The origin of black metal could easily be traced back to the early 80’s and the British band Venom. However, it was a decade later in Norway with bands like Mayhem and Darkthrone that the heavy metal subgenre truly began to take shape. The grim, lo-fi sound of early Darkthrone has undoubtedly influenced the French experimental duo, Spektr. Their third album, Cypher is a dark, ambient homage to early 90’s black metal.
Aside from the occasional sampled dialogue, Cypher is an entirely instrumental album. In the absence of a vocalist, the heavily distorted, atmospheric guitar work of Hth takes center stage. The ominous riffs that propel these songs evoke the spirit of classic black metal. Sadly, like many albums of its kind, Cypher is crippled as a result of being unnecessarily under-produced.
Many of the early black metal albums were poor quality recordings, initially due to budgetary issues or a lack of studio availability. The lo-fi production quality quickly became a trademark of the black metal sound and inspired bands to embrace this raw recording approach. Even though Spektr are more experimental than many of their peers, they have chosen this traditional black metal production style for all three of their albums. While Cypher is a slight step up from the previous two, it still suffers from an awkwardly mixed drum sound that comes across more as incompetent rather than conventional.
If you are able to accept the amateurish aspects of the album, it is possible to find yourself getting drawn into the ambient quality of the songs. Even under the intense layers of distortion, the melancholic core of Cypher always shows through. The almost psychedelic nature of the compositions, further accentuated by occasional electronic interludes, allows for an unusual yet successful variation on the black metal sound.
With the right production, Cypher could have been an exceptional contemporary black metal album. Maybe I am a bit too obsessed with the quality of modern recordings, but I believe that merciless criticism is necessary when essentially anyone can record a decent sounding album in their bedroom. But, over the course of three albums, Spektr have clearly established their style and are vehemently sticking to it. I completely understand that their hearts are stuck in 1994, I just wish that their heads were here in 2013.
