Review: “Bound To The Kyphon” by Cyphonism

Over the past thirteen years Wolfsburg Germany based Brutal Technical Death Metal act Cyphonism have become a force to be reckoned with, their 2022 sophomore album “Cosmic Voidance” an absolute beast of a record. Soaked in dark themes of Philosophy, Mankind, Transcendence and Heresy it was very well received, painting a nightmarish vision with elevated performances. However all was not well and soon enough, original guitarist Julian Müller was left as the last man standing. Refusing to give up on his dreams in “Depraved Modern Death“, he began a search for fresh blood and soon found drummer Levin Mueller and bassist Hedi Tej from Enclaved as well as Divine Noise Attack vocalist Alexander Sobczak. Together they created EP “Bound To The Kyphon” and so begins a dark new dawn…

A classic Alfred Hitchcock movie style introduction ushers in the schizophrenic “Bound To The Kyphon“, a brutal attack in buzzsaw guitars and pounding percussion accompanied by savage vocals from Sobczak. He paints a nightmarish vision in abject horror as if torn from the pages of the serial killer in Se7en, describing his inner turmoil with lines like “As I transcend the mortal coil twisted and torn for martyrdom, In Misery’s grip I glimpse the holy light” reverberating around the skull like a bullet ricochet. As bleak and brutal as the opening cut is “Extraction Of The Soul” takes it to the next level. A quote from The Good Place sets the scene for the slaughter of the soul before the blood gargling vocals take hold. Odd time signatures and quirky moments in the guitars keep you on the edge of your seat, never quite sure of where the violent turbulence will take you while flirtations with Groove Death are an absolute pleasure. There is so much going on that it this one needs a few spins to take it all in and even then there are some nuances in the mix that pop out like Pennywise at the least expected moment.

Staccato riff breaks and black hole level crushing atmospherics offer a storms warming with “Swarm Of Sadistic Deities“, the band making sure their presence is felt in every one of the four corners of the globe. There is even an eerie melodic moment in the final third of this one which may catch you off guard but ensures that the full throttle finale can plough a fresh furrow through your cranium. “Heretik Sanctum” has an earworm opening riff that feels like it originated in the Florida Death Metal scene in the 1990’s, Sobczak’s throat shredding vocals keeping the band on the straight and narrow before the blast beats begin. A genre masterclass, this one has it all, from the ominous lyrics to the neck snapping riffs, the rhythm section deserving a lot of credit. A tale of science fiction horror and rumbling bass “Iron Flesh Messiah” feels like an ode to Skynet with gloriously dark instrumental movements. Some eerie dissonance and jackhammer footwork from Mueller add a spice that’s nice before a final wave of brutality goes straight for the jugular. Pan pipes, acoustic guitars and synths might be the last things you’d expect on a record like this but with a distinctive 1980’s VHS movie soundtrack flare about it “Outro” could well be influenced by Fulci [8/10]

Track Listing