Track By Tracks: CYDEMIND - The Descent (2022)

1. Obsessions:

The first track, Obsessions, acts as an opening. There are rhythmic and melodic motifs from each track on the album. The opening melody acts a bit like the leitmotif of the obsession (whichever it is) and comes up several times throughout the album. It might seem too much to grasp at the first listen but once you’ve been through the whole album, going back to this one makes much more sense.

2. Hoax:

Hoax is one of the first songs we wrote for the new album, so it’s been finished for a while. It took us 3 or 4 days to write that one (it usually takes 3 or 4 months to finish one!), so it all came up pretty instinctively. We like to brand Hoax as a Funk Metal song because it really is borrowing vibes from both genres. We always liked funk bands like Vulfpeck or Snarky Puppy, and we always felt like their music would sound well with a little metal injection. So it’s basically what we did!

3. Breach:

It’s a high-energy song that we believe is going to be appreciated by many fans! While Hoax may have surprised prog fans, Breach is more in line with the classic sounds of prog metal (if there can ever be anything classic about prog!). It’s got hard riffs, a captivating chorus, and unleashed solos.

4. Call of The Void:

Darkest, most complex song of the album. This song has a big narrative structure in it.

It’s very easy to imagine a story with this one. We like to think we’re on a ship, exploring dark places after dark places!

5. Hemlock:

The longest song on the album. It starts with a guitar motif that is going to come back throughout the song. After the big, epic conclusion of Call Of The Void, it feels good to come back to something softer. The song becomes heavier and heavier, and goes into a middle section we like to call Maelstrom. Really fun to play. There’s also a very long, melancholic guitar solo that leads to a grandiose, groovy finale, where the initial motif of the guitar comes back in a triumphant way.

6. Slumber:

Slumber is a well-earned rest. Smooth, airy, and mysterious, it’s just soothing to close your eyes and let this one flow, after all the drama that went on throughout the album.

7. The Last Stone:

Even though it’s the last song of the album, The Last Stone was one of the first songs to be finished. Fans will maybe recognize some Erosion influence in it as it was written during the last weeks prior to Erosion’s release. The Last Stone uses the obsessions leitmotif quite a bit, and also the last melodic piano line of Slumber, which is going to come back in different ways throughout the song. Very heavy riffs, very catchy choruses, crazy solos, hovering ending; we think it’s an epic finale!