Cypher16 vocalist Jack Doolan tells us the story behind their song "Open The Dark Door" which comes from their "The Great Surveyor" album. Here is the story:
Open the Dark Door came about during the writing process for 'The Great Surveyor' album. I was writing all over the place, from a rented house in France (sitting by the pool with a guitar I bought from a local music shop), to being on the bus in London or walking by the river Thames. I don't really ever sit down and go 'today I'm going to write a song'. It usually happens spontaneously when in the middle of something else, and often when I'm nowhere near an instrument! I actually used that process to my advantage, installing Garageband on my phone so that I can literally demo ideas wherever I am. We are on tour in the US right now and I can sit on the bus, grab a guitar if an idea comes into my head and then get it recorded.
For 'Open' I wanted to write a simple and catchy opening riff and then compliment it with the band's low-tuned but melodic heaviness, and it actually took a while for that first section to come about - it was originally written differently, but never felt quite right. It's funny when you listen back to early versions of a song just how much how simple parts can evolve and change drastically. There is an emotional verse followed by a big sing-a-long chorus, but suddenly the song leaves the 'expected' path and heads off in a more prog-like direction, before returning to the catchy melody.
The song's lyrics are about overcoming personal events that happened in the past. For me being able to go back, process and accept things that have happened, but also draw the strength to move forward is important. Open the dark door, and step into the light.
Make sure you also check out the music video for the release. We were lucky enough to be able to film at the Natural History Museum in London with Dippy the Dinosaur, and we're very pleased with how it turned out. The video tells the story of a child who hides in the museum after dark in order to explore it on his own (something that I think we've all wanted to do when visiting a cool museum in younger days!). We like finding epic, historic locations that compliment the style of music that the band plays and then adding lots of big amp rigs and pyro!
Hearing is believing. Now that you know the story behind the song, listen for yourself here and learn more about the album right here!
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