Fractal Cypher

Le qualificatif « progressive » se colle à merveille à la sonorité de Fractal Cypher. En 2018, cette formation montréalaise a lancé son nouveau mini-album et une fois de plus, nous pouvons nous dire que le talent déborde chez Fractal Cypher.

Avec The Human Paradox, lancé deux ans auparavant, Fractal Cypher en avait surpris plus d’un grâce à sa maîtrise sur le genre metal aux tendances progressives. En novembre dernier, le groupe proposait Prelude To An Impending Outcome, un EP d’une durée de 34 minutes et des poussières… stellaires!

En proposant 4 chansons toutes dotées d’une dose de complexité tout en demeurant excessivement accrocheuses, Fractal Cypher réussit à maintenir notre intérêt face à sa musique.

Actif sur scène, le groupe proposera de nombreuses dates en 2019 dont celle du 11 janvier alors que Fractal Cypher profitera de sa présence aux Foufs de Montréal pour effectuer le lancement officiel de Prelude To An Impending Outcome.

Aussi présent sur l’affiche, la formation Darkeon qui effectuera, elle aussi, le lancement de son album Shattered Monolith. De plus, les groupes Unbeing, Moth et Unveil se joindront à cette carte, nous donnant une soirée plutôt bien remplie! - Yannick Tremblay

Depuis une dizaine d’années, je me rends compte que j’écoute de plus en plus de musique progressive. J’ai toujours eu une prédisposition face à ce genre mais maintenant, mon ouverture face à ce genre se veut plus grande. C’est probablement en relation directe avec le fait que de plus en plus de groupes réussissent à se démarquer dans le domaine.

Comme Fractal Cypher. Ce groupe nous vient de Montréal et nous présente son premier album qui possède déjà la sonorité d’un groupe d’expérience qui roulerait depuis au moins une bonne décennie.

La production se veut impeccable, les compositions sont copieuses au niveau des arrangements et Fractal Cypher possède cette qualité qui se veut bien importante pour le genre : allier la complexité musicale avec des mouvements sonores accrocheurs.

Pour Lost, certains te diront Dream Theater pour la dimension riche face au son tandis que d’autres souligneront Three(3) pour ce qui est de l’accessibilité des mélodies, comme sur Endless Circle et surtout, The Ghost of Myself.

Avec des mouvements plus berçants, on se rend compte que le groupe peut t’amener vers le domaine plus calme de sa musique car avec des chansons comme Awekening ou Shining a While, c’est plutôt apaisant comme morceaux.

Mais lorsque le groupe est en mode métal, les riffs se veulent costauds et les bass drums mitraillent adroitement comme sur Idle Words ou Final Abode.

Du gros calibre, du prog métal surfin et qui ne sera pas gênant de mettre dans mon Top 2016 Québécois! Et de plus, ça nous vient d’ici! - Yannick Tremblay

Formation montante dans le monde du métal progressif québécois, FRACTAL CYPHER nous arrive pour son deuxième album avec un EP de quatre titres d’une durée d’un peu plus de 34 minutes. Le groupe ne renie certainement pas ses influences sur ce disque dont le titre est tout aussi intriguant que rempli de promesses : « Prelude to an Impending Outcome ».

Premier morceau de l’album, « Coming Back to Life » démarre doucement sous un air rappelant l’album « End of Silence » de la formation DREAMSCAPE pour tranquillement évoluer jusqu’à une section instrumentale génialement entraînante. C’est ensuite que vient la pièce « The Grandeur of it All ». À la suite d’une introduction jazzy, l’auditeur passe en l’espace de quelques secondes de « Under a Glass Moon » à « Forsaken » de DREAM THEATER. Les influences de DREAMSCAPE refont ensuite surface à l’approche du solo où la guitare de Vincent BRUNEAU et le clavier de Ludovick DAOUST se relaient de façon superbe. On entend également la similitude entre certains passages de la partie instrumentale de cette pièce et « Biosfear » de CIRCUS MAXIMUS. Troisième titre du disque, « From the Above and to the Stars » est de loin le plus agressif des quatre. Le travail à la voix de Simon LAVOIE y est à son meilleur alors que le refrain est très accrocheur. Comme pour rappeler à l’auditeur que le groupe pourrait exceller dans tous les styles, le batteur Steven COPE amène l’agressivité de la pièce à un autre niveau lorsqu’il y fait excellent usage de ses grosses caisses. « Red Lady » vient ensuite clore l’album sur des airs plus enjoués, mais non pas moins complexes rappelant tantôt l’album « Train of Thought » de DREAM THEATER, tantôt l’album « Imagine » du groupe STRIDE.

En conclusion, Fractal Cypher puise ses influences chez diverses formations dans un langage où complexité rime parfaitement avec émotion. Rares sont les groupes qui parviennent à joindre de façon si harmonieuse ces deux aspects fondamentaux de la musique progressive sans n’être qu’une pâle copie d’autres groupes déjà existants. Ce résultat imminent que nous promet FRACTAL CYPHER pourrait d’ailleurs bien voir l’élève y dépasser le maître dans un avenir très rapproché. - Benoit Rancourt

Après un premier album fort apprécié paru en 2016, les Québécois de Fractal Cypher nous reviennent avec un bel EP de plus de 30 minutes. Et disons le tout de go, il s'agit de 30 minutes de bonheur progressif.

Là où "The Human Paradox" était volontiers démonstratif, technique et pouvait manquer de sobriété, ce nouvel effort démontre une sensibilité et une richesse mélodique de tout premier plan. Avec 'Coming Back To Life', les choses s'installent doucement, de façon progressive et sublime. Le piano/voix des premières minutes démontre une capacité d'émotion et de légèreté très appréciable, la mélodie étant le premier argument. La voix de Simon Lavoie (ça ne s'invente pas) se pose avec délicatesse sur les arpèges délicieusement égrainés par Ludovick Daoust. Lorsque les autres protagonistes entrent en jeu c'est pour mieux appuyer et approfondir ce subtil travail. Lorsque l'énergie retenue se déverse dans le dernier tiers du titre c'est dans un registre purement prog, efficace mais relativement économe. Ce premier titre de 10 minutes est tout simplement superbe, sans effets de manche inutiles et confine à la perfection mélodique.

'The Grandeur Of It All' poursuit avec une sonorité un peu soft jazz au démarrage puis renoue avec le metal prog classique à la Dream Theater. Pour le coup, on a affaire à un titre débordant d'énergie, de guitare lead explosive et de clavier virevoltant. La section rythmique n'est évidemment pas en reste et on perçoit la jouissance expressive de la basse, déjà très présente sur le premier titre et l'exultation communicative de Steven Cope derrière ses fûts. Il s'agit pour le coup d'un morceau assez traditionnel mais tellement exutoire.

'From The Above And To The Stars' s'appuie sur une rythmique plus lourde et explore certaines profondeurs créant une atmosphère inquiétante qui rappelle un peu Redemption dans sa densité et se termine en piano/voix tout en douceur avant un 'Red Lady' un peu surprenant. En effet, ce titre évoque un peu le jazz façon piano bar mais laisse entendre une guitare enthousiaste. Et la chanson se déroule sur mode léger et emphatique qui évoque la sympathie et la fraîcheur. Vincent Bruneau s'en donne vraiment à cœur joie sur ce titre en particulier où il trouve la place pour laisser s'exprimer tout son talent. Il possède un savoir-faire, une musicalité et une intelligence dans la construction de ses solos qui ne reposent pas que sur une technique irréprochable.

Espérons surtout que cet EP ne mentira pas et qu'il constitue effectivement un prélude à un résultat imminent et qu'il ne faudra pas trop attendre le deuxième album qui, s'il est à la hauteur de ces quatre titres, risque de faire parler de lui.

Note : 5/5

Plus d'information sur https://www.facebook.com/fractalcypher/ - Music Waves

Fractal Cypher : un prog efficace!

C’est finalement a une heure très tardive que Fractal Cypher sont monté sur scène devant une foule visiblement réduite (c’était inévitable quand un groupe headliner embarque vers minuit). Contrairement aux groupes précédents qui y sont allés avec sobriété au niveau des artifices de scène, le groupe a opté pour un éclairage spécial qui allait de paire avec leur musique prog et ambiante. Le son était très bon dès la première chanson et tous les instruments étaient audibles. Leur plus récent EP Prelude To An Impending Outcome sorti en novembre 2018 se veut beaucoup plus soft que leur album précédent et ça leur va à ravir. Je crois même que le vocal de Simon Lavoie se prête beaucoup mieux à ce style, lui qui a une voix assez haut perchée pour du prog metal. Ils ont pigé dans leur courte discographie pour nous monter un setlist efficace et leur musicianship était très tight. Malheureusement pour eux, avec tous les retards, il a été impossible pour plusieurs de rester jusqu’à la fin et c’est vraiment dommage. Je souhaite fortement de les revoir dans de meilleures conditions et avec un public plus dense! - Maxime Pagé

C’est une très belle découverte que j’ai faite vendredi soir. Le groupe nous offre un métal progressif fortement inspiré du son des années 1990. Dream Theater à leur début et Shadow Gallery sont des groupes qui me viennent en tête. Le groupe se distingue toutefois de ses inspirations par des pointes de sonorité définitivement plus modernes; le chanteur n’hésite pas à pousser quelques grognements si la chanson le demande. Le groupe viens d’ailleurs de lancer un album, the Human Paradox, dont il nous a présenté de nombreux extraits. J’ai été impressionné par la maîtrise de leurs instruments et de la solidité des compositions. J’ai également été charmé par les sonorités de clavier « vintage » qui rappelaient les belles années de Kevin Moore avec Dream Theater. Voilà définitivement un groupe à surveiller. - Nicolas Racine

Avec une salle déjà bien allumée, la « table est mise pour les suivants, et croyez-moi, ils ne sont pas là pour passer sous silence. La formation montréalaise, Fractal Cypher s’impose dès le départ avec un son très technique, progressif, intelligent et recherché dictant chaque note proposée! Ça ne tombe pas dans l’oreille d’un sourd! Le charme est immédiat! On voit bien qu’ils n’ont pas appris à jouer en lisant «Métal pour les nuls» entre deux œuvres du précédent groupe. Sous cette musique du genre européen et Power Metal, Simon (lead vocal) livre son talent sous des teintes me rappelant parfois un mix entre Geoff Tate (Queensryche) et Jon Oliva (Savatage), du moins, jusqu’à ce qu’il pousse un torque un tantinet plus brutal à quelques occasions, offrant un registre d’autant plus intéressant. Pour l’instant d’une trentaine de minutes, ils ont la scène et en prennent entièrement le contrôle! J’en aurais pris quelques minutes de plus sans le moindre problème. Belle découverte dans mon cas. Bravo les boys!!! Au fait, ils viennent tout juste de lancer leur nouveau vidéoclip sur Youtube… «Imminent extinction» tiré de leur premier album «The Human Paradox» paru le mois dernier. Gâtez-vous et allez écouter ça! - Mr. Crowley

https://ashermedia.files.wordpress.com/2019/01/dec-jan-2019-powerplay-mag-uk-fractal-cypher.png?w=779 - Powerplay Mag UK

Fractal Cypher, a progressive metal band from Montreal, enters the heavy metal arena with their debut album, The Human Paradox. Prior to the release the band has teased fans with three singles from the album. Also of interest, in advance of the release the Cypherists have garned some praise from their peers, such as Danny Marino from The Agonist and Crypotsy's Christian Donaldson, who recorded, produced, mixed, and mastered the album. So is all this praise worth its weight? Read on.

The answer is clearly, yes. Yet with some reservations. One thing that is blatantly obvious is the breadth and depth of both musicianship and songwriting. The guys in Fractal Cypher can write imaginative songs and play extremely well together. It's like the heavy metal muses found this quintet and fused their ideas and aspirations together.
But to more specific observations. First, there's a significant keyboard presence right from the very start, like a lingering solo to begin Lost. Piano, synths, have a large role in the song compostion. It's no surprise really when you look at the song credits. Keyboard player Ludovick Daoust wrote the music for every song. The exception is Prison Planet where he was joined by guitarist Vincent Bruneau. (Both come from the Montreal band Far From Reality.) And Bruneau is a fine guitarist with solos both stinging and soaring. He has a classic hard rock and metal delivery, lesser neo-classical, though he can pull that off with some aplomb. Also of some interest is the vocal style of Simon Lavoie who, excepting some death vocals in three songs, sing melodic and clean. However, he also sounds muted within the music and so his voice is not very lucid. Even within the softer metal ballad Awakening, I had some difficulty grasping his presentation. You'll be happy you have the CD booklet and lyrics. I would imagine in a live context you will probably not be able to understand him at all. (Maybe I simply don't think he's that good of a singer, but I'm not ready to go that far.)
As for the death vocals in Lost, Prison Planet, and Imminent Extinction, they seem to be, as is so often the case these days, something of an afterthought. I've listened to all the songs, with lyrics before me and did not get the connection. They seem an addition that succumbs to modern metal commericialism. But I think that was the intent of Prison Planet, with its thrashy harsh texture throughout. Naturally and obviously, since I despire dirty vocals, and despite the musical invention in all three songs, they were my least favorite songs. Better were the songs where the melody rose with compositions that were complex yet accessible and so musically challenging such as The Ghost Of Myself, Final Abode, or the metal ballad Awakening. All said, despite some reservations, Fractal Cypher's The Human Paradox is solid progressive metal, and a fine first effort, from some very talented musicians. Defintely check it out. - Craig Hartranft

#15/50 - Fractal Cypher- The Human Paradox: The band’s debut hits this chart with a bullet. They play a style that hasn’t been heard much of since Andromeda’s “Extension of the Wish.” In other words, it is heavy as fuck melodic Prog. Now, they do add the djenty picking along with some grunts here and there to sound modern enough. I see huge potential for these guys down the road. - Glenn Harveston

Progressive Metal…those are some tough waters to navigate. For every band that plays music people actually want to hear, there are ten more who just descend into technical wankery and “Ooh, look what I can do!” passages. That being said, I was more than impressed with Montreal’s FRACTAL CYPHER and their self-released debut The Human Paradox. They manage to find that perfect balance between esoteric and accessible, and they exploit it over and over. Seriously, opener ‘Lost” is over eight minutes long, but it sure as shit doesn’t feel like it at all. “Endless Circle” is all power and fury from beginning to end, and each one of the members gets a chance to shine.

And speaking of that, next song “Shining a While” has a real distinct DREAM THEATER feel to it, sounding at times like “Another Day”, “Metropolis Pt. 1”, and “Surrounded”, all in the same track! Now this is not a dig, or a bad thing, it’s just an observation. Either way, the band is in top form. “Prison Planet” was one of my favorites because Vincent Bruneau’s guitars and Ludovick Daoust’s keyboards set the scene, and provide an ambience. I also really loved “Imminent Extinction” because it’s heavy in all the right places, while the players get to show off their chops. It also happens to be one of the more crushing tunes on the disc.

“Final Abode” is another eight-minute epic and has everyone in the group going for broke, especially drummer Steven Cope and bassist Tommy Fradette. These two are in total synch and nothing is gonna make them deviate from their path to greatness. With all of this lavish praise I’ve heaped upon the band, you might be wondering about the vocals. Relax, I’m getting there. Singer Simon Lavoie has a great voice which is perfectly suited for the music. He also has quite a range and I guarantee you’ll hear his name a lot more in future.

“Awakening” is a very pretty ballad and makes for a nice change of pace. Then “Idles World” goes and gets all “Hulk Smash!” and will have you reaching for your inhaler if you own one. Jeezus, man! This track will fuck you up, down, and sideways. Closing things out is “Ghost of Myself” which finds each and every band member putting forth their best effort. It’s like they had a team meeting and said, “We have to go out on a home run!” Guess what? They did! This is hands down the best song on the record.

When it’s all said and done FRACTAL CYPHER, with The Human Paradox, have delivered an album that will appeal to fans of prog metal as well as the guys like me who don’t give a shit about the players’ ability. We just want good SONGS, and this band delivers those in spades. Grab your copy now, order it if you have to, but make sure to get it so you can bask in the greatness. This is a group of guys who can play their asses off, and from where I’m sitting their future looks bright.

STANDOUT TRACKS: “Ghost of Myself”, “Prison Planet”, “Imminent Extinction”, “Final Abode”, “Idles World”

RATING: 9/10 - Amps and green screens

Hi Simon and welcome to Grande Rock. Do give us a brief bio of the band and also tell us how you came up with the name Fractal Cypher.

S: We are a progressive metal band, based in Montreal, Canada. The band has been founded in 2014, after a brake up of our former band. The band name “Fractal Cypher” is originally an idea of mine and Ludovick. “Fractal” is a term employed most of the time to describe a geometric shape or a design that exhibits a repeating pattern, a rough or fragmented geometric shape that constantly evolves on itself and that can be split into parts. “Cypher” means a secret method of writing to transmit a message or a code. We thought it would be cool to put the two concepts together, which means a repeating secret code that constantly evolves on itself, so it’s basically a message that can never be found.


Did the end of Far From Reality mean the beginning of Fractal Cypher or it took some time to come up with the new band? By the way, why did you disband Far From Reality?

S: The band split up after some conflicts regarding the musical direction of the band. Some wanted to keep the progressive formula more classic, and others wanted to bring the thing to another level, combining elements of different genres and blend it all together. I’ll let you guess on which side we were. Eventually, even after thorough discussions it became obvious that the gap between us was irreconcilable. We found some amazing musicians to fill the vacant spots on the bass and on the drums, so we had little to no breaks between both projects.


During the previous months you released 3 singles from your debut album and this September you finally released your first full-length album. You didn’t waste any time and you did things your way, right?

S: Things turned out pretty much the way we wanted. Nowadays, bands don’t usually release that much singles and all but we wanted to do things the old way. If it worked in 1995, it can still work today. We felt like it was the only way to do it. Everything has been carefully planned a few months prior to the release and fell into place on its own. We had the chance to work with Jon Asher, who worked as a publicist to help us have our things seen and heard, helping us to consolidate a release plan that made sense and was the more possibly efficient.


Did you have in mind to release your debut independently or you didn’t find a label to provide you with all those things you had in mind?

S: Of course we sent our stuff to some specific labels. We got a few answers back but the terms of the offers were not to our liking. We decided to go on independently because we felt that we were able to pull out everything we had in mind for the moment without the help of a label. Again, that will be called to change in the future, but for now, we are doing great the way things are. Still, when the right offer will come, we would be glad to collaborate with a label company.


Do you think it’s easier for a newcomer band to release an album on its own nowadays? Are you happy with that decision now and which are the pros & cons of releasing your album independently?

S: I think, and that is a personal opinion, that bands nowadays have no other options than to release their albums independently. The amount of good music produced worldwide every year is astronomical. The easy access to the means of productions, the cheaper cost to produce music, and the number of good “small scale” studios, out there, makes the thing accessible to a lot musicians. Despite all that, labels, on the other side, don’t invest in bands anymore the way they used to do, mainly because of the money. They’re never sure to see the color of their money back. That being said, we totally understand why they do that, who likes to lose money right? So it puts the financial burden on the bands themselves. After, if you are good and lucky enough to get the attention of the people out there, the chances rise slightly to get a record deal. But what seems to be a tendency in this new era we are living is that bands get their first record deal on the second or third album. So basically, the pros are total freedom over your material, decisions and income. The cons are that you have to pay for all your expenses, and organize everything yourself. It leaves less time to concentrate on the music instead of the business side of things.


Where does the album title “The Human Paradox” refer to?

S: It’s basically the whole “theme” of the album declined in different moods, atmospheres and stories. There’s no song on the record with that title. It summarizes the lyrical content of the album as a whole. I’ll let you judge by yourself, but you’ll have to do something real old school.... Listen to the music and read the lyrics, printed in a beautifully colored booklet.


Do give us a hint about each track…

S: “Lost”: That keyboard solo...
“Endless Circle”: A mix of modern power metal and old school prog…
“Shining a While”: For those who like 80s power ballad...but in a modern way.
“Prison Planet”: The catchiest song of the album.
“Imminent Extinction”: Get ready…
“Final Abode”: For headbangers!
“Awakening”: Features some acoustic instruments.
“Idle Words”: For those who like “djenty” stuff…
“The Ghost of Myself”: Worth a listen for the final guitar solo!


When did the recordings take place and who produced, mixed and mastered the album? The production is full & powerful, in my opinion.

S: The recordings took place in Spring 2015 until Fall. We had the album into our hands quite a while before its actual release. It was produced by Ludovick Daoust, who plays the keys in the band and Christian Donaldson, who owns The Grid Studio where we recorded it. The album was mixed and mastered by him as well. We too are very happy with the result of the whole mix. It’s no easy task to sound coherent when you blend that much stuff together. Christian pulled it off like no one else.


Do tell us about the two guest appearances on the album by Julie Jasmin on violin and Sara Jasmin on viola…

S: Well, they are friends of a few members of the band. They met in University where they were in the same music program. We invited them to play on the record and they accepted. They did a great job!


I do fancy the playthrough video for “Idle Words” as well as the lyric video for “Prison Planet”, which is one of my beloved tracks from the album. Do you have in mind to release any concept video at some point or not?

S: We are having some discussions about a possible third music video. But for now, I’ll let the suspense full. As for a concept video, it requires a tremendous amount of resources. It is in the plans, but we can’t say when.


What are your touring plans so far? Any plans to play in the US or Europe?

S: There are a few things being discussed at the moment with a few people. For now we play mainly in our area. We are at the planning stage of a hypothetical tour. Probably US more than Europe for now.


How would you describe your band’s music style to someone that has never heard of you before?

S: Metal. When I first discovered Children Of Bodom, a band that I adored back then, it was written metal beside the track title (which was “Hatebreeder”). Simple as that. I get weary of tags.


What are your expectations from “The Human Paradox”?

S: So far the reviews are great and the feedback we get is positive as well. We just wish to build a solid foundation to keep working on in the future and keep the machine alive.


What are Fractal Cypher’s long term plans?

S: Make a living out of it. It would be great to be able to live of our music.


Time for our “weird questions”!!! If you found a genie in a bottle and you only had 3 wishes what would they be?

S: 1. The Montreal Canadians win the Stanley Cup (they won’t without magical help)
2. Sylvester Stallone is 30 years old again, so he can continue to do movies where he kicks ass and has three lines to say.
3. Forget that I watched Stargate SG-1, so I can watch it again.


Are “social media” a “compulsory part” of music biz these days or bands, artists & labels can do without them as well?

S: Too serious question, I thought it was supposed to be the “weird question” time! It’s an essential part of the business to promote your product now, I fear.


If you were an animal, which animal would you be and why?

S: An Owl. No reason. Maybe because I would get to play in a Harry Potter movie.


Top 3 sci-fi movies of any era...

S: 1. Armageddon, 2. Independence Day, 3. Enemy Mine. 4. Moon…


If you could “erase” one thing from modern music, what would it be?

S: Autotune. Oh, and fake drums. No more fake drums!


Which is that band that you’d like to be part of (any time & era)?

S: As a singer, I must say Styx. First favorite band of my life.


Best 3 Prog Metal albums of all time?

S: 1. “Paradise Lost” by Symphony X – 2. “Timeline” by Ayreon – 3. “The First Chapter” by Circus Maximus…


Which is the record you wish you had written and why?

S: “Once” by Nightwish. It’s just pure perfection to me.


Were you obliged to give just one album to extraterrestrials that would represent the whole human music, which album would it be and from which band/artist?

S: I would give them a Britney Spears album, so the get the hell out of here and go back where they come from. Have you never ever watched sci-fi movies? Seriously, I really don’t know, maybe a Dream Theater album like “A Dramatic Turn of Events”. It’s soft, heavy, simple and complex.


Fill in the phrase… “Prog Metal music wouldn’t have evolved the way it did, if it hadn’t been for…”

S: Symphony X. They brought the thing to a new level with their more recent material. You can be progressive and heavy.


If you had the chance to travel in time… where would you choose to go? To the past or the future and why?

S: I would go back in the 80s because I love that period of our history. It seems like a good time to be in a band.


Best pick-up line that has worked for you several times in the past?

S: Ha-ha, nothing comes to mind.


What’s the worst thing one can say right after sex?

S: Sorry…


You have the opportunity to have sex with a movie-celebrity/porn-star of your choice. Who would it be & why?

S: Kate Beckinsale, because… just because it’s Kate Beckinsale!


Imagine that your girlfriend is selling your whole album-collection just to buy an expensive ring for herself. How would you react? J

S: I wouldn’t date that type of girl. And if she did anyway because I wasn’t bright enough to see the girl’s crazy, I would simply ask her to leave and never come back. And keep the TV for myself as a compensation.


Thx for talking to Grande Rock, Simon. Wish you and your band the best for the future… Take care dude!

S: Thank you, it was a pleasure talking to you! - Grande Rock magazine