit nods to their idols which can come off as tacky to some people; like in the intro riff of "Wilde Things" where they take from Rush's "2112".
And to elaborate more on the mix: it is superb. Andy VanDette, the sound engineer behind many Rush, Metallica, U2, and Smashing Pumpkins albums is responsible for this Connected's mix. The way it's done particularly brings out the quality of the rhythm section of the music's layering, and as an enjoyer of Cynic style tech-death, I love hearing a pronounced bass in the mix. And this album does more than gives the groovy bass its fair share of shining moments. It is more uncommon than it should be for underground prog metal artists to give a balanced instrumental mix; not to overshadow one of the instruments in favor of another. But in Connected, everything can be heard very audibly depending on what one is in the mood to focus on. Even the vocals do not overstep the rest of the instruments.
That being said, this does not mean that The Cyberiam has weak vocals. Quite the contrary, Keith Semple may be the most memorable member of the band's performance. His vocals are very reminiscent of a young Ted Leonard from Enchant, maybe to an uncanny level. He is very well equipped to deliver the album's most touching moments and more than a handful of strong vocal melodies. One of my favorites is his performance on the song "Connected", which is a somber, ballad-esque song with a moody acoustic guitar over some introspective keys, while Keith Semple sings his heart out about how the people of the world are becoming more disconnected from one another. Once we start becoming accustomed to online communication as our primary method of human contact, we sacrifice physical intimacy for conversational convenience. The ending guitar solo with its melodic reprisal really drives this song home with great success.
The Cyberiam is very good at spending time building up momentum to deliver significant emotional climaxes. However, this means that a lot of their songs will end up being on the longer side, which is not a bad thing if the songs are written well. For instance, the song "Interrogation Room B" opens the album up with some of its most instrumentally progressive and technical material and builds up to a climax with a multiplicity of instrumental solos. This song does its job well to build up hype for what is to come. But as far as the length of the entire album goes, this whopper stands at a formidable 71 minutes long. This certainly warrants the listener to critically question the necessity of the album's length. Does this really need every minute of its time? Were we ever bored at any time during the album? Honestly, at times, yes. The first 7 songs are all "A" material, but the last two songs composing the final 20 minutes of the album, really drag on with few substantial melodies or interesting musical concepts to justify their length. They don't flow very cohesively and feel scatterbrained at times.
All in all, this is a very solid album. There are a lot of comforting themes in this for classic prog rock fans, but it has a modern flair to separate it from its influences. Additionally, it has a fair amount of prog metal undertones in many technical moments in the bass/guitar riffs and solos. And harkening back on the question of whether The Cyberiam played this too safe or not: from their last album, they have certainly changed up their style a good bit and have taken a few risks. Some of them paid off, some of them didn't. But we are left with something that has a lot of listening potential, especially for fans of music that lies on the brink of prog rock and prog metal.
Attribution: https://theprogressivesubway.com/2021/09/29/review-the-cyberiam-connected/
