I’m not feeling very well today, which makes this less of a “buy me a coffee” and more of a “buy me some Nurofen” request that concludes this piece! However, dedicated to the cause as ever, I am reviewing some new music from an artist I hadn’t come across previously: KYNOV.
I had a listen and liked what I heard. Then I read the press release and went scurrying over to my editor for clarification. The question I had in mind was about AI.
AI in music has become increasingly prevalent in recent years. It’s not yet physically playing a guitar on stage, but it is being used more and more in the studio and production process. In this case, what made me blink was the fact that the vocals — which I liked — were AI-created. I couldn’t tell. I’ll be straight about this: I had absolutely no idea.
But do we review AI-generated music?
We clarified things with the artist and, for the sake of openness, here is KYNOV’s response:
Talking to KYNOV
Production and AI
KYNOV: Sofia-Emiliana is a fictional, AI-created female artist persona. The lyrics and music are mine. I used Suno to generate vocal and instrumental performances from my lyrics and creative direction. The final recordings therefore include AI-generated vocals and instrumentation; AI was not limited to mastering or a minor studio effect.
I directed the style, structure and emotional character, selected and refined versions, and developed the album’s continuity. Some songs required many days of work before I reached the result you hear today. None of the songs was a matter of clicking a button and calling it finished. The process involved repeated listening, revisions, rejected versions and careful creative decisions.
I also worked with voice-design and stem-separation tools in the broader project workflow. Sofia-Emiliana’s visual identity and artwork were developed using AI image-generation tools.
Project Background
KYNOV: I developed the project in my private, home-based creative space in Sugiez, Switzerland. The aim was to create a distinctive female-led identity for melodic hard rock and classic heavy metal, rooted in the spirit of the 1980s and 1990s, with strong riffs, clear melodies and emotional storytelling.
The Concept Behind “Ashes & Shadows”
KYNOV: Released on 6 September 2026, the debut album explores inner conflict, emotional distance, relationships, loss and the determination to move forward.
I conceived it as a connected album experience, with deliberate narrative and musical continuity, including related introductions in the opening three tracks. Its emotional movement is from darkness and uncertainty towards confrontation, release and renewed strength.
“Burn the Silence”
“Burn the Silence” is the primary entry point into the album because it expresses the transformation of suppressed emotion into strength: finding the courage to speak, confront what has been held inside and move forward.
Its direct energy and riff-driven character represent the more forceful side of the album.
“Two Shadows”
“Two Shadows” represents the more atmospheric, cinematic side of the project. It explores emotional distance and the painful realisation that two people can remain physically close while becoming emotionally separated.
The visual concept follows a woman outside a stone house in the rain, a warmly lit window with two silhouettes behind the curtain, and her eventual decision to walk away.
My Personal Connection to Music
KYNOV: I first held a classical guitar in my hands when I was ten years old. At the music school I attended, I began by learning classical music on the guitar. Gradually, my musical interests developed towards the rock and metal of my generation. From the age of fifteen to twenty-one, I was a member of a local metal band. The passion for music has never left me since.
Back then, we lacked the equipment, resources and financial means to take things further. Without the right connections or someone willing to fund us, our opportunities were limited. Today, however, with a modest budget, I can finally pursue that long-held dream as a hobby — something I love deeply and that gives me a real sense of fulfilment.
My Review
So, this is a first for me, and for the magazine actually. For future reference, we do now review AI-generated music — although some reviewers here won’t — if we like it, feel it is well constructed, and there is a human being at the helm as songwriter and creative force. KYNOV very clearly is a capable songwriter.
The following tracks are selections from the album Ashes & Shadows (2026).
“Two Shadows”
Vocally, “Two Shadows” took me towards Amy Lee, or even Bonnie Tyler. It is a very powerful eighties style rock track in the harder-edged prog-rock tradition, with a strong chorus, neat vocal harmonies and those Jim Steinman-style lyrics that take you back to the days of classic rock.
I’ll be honest here: I would not have known these were AI-generated vocals if the artist hadn’t told me. They are really strong. Credit where it’s due. The guitar work is pretty good too.
“Burn the Yesterday”
“Tonight I strike a match and finally set her free…”
This time we have a dual male/female vocal. For anyone who likes those big classic-rock tracks — and I’ll nod towards the Meat Loaf era here — this will be absolutely in your lane.
Again, I enjoyed it. The lyrics form part of a strong story and the vocal interchange works neatly. A good song — well done to the creator.
“Burn the Silence”
“Burn the Silence” takes us back into heavy prog-rock territory. The songs do interlock, and the themes speak of resilience and fighting back.
Now that I am on the third track, I’m thinking of the vocals of Daria Zaritskaya, the Ukrainian singer we covered back in 2022. It’s, again, really well constructed and produced.
“Beautiful Disaster”
“Beautiful Disaster” leads with a male vocal, with the female vocal effectively in conversation with him. The duet shows a slightly different angle to the story.
The guitar riff is strong on this one, and then we get: “2am, your name lights up…”
Will she let him through the door?
There is a real sense of lyrical development in the relationship here, along with the mental angst and uncertainty that relationships can bring. It’s another interesting track from the album.
Summary
So, clearing away all the debate over AI in music and stripping the question back to the foundation of “Did I like it?”
Yes, I did.
Considering that I wasn’t in the best of moods when I started listening, I was feeling considerably better by the time I finished. I can only write about what I heard, and what I heard was good.
There is clearly a conversation to be had about AI and music, and I suspect that conversation is only going to become more complicated as the technology develops. But for me, the important thing here is that there was a songwriter behind the technology — someone with a musical history, a concept for the album and a clear idea of what he wanted to create.
KYNOV may have found an unusual way of bringing that old dream of making music to life, but the end result still has to stand on its own. In this case, for me, it does. Can I note, as a music journalist, that this isn’t really a review of AI music in the sense of “let’s review something a computer made.” There is a human songwriter and creative director here who has deliberately used AI as the means of producing the performances. That’s a rather different proposition.
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You can stream music from KYNOV here
BY: Anna-Louise Burgess
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