Cipher is one of those bands that if you were to describe their unique sound to someone, they would undoubtedly be left scratching their heads and asking, “what is it that makes this band good again?” I always put up with quite an internal and external struggle when describing the band to people that have never heard them before. However, my plan of attack from now on is simple: one solid listen of the band’s latest effort, The Joyous Collapse, will do the trick just fine.
The much-anticipated follow-up to the band’s 2005 release Children Of God’s Fire, The Joyous Collapse wastes no time kicking right into their one-of-a-kind blend of melodic metalcore and a vocal delivery that falls somewhere between beat poetry and hip-hop. “30,000” kicks right in with vocalist Moe Mitchell and bassist Zack Barnett trading off vocal lines over breakdowns and arpeggiated guitar chords. The second track, “First Person Singular”, starts off in a similar fashion, with no single instrument introduction to waste any time in the track. The song rotates between melody and viciousness musically, while Mitchell’s vocal attack stays constant and spot-on. “First Person Singular” eventually ends with low spoken word over guitar feedback manipulated by guitarists Kevin Falco and Dan Bianco and a constant drum beat offered by drummer Danny Bobis.
“Stoploss Gambit”, which contains possibly one of the most moving set of lyrics on the album, follows up with an extremely melodic structure reminiscent of early Poison The Well. The band also reaches one of the most intense breakdowns on the entire album at 1:17. Technical and choppy drums accompany a sparse guitar line with bassist Barnett’s guttural roar over the complicated musical pallet. When the song kicks back in, vocalist Mitchell spits off lyrics that illustrate the storyline of the song completely: a young man’s conversation with his mother about his decision to join the American military, which ultimately leads to his death. “A cog in the wheel, in the wheel a spoke, in the spoke a seal, in the seal a hope / They say it’s better to die on your feet than to live on your knees for so much silver and gold / What if you face an erect death at the bequest of inept breadth of quivering souls?” Mitchell goes on to further paint the picture: “Wheeze as I Cleve to your breast / Grieve as I leave you in death / Plead as I leave you in debt / Reviewing flesh sleeved tissue memories it infests won’t breathe life to a still beating chest.” The song ends on a poignant guitar solo and progression of underlying guitar chords.
“Start With Aardvark” follows, a darker track that moves swiftly and slowly brings the listener into the middle of the album. “Give Us This Day” keeps up with the more eerie musical offerings from Cipher, bringing forth a 45-second-long dissonant and off-time selection with Barnett handling the vocals over the section. The track eventually kicks into one of the band’s patented melodic offerings, with a beautiful ending over cleaner guitars and a solid drum progression, which eventually leads into the twinkling of a music box. “The Fugative Whisper” breaks into the latter half of The Joyous Collapse, and Cipher shows no signs of stopping with the track. The song brings forth yet another section of heavy yet still slightly melodic hardcore.
However, the album does slow down with the title track, a section of piano and spoken word. I find it to be a more moving track, in the vein of the final track on Children Of God’s Fire, “Advancing The New Trust”. Vocalist Moe Mitchell rotates between tempo-less spoken word and on-tempo poetry, which gives the song an excitement that differs from the feelings evoked on the other tracks of the album. “Shapeshifter Paramour” is the next track, and sets the album back on track with its heavy nature. The song does this in top form, offering an intricate and scattered array of chugs from the guitars. The shortest of all the tracks on the album, clocking in at three minutes even, “Shapeshifter Paramour” still manages to bring just as much substance as any other track on The Joyous Collapse. The next to last track, “Of The Eagle And The Condor”, is probably the fastest and most frantic of the record, and calls upon the band’s prior catalog. It sounds like it would fit in perfectly on one of Cipher’s older EPs with its no-nonsense attitude and booming gang vocals. The album finally comes to a close with “We Are The Ones”, a track of epic proportions that almost reaches the seven-minute mark. The track switches between crushing and melodic and eventually fades out, leaving a piano and keyboard duet to close out the final three minutes of the song and the album.
When I first found out about Cipher’s plans to finally release another full-length record, I wasn’t anticipating something as complex and emotionally charged as this. While I feel it is their best album to date, the length of the record may not keep the attention of a first-time listener, and for that reason alone I would not recommend for one to start with this album. The band’s prior record, Children Of God’s Fire, is a great starting point and can open the door enough to let in such an epic masterpiece as The Joyous Collapse.
