CYHRA Feat. Former IN FLAMES, AMARANTHE Members: 'Letters To Myself' Album Details Revealed

CYHRA, the new band featuring former IN FLAMES members Peter Iwers (bass) and Jesper Strömblad (guitar) alongside ex-AMARANTHE singer Joacim "Jake E" Lundberg and LUCA TURILLI'S RHAPSODY drummer Alex Landenburg, will release its debut album, "Letters To Myself", on October 20 via Spinefarm Records. The disc was recorded at Top Floor Studios in Gothenburg, Sweden.

The first single from the effort, "Karma", can be streamed on Spotify. A video for the track will follow on September 8.

From the blissfully melodic thrust of Strömblad's riffs and hooks, and the soaring, soulful splendor of Jake E's unmistakable voice, to the pummeling, groove-driven precision of Iwers and Landenburg's rhythmic bedrock, every last moment crackles with the excitement of fresh territory, new challenges, and a brand-new identity for all involved to embrace.

Formed in 2016 by longtime friends Jake E and Strömblad, CYHRA is about to light a fire under the contemporary metal scene that promises to blaze for decades to come.

The buzz around CYHRA has been growing at a rapid rate since the band unveiled its plans earlier this year.

"The excitement that I feel about CYHRA is over the top," Jake E exclaims. "I have to pinch myself every day to make sure it's not just another dream. I am so proud of the music we have created and I can't wait to show it to the world!"

"For the first time for as long as I can remember, I feel I am a part of something special," adds Strömblad. "This band has helped me regain my true passion for music. I can't wait to share this."

"Letters To Myself" track listing:

01. Karma
02. Heartrage
03. Here To Save You
04. Muted Life
05. Closure
06. Letter To Myself
07. Dark Clarity
08. Holding Your Breath
09. Rescue Ride
10. Black Wings
11. Inside A Lullaby
12. Dead To Me
13. Letters To Myself

Speaking to AntiHero Magazine, Jake stated about CYHRA's formation: "I have been friends with Jesper for a long time, probably ten years. We met for the first time when I was working for IN FLAMES as a pyro technician back in the day. That was also when I got to know Peter. We had been friends since then. I was considering to make a solo album, and I would say that I have no idea what I'm going to do, but I'm probably going to write some songs as well. And he asked me, 'Would you do the vocals on my solo album?' And I said, 'Of course. Would you be interested in playing guitar on whatever I'm doing?' And he said yes. And then we started to talk about what our solo albums, projects, whatever it was meant to be would sound like and when we were discussing that we just realized that okay, we want the same. We want to make the same album. So that's where it all came to be and then we decided to start writing songs together. So, we were actually talking over a cup of coffee on a Friday and then on Monday we actually sat down in the studio and we started working on the first song. So that was really, really good. And then when we were doing the same thing there, we didn't know what to do. But after a couple of songs, everything started to come together. Then Jesper said, 'Okay what are we going to do?' And I said that I had the perfect drummer for this band, and that's Alex Landenburg. I said that you are going to love this guy. And a couple of months later we all met, and Jesper and Alex became best friends instantly. And then Jesper said that it would be cool if Peter would like to join. And so we asked him and he was still the bassist for IN FLAMES, and he said, 'Yeah, absolutely, I will gladly jump on board of this ship. But just to let you know, I am going to still be a member of IN FLAMES as well.' We were cool with that and then things happened like they did. Peter eventually decided to part ways with IN FLAMES."

Regarding the CYHRA sound, Jake said: "It is hard to describe what we sound like because we've been writing for almost a year. We've been influenced by so many different bands. We are, of course, influenced by ourselves. Because like, as the main songwriter in all our different projects before, you know, like, Jesper has his touch of things, I have the touch on my side, and also the other guys. Of course, you will find similarities in our former bands. But I won't say that we have reinvented the wheel in any way, but it's still something that sounds really, really fresh and new, even though music is music. You could always probably find similarities. But I would not say that it sounds like old AMARANTHE, or that it sounds like IN FLAMES. But you could completely, you know, recognize yourself within these boundaries."

Jake E announced his departure from AMARANTHE in February, explaining at the time that he began to feel that "my place both on the albums and live was reduced; I felt like I was superfluous… I started to feel more like a backing singer."

Iwers issued a statement in November saying that he was leaving IN FLAMES "to pursue other endeavors." He has since been replaced on the road by Bryce Paul, a member of the Southern California pop-rock outfit IVES.

Strömblad quit IN FLAMES in February 2010 in order to continue receiving treatment for his alcohol addiction. He later formed THE RESISTANCE with Marco Aro (vocals, THE HAUNTED) and Glenn Ljungström (guitar, ex-IN FLAMES),only to exit that band in March 2016. THE RESISTANCE bassist Rob Hakemo later slammed Jesper in an interview, calling the guitarist "an alcoholic" and "drug addict" who "doesn't want to [get] sober."

CYHRA will make its live debut on October 27 at Nosturi in Helsinki, Finland.