My first tryst with Cyanide happened at GIR XII’s Saturday (2008), where they played the second slot after Frequency. I’d heard only one song of theirs then, ‘Holding Cell’, which I heard on a friend’s cellphone on the way to Hamsdhwani that day. I did like their sound at the gig. What I noticed most was Rohan Solomon’s vocals and ESP guitar and Srijan’s drumming, not knowing both their names back then. When I came back home from the GIR weekend I remembered how this friend had asked me to rip some old recordings of theirs from their time at the 2007 Channel [V] Launchpad. And then I listened to them. And instantly I was hooked to their music.

Cyanide has a knack for using well written lyrics and vocal harmonies with 3 people singing in the band now. Their lyrical matter consists of introspective topics such as depression, anger, terrorism, relationships. But the way they write and execute it what makes it a good package. The guitar harmonies, similarly, work well with Rohan Solomon chugging out meaty riffs on the rhythm section and Nikhil Malik  belting awesome solos while keeping the lead guitar section melodic and catchy. The tight bass playing of Rohan Kale (ex-Bharat Bindal) fills up the lowend, though I thought it could’ve been engineered better because it loses prominence in the mix. Srijan Mahajan is a highly skilled drummer and his rock-solid single bass grooves keep it all rolling well. The way he changes gear from slow to fast, from breakdown to double bass contribute to the overall heaviness of the band’s music.

The one thing that strikes me about Cyanide, which is different from their peers, is their style and presentation. I can’t express how much I’ve come to like their sound. It’s evident in the new recordings; those crunchy tones, time signature changes, going from soft to heavy in a snap and brilliant vocals! 5 tracks of no-nonsense out-and-out ‘Alternative Modern Rock’ on the EP. The best part is, the tracks are all rise! That’s right, no slow or acoustic tracks for now; they’re saving all of that jazz for the LP release. I would’ve liked a better album cover, complimenting their music. The one right now seems like it’s been done in a hurry. My favorites from the album have to be ‘Not Over Yet’ with its insane last 20 seconds with madness flying everywhere; ‘Pretence’ with it’s progressive riff and metchul tone; and ‘Untold Misery’ plainly because it’s beautiful. ‘Holding Cell’ and ‘Tomorrow’ are old favorites.

I seriously can’t wait for the full length. It’s gonna be a great sounding album that’s for sure – Anupam ‘Grey’ Roy is producing; all recorded tracks are gonna go for a remaster and maybe a little re-recording as well. And then there’s a countrywide tour, so watching Cyanide getting back to big venues should be fun. They are essentially a big band now, getting junta to headbang along with them (as I saw at GIR XII 2008), and also to sing choruses; atleast after the album comes out.  Maybe small niggles like the Essing on the vocals, bass guitar in the mix and programmed drum sound will be fixed and remastered on the final album release. Other than all of this if they sort out their distro (maybe a great deal with CdRack.in), some merchandise and a stable line up for their tour, they should have a great first album launch and make many many fans! Till the final album comes out, I’m happy with these 5 songs for now.

*Neerav Gupta is a student who enjoys drumming, photography, progressive metal, and good reading every now and then.