REVIEW: CYPHER SIGNALS “TRANSVERBERATION”

Earlier this year, I was searching online for some new heavy metal to listen to and I came across the band Cypher Signals from Mexico! I checked out their single “Signals” and was blown away! So I thought these guys would be a brilliant band to promote on the site and I was fortunate enough to land an interview with them. And now in the later half of 2023 I was excited to disocver that they have put out their debut album “Transverberation.”

“Ascent” kicks of the album in style! Ripping guitar work brings the song with 16th note high hat accents and tumbling toms! Galloping riffage is the verse backbone with silky smooth vocals of Andrea Rufin. Throughout Cypher Signals ignites with electricity and the vocals woahs fill the soundscape! A great opening track.

Earlier this year the track “Signals” was the first song to be released and was what introduced me to the band. This is an absolute belter with a plenty of flair and fire. Omar is a powerhouse on guitar along with Rodrigo who is taking full charge on drums!

“The Ultra” rolls in with a heavy dose of attitude before taking off with an epic harmonised melody! This uptempo beast number will storm past you leaving you knocked off your feet! This is certainly one of those tracks that will have a crowd pumping their fists in a sweaty venue! I love especially that about 3.00 minutes in the feel and mood of the track changes and things slow down a little.

“Overturn” is up next and we are welcomed by a more mysterious and raw opening along with a nice singing guitar melody. The track is a mix of tempos and changes between having more and less going on. Like previous songs Andreas voice stands strong and as the focus while the instrumentation comes second. One thing I do love about Cypher Signals is their energy and the palette of creative ideas the band gives us and this is certainly a great example showing off the bands colours. Full of texture and depth, this is certainly a great mid album track.

Next up we have a proper stomper ready to get some fists pumping and heads banging! “Dance to Profane” is a simple yet solid mid tempo number that gets straight to the point. While not as stand out as some of the other songs on the album it has some moments where it shines. And it seems to gain a bit more interest as we to get to the later half of the song.

“Hierarch of Death” is up next and we start of with that classic heavy metal bass pattern mixed with some menacing guitar riffs. Once again this another mostly mid tempo track that is straight to the point that chugs along looking for something to get its teeth stuck into. Eventually it picks up only for a brief time with some light melodies before coming to an end.

“Largo Adios” continues the whole mid tempo vibe we have seen in the past couple of songs. And this song certainly seems to be a bit more interesting. It has a little bit more going on though and certainly a bit more feeling running in the vocals and guitars. But otherwise it is nothing stand out.

We finally come to the last track of the album named “The End of Me.” And straight away, as soon as the track kicked of I was thinking that is so much better! The band raise the tempo and we get some proper kickass heavy metal. There is a nice dose of energy, the drums are dancing around and the guitars and bass are ripping. The song has a great structure and feels well written and I am certainly glad they saved it to the end of the album. The play between tempos gives it that variety that keeps me interested. A big thumbs up.

Conclusion

I discovered Cypher Signals early on 2023 with their track “Signals” and I absolutely loved what I heard. So when I found out that the band were releasing their debut album I got pretty excited.

Now after listening to the album you have the bear in mind it is their first full release. It starts of with some really great tracks especially in the first half of the album with tracks like “Ascent” and the track I mentioned “Signals.” But with the second half of the album nothing sadly really caught my attention. The later tracks felt lacking and didn’t really give that punch that the first few songs did. Nether the less not a bad album all in all!

Cypher Signals have got so much potential to grow in to something really special. I hope they keep the melodic aspect at the forefront of their music as I feel this is a strength along with the vocal work of Andrea. Their debut is solid and far from a bad album and I feel they are still trying to find their sound.

I am really hopeful for these guys and I am excited to see what they put out in the future! I wish them nothing but the best!