Review: HyperioN – “Cybergenesis”
Release date: January 15th, 2026
Label: Fighter Records
4 minutesPablo Rumel
Cybergenesis marks a new chapter for HyperioN—a rebirth within traditional heavy metal that fuses the legacy of bands like Metal Church, Queensrÿche, and Judas Priest with a modern, progressive energy. After several lineup changes, guitarist and main composer Davide Cotti leads this return with a tighter sound, sharp riffs, and refined production that solidifies the band’s identity. With the addition of vocalist Max Morelli, the album stands as a work of maturity and renewal, preserving the classic essence while propelling HyperioN into the future.
Review
Deafening: A neoclassical lick in high notes and a spiraling, fast riff open the first movement of Cybergenesis. Quick shifts between galloping rhythms and power chords create an energetic track, with slow, emotional sections midway through. The guitar solo weaves with the rhythm guitar, building harmonies and opening a dynamic palette of colors that expand with every listen.
Max Morelli’s voice isn’t that of a virtuoso, but he hits the high notes well and delivers the narratively charged, theatrical parts with clarity. His tone leans closer to the heavy prog of the eighties than to the operatic techniques of nineties power metal.
It’s on Rewire, Rebuild where Morelli’s strength truly shines. He handles falsettos and sustains notes with a steady vibrato, adding rougher, raspier refrains, moving far more comfortably in mid and aggressive registers than in excessively high ones.
As for percussion, we’re dealing with a drummer who knows how to handle rhythmic changes, pounding the snare with force in the most intense parts, giving space to the lead guitars through clever snare work, never overplaying fills or crashing cymbals.
The neoclassical solos and shifting structures bring progressive versatility, breaking monotony with every turn and riff. If you listen closely to Yet We Still Fight, you’ll hear its progressive opening before it downshifts into traditional heavy metal, adding timeless power chords and bursts of rapid single-string picking, layered choirs full of grandeur, and a powerful close between verses, with a thunderous snare and stellar artificial harmonics. One of the album’s highlights.
The Shackles of Chronitus is the classic slow, heavy track, perfect for lowering the pace and entering a darker, more powerful realm. Yet, it must be said, the vocal reverb is too high, which hurts the final mix. It doesn’t sound bad, but the voice borders on saturation, and while it doesn’t drown the guitars, its brightness breaks the balance that worked so well in the other songs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U57MUq5Bf8A
Until the fifth track, Blood Over Chrome, the bass lines were barely audible, something corrected here with an intro led by sharp, bright, pick-driven bass. It takes the lead in rhythmic sections, with quick scales and greater presence in the composition. The song takes a classic heavy metal route, with tight rhythmic sections, razor-edged twin guitars trading rapid runs, and Simone Cauli’s bass at the forefront. The closing with stadium-style choruses gives it the epic vibe the track demands.
Grain of Sand shows HyperioN fully owning their style. A fast riff spirals and twists through chromatic breaks, heading straight into solo guitars and another furious charge: all within thirty seconds. The vocal phrasing, as noted, is raw and not technically extravagant, yet it bursts with force and grit, especially in the chorus and atmospheric clean-guitar parts.
We reach Rhizoma Rider, what a title! With a pure metal intro crafted in progressive fashion, it develops into a mid-tempo song, thick and pounding, recalling Judas Priest’s Ripper Owens era and much of Grave Digger’s raw energy. What The Shackles of Chronitus aimed for is achieved here. The percussion hits like a hammer, the twin guitars attack in unison, supported by strong bass lines, and everything sounds at full power, on a professional level. This track is the gem for fans of heavier metal… Listen to that palm-muted section in the final third! Classic as a leather jacket, as effective and simple as a hammer striking an anvil.
The journey ends with the ultra-epic The Whole of Time. As a closing piece, it’s clear the band gives everything here: a cybernetic voice intro, memorable choirs backed by synths, martial-like percussion, and a mid-tempo rhythm that narrates the story in pure heavy metal form. It’s a dramatic song with guitar-hero solos and an excellent finale.
Conclusion
We’ve focused on the musical aspects of the album, but attention must also be paid to its concept, to the narrative unfolding between songs. Of course, the music takes precedence, since a song can hold a poem or a novel within it, but if the music fails, nothing else matters. That’s not the case here. Music and concept, from the artwork onward, move as one. The album runs close to forty minutes, which is always a good sign.
TheNwothm Score: 8.5/10
Links
Bandcamp:https://hyperionbandheavy.bandcamp.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hyperionbandheavy
Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/hyperionband
Label:https://www.fighter-records.com/
Read More Reviews
#FighterRecords #HeavyMetal #italian #ItalianHeavyMetal #JudasPriest #metalChurch #NewAlbum #NWOTHM
