The death metal/black metal field has always been very male-dominated; about 98 percent of death metal, black metal, and grindcore bands have all-male lineups, and that is unlikely to change anytime soon. It isn't that female headbangers are being victimized by some sexist, misogynist conspiracy -- in fact, some death metal guys have commented that they wish they could get more women involved in their scene. But as a rule, female musicians who are inclined to play loud, forceful, heavy, in-your-face rock look elsewhere. A major exception is guitarist/singer Cindy Goloubkoff, who shares the lead vocals with Pierre Bouthemy (also a guitarist) in the French group
Hypnosis. Recorded in 2003 and 2004,
Cyber Death is best described as atmospheric, relatively melodic death metal/black metal with traces of goth rock and industrial rock. Bouthemy sings in the sort of deep, guttural, demonic-style growl that death metal is known for, while Goloubkoff provides the "clean female vocals" -- and their male vocals/female vocals contrast isn't something one hears everyday in death metal/black metal. Actually, the term "clean female vocals" is an ironic way to describe Goloubkoff's singing; she sings like a tormented witch who is in the process of casting a spell. Perhaps her vocals are "clean" compared to Bouthemy's Satan-summoning growl, but no one will mistake her for
Sarah McLachlan anytime soon -- and Goloubkoff's vocals prove to be a major asset on
Cyber Death. Her vocal style is refreshingly atypical of death metal/black metal discs -- it's the sort of singing one would be more likely to encounter in goth-rock -- and Goloubkoff does a lot to give
Cyber Death its freshness and originality. This CD is mildly uneven and inconsistent; some of the tunes are more memorable than others. But it's a generally decent effort, and
Hypnosis certainly deserves credit for being one of the more recognizable bands in Europe's death metal/black metal scene.