This French band comes off like the glorious blend of Scar Symmetry, Symphony X and Nightwish, with plenty of other influences – Cynic being a big one – popping up throughout. As you’d expect from those references, the musicianship on this is just staggering. Much of the album is a relentless, melodic death assault, with explosions of dizzying neoclassical guitar and keyboard solos on almost every track. Just listen to “Isolation/Liberation” and “Resolution/Protection,” which beggar much of what Gothenburg has been churning out lately. There are even guest appearances by Arjen Lucassen of Ayreon, Paul Masvidal of Cynic, Angela Gossow of Arch Enemy, and some production support by Andy Sneap. I also have to point out the terrific mix, which lets every instrument stand on its own – particularly the bass, which comes into focus more often than is usually allowed in this genre.

Given Kalisia‘s progressive bent, there’s also a remarkable variety of other elements that are woven into Cybion, including: Spanish classical guitar and smooth jazz on “Fusion/Rebellion,” wah-wah space rock and Tool-like tribal drums on “Damnation/Seclusion,” and pop-diva techno and a jazzy, stabby prog freakout on “Violation/Condemnation.” Kalisia clearly isn’t afraid to experiment, although sometimes I wish that these interludes lasted a bit longer. Occasionally you get one that’s just a tad too whimsical, like the synthy big band/funk on “Education/Deification” (it sounds like an outtake from Sonic the Hedgehog), but overall, this kitchen sink approach makes for a consistently surprising listen.

The vocal treatments on the album are just as diverse and accomplished. Vocalist Brett Caldas-Lima has an excellent death roar, somewhere between Dark Tranquillity and Amorphis. The death vox are used most often, but there are also a number of passages featuring Elodie Buchonnet’s sweet, clear female vocals. They’re not as full-bodied as Nightwish, but not as cloying as other goth-metal chanteuses either, so overall they’re quite enjoyable. In addition to the death and female clean vox, we get male and female choirs, vocoder effects, spoken-word interludes, a few blackened screams, and an odd Geddy Lee imitation on “Damnation/Seclusion.” As with the music, these guys definitely know how to keep things fresh.

(Extra credit: the vocalist even wrote his own language, called Kal, for parts of the album. According to the website, it pulls from “Sanskrit, Latin, English, Arabic, Greek, German, Japanese, and even Quenya and Tengwar.” Take that, Tolkien!)

As awesome as all of this is, it does get exhausting at times. There are a few melodic refrains which repeat throughout the epic, but much of the experience is progressive and ever-shifting. Compared with something like Edge of Sanity‘s Crimson albums or Opeth‘s mammoth compositions, I feel like some sections of Cybion aren’t as well-defined or memorable on their own, but since I’m only seven listens in, this will probably come in time.

As if Cybion weren’t already an embarrassment of riches, Kalisia has included a bonus disc with the album called Origins. The first half are the songs from their out-of-print demo, Skies. These songs are impressive in their own right, but they’re a bit more power/prog than the more aggressive Cybion. Of these tracks, I enjoyed “The Mental Frames – Part I” the most, which comes off like Dream Theater meets Camel. The second half of Origins features four outstanding covers, most notably an extravagant version of Emperor‘s “I Am the Black Wizards,” and a must-hear, muscular version of Cynic‘s “How Could I.”

At 1 hour, 11 minutes and 11 seconds, Cybion is a monstrous release – and all the more impressive considering that it’s self-produced and independently released. Why these guys aren’t signed to a label yet is a huge mystery (unless they want it that way), so if you can’t find the album via some other distribution, head directly to their website to order a copy. You will definitely get your money’s worth, believe me.

Top ten of the year for sure.