Album Review: Cycle Beating - The Age Of Depression

With "Cycle beating» another young formation is entering the battlefield of modern death/thrash bands, which is currently very popular. With «The Age Of Depression», the German metal quartet unleashes their consistently brutal and at the same time groovy Thrash'n'Death debut on the metal community. "I Hate Myself" are the last words of the snappy title track and this statement is seminal for the mood that "Cycle beating» transport very successfully. Bitter disappointment and a sad atmosphere overshadow the entire album. What you hear there grabs you right from the start and won't let you go of the full 40 minutes of playing time.

Hailing from the beautiful Black Forest, this young band has dedicated themselves to Thrash Metal, thankfully embracing the heavy and raw side of the genre. «Cycle Beating» formed in 2012 to play a mixture of thrash, groove metal and hardcore and released their first album «The Age Of Depression» on their own just two years after their foundation. You can do it yourself if you know something about the subject. And the four guys from Lehr obviously do that, because not only do the CD and booklet look very professional, but there is also little to complain about the production. There's a lot of power behind it, even if one could argue about whether the vocals and the guitars should be mixed a notch more into the foreground. Be that as it may, musically «Cycle Beating» take no prisoners and mercilessly slice their way through their ten songs. There is little new to hear, but a rather interesting mixture of "Pantera", "Ektomorf" and "Sick of it All".

"Cycle Beating" also attaches great importance to melodic moments, for example, listen to "Burning Down The Bridge" or "254". These rather softer passages are welcome breaks and add extra depth to the music. On «The Age Of Depression», the atmosphere is skilfully built up with a menacing, one-and-a-half-minute string dark metal intro, including intro monologue and sound effects, and the words «This will be my last day...» to the title track in a headbang-ready, melodic thrash riff. The homeland of Thrash is just as undeniable as the impact of (Melodic) Death, all garnished with a subtle, Core-esque finish. «Cycle Beating» have a penchant for classic melody formation, which runs through many of the guitar lines. The classic melody is supplemented on the metallic side by nasty, stomping Thrash riffs, which aren't too bad for a breakdown part. The mix is ​​right, especially the string front gives many of the nine songs the right catchy character.

Cycle Beating -Burning down the Bridge-

The fast drum parts seem almost sluggish, especially on the title track, and therefore all the more menacing. Fast 32nd notes, double bass, blasts, breakdowns, that's where every beat hits. Niklas Maier's cymbal work is excellent and the very high splashes that can be heard quite often are a feast for the ears. In contrast, the singing seems almost boring. Growler Robert Wagner doesn't venture out of the single growling voice throughout the record. This can also be a stylistic device, in any case Robert's dirty vocals give the sound a pleasant old-school touch. The refrain of the title song, "This is the age of depression", unfolds an almost hypnotic effect and remains in the gray thinking pudding for a long time. Despite the harmonious guitars, the basic mood stays dark and melancholic the whole time, without slipping into monotony, the vocals definitely fit that.

The guitarists and the bass only matter on the second listen. Then you inevitably notice that bassist Lars and guitarists Kim and Robert act very closely and coherently. «Cycle Beating» never becomes anthemic, but still sets off a harmonious mixture of harsh riffs and warm melodies. A certain melancholy always resonates and there are numerous, very finely slowed down and oppressive mosh moments. «Cycle Beating» scores with the fact that they are an authentic metal band that doesn't transport emotions with keyboard bombast or artificial clean vocals, but simply with the traditional ingredients: drums, bass, guitar and anger! It is also pleasantly noticeable that the four boys do not limit themselves to bawling any excesses of violence into the microphone, but show themselves politically and socially critical. This makes leafing through the professionally designed booklet even more enjoyable.

Unfortunately, modern metal has become very interchangeable these days, but "Cycle Beating" shows that you can still surprise with a well-used mix of genres. Because where a thrash metal band reaches the limits of the music genre or a metalcore band no longer knows how to stylize modern influences without synthesizers, the quartet has found exactly the right way. Sometimes you get a melody that carries you, sometimes you get the groove-loaded guitar out of the cupboard like in the song "Burning Down The Bridge" or you process hardcore elements in the song "No Regrets". Boredom rarely arises and you can not only serve a small group, but a few from every drawer. It would be interesting to know who wrote the lyrics to «Who Do You Think You Are?» inspired, because here the thrashers set to music the merciless revenge on people who were wrongly trusted. «Cycle Beating» are happy to use the song as a musical blueprint for the future, because all the strengths of the four musicians really come into their own here. The guitar gives us moshable staccato, there's a groovy, memorable hook and a recurring guitar lead that sticks and is downright awesome.

"The Age Of Depression" invites you to headbang. The groove metal and hardcore elements in the Baden band's sound could have been emphasized even more. The band is not designed for pure brutality, but seems melodic and well thought out. I am sure that the music will bang even more on stage than it already does on the disc! «The Age Of Depression» is a fairly cross-section of Thrash, Death and some Core that will appeal to fans of any of these genres with its dark groove. A decent piece of metal with a decent punch and "cycle beating" is a band with potential that certainly doesn't make any unnecessary fuss live. "The Age Of Depression" won't revolutionize the world, but if you feel like shaking your hair, you should buy the album!

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Track list:

1. Intro
2. The Age Of Depression
3. Burning Down The Bridge
4. 254
5. No Regrets
6. Quiet Sober
7. The wrong path
8. Mass corruption
9. Who Do You Think You Are
10. In My Darkest Dreams

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