Cygnosic - One Step Forward

Back in 2009, Greek act "Cygnosic" released a rather good album entitled " A Deity in Pain". This sent fans into a rapture, and was met with critical acclaim.
The dust settled, and that was it. Cygnosic seemed to vanish. I saw several forum threads consisting of "What happened to this act?"

Earlier this week, CygnosiC (Capital C at the end optional) posted on the official Facebook page declaring that they have signed to Deathwatch Asia. That being said, in ever-reliable DWA form, I have this digital only EP entitled "One Step Forward". It acts as a precursor to upcoming second album "Fallen", and consists of the title track, a remix by Alien Vampires, and 3 exclusive tracks.

"One Step Forward" itself is instantly enjoyable, and has everything that previously drew Cygnosic to my attention. It has a great beat, the vocals are on par with Greek allies Siva Six (who also recently released a Behemoth of an album "The Twin Moons" - also on Deathwatch Asia), and it remains excellent on repeated listens.

Those familiar with the limited edition releases on this label won't need any analysis of the Alien Vampires remix - like everything the Duo have done, it just makes an excellent combination. Right now, I rate Alien Vampires as one of the 3 best acts out there to do a Remix.

Although the lyrics on "One Step Forward" aren't immediately coherent, for the most part I can understand them, and I'm glad to see that the scene is evolving further, and pushing the stereotype aside. Seriously, just because bands that are in the Industrial mainstream only sing about girls, robots, stomping, and other clichéd gimmicks, does NOT mean that the underground does - and if you need condensed evidence, look at the catalogue of Deathwatch Asia, Infacted, and DSBP - although these labels may contrast in terms of what they sign and promote, each is laden with acts that push the boundaries. In the last year, we've had World War 1 themed Harsh EBM, concepts regarding an Alien Planet, and even a release dedicated to looking after the planet.

You can imagine my glee when I get to track 3 on this ep, and see that "Burn" features both Cygnosic and Siva Six. Although my temptation is to just post a picture of me grinning instead of finishing this review, I can assure you that NO ONE wants to see that. Get some Popcorn and watch "The Shining" instead. "Burn" is a beautiful track with inspiring Piano and nicely integrated Bass. Incidentally, it sounds like it could fit both on "The Twin Moons", and on "Fallen" (at least if this EP is anything to go by) - when this full length gets released, why not buy it and play this track as a bridge between both albums?

Penultimately, the next exclusive track is a remix of One Step Forward by yet another upcoming Greek act "Hydra Division V" (I believe one of the members is also responsible for Ambient act "In Scissors"). - This is the 3rd offering I have heard by this act, and each has managed to impress me in several ways. I'm also keen on the communication between all the acts on here - each remix of this manages to make it sound like a completely different song (unlike some bands where every remix they do is essentially the same shite).

The final track is called "Rising", and will not be released on the album. It's immediately fast, with a strong sample, a shit load of Air-Raid Sirens, and some really danceable synth. This is one of my favourite CygnosiC tracks - I find it really promising that 90% of DWA's Digital-only releases have unique tracks which turn out to be among the artist's finest moments.

At the end of 2010, I referred to Deathwatch Asia as one of the brightest labels on the scene, and 2011 has re-inforced that tenfold. I blame both excellent management, and very passionate artists for this combination which will remain unbeatable for the forseeable future.

Cygnosic has returned, and any allusions to them being one-hit wonders can now be cast away - "Fallen" looks to be an absolute cracker, and I expect this album to be released in typical limited numbers with a trove of rarities.

What makes this weak? 5 tracks makes me want so, so much more, but that is the idea of these promotional EP's. Also, I will always rue not having a physical release, but it's digital only for a reason, and that reason is to release new material, and highlight this upcoming CD. There's no need to pay hundreds of pounds to do that.

Finally, this is available on the DWA-Digital store (link below) for what converts into less than £3 GBP. Jun 29 2011