Crypta - Shades Of Death (Napalm Records) [Mark Young]
If someone asked me what Death Metal sounds like in 2023, I would have no hesitation in pointing them to Crypta. And before you @ me they manage to effectively cover all the necessary bases in one song and do it effortlessly. Shades Of Death is an immediate album, taking zero time in presenting its Death Metal credentials on Dark Clouds and then continues to build upon it with track after brutal track. This four-piece from Brazil have been blowing up on IG for ages and I suggest you check their socials out because they can throw down with anyone.
The Aftermath is a piano led piece, there just usher in the full speed attack of Dark Clouds. Is it unnecessary? Probably because they could have started with Dark Clouds which is a statement of intent for what is to follow. It comes in and just stomps a large hole in you. Mixing traditional death growls with the higher register shriek, this one just blasts. Its full off riffs, double bass and some quality triplets (that I love and should be used more). Its just royal, absolutely royal, giving Death Metal a well-deserved boot in the arse.
Rather than go through and give you a track-by-track commentary, It’s better to say that each song is a belter. Poisonous Apathy goes for that melodic approach without forgetting that they are here for the brutality with a solo to boot whilst Stronghold has some whammy abuse and just batters you, mixing tempo and attack to suit. I should mention that there is a certain South American flavour to proceedings too, and that really adds to how the songs are phrased and for me makes them stronger as they utilise that natural sense of rhythm.
The Limbo puts the brakes on, and I suppose that if this was on vinyl or tape it may have acted as a palate cleanser but in this instance, I don’t think its required as Trial Of Traitors comes in and just repeats the same effect they achieved with The Aftermath / Dark Clouds. I don’t mean that in a negative sense, but I just don’t think they needed it as Trial Of Traitors is just absolutely spot on and they present another slab of balanced and brutal Death Metal. Their ability to switch gears and make it all fit together so it doesn’t sound forced just gives it something that elevates their material.
Agents Of Chaos, Lift The Blindfold and Lord Of Ruins complete the album and close us out in the same way we started, with no drop off in quality or in attack and I can’t remember the last album I listened to that was like this all the way through. Each song is individual to itself, it’s just quality.
The Closure is another piano led short instrumental, again I don’t think it adds to the album (for me). I think it’s safe to say that this is one of my albums of the year. Excluding the instrumentals (and that is purely down to my opinion, and those will vary) they do not put a foot wrong. When they want to, they can speed, if they want to slow, they can, and everything is just so well put together. It starts strong and gets stronger which is the hallmark of a future classic and what is refreshing is that they don’t try to ape a familiar sound i.e., Swedish Melodeath, or that 7 string ‘sound’ or have that slow one at track 3.
If someone asked me what Death Metal sounds like in 2023, I would have no hesitation in pointing them to Crypta. And before you @ me they manage to effectively cover all the necessary bases in one song and do it effortlessly. Shades Of Death is an immediate album, taking zero time in presenting its Death Metal credentials on Dark Clouds and then continues to build upon it with track after brutal track. This four-piece from Brazil have been blowing up on IG for ages and I suggest you check their socials out because they can throw down with anyone.
The Aftermath is a piano led piece, there just usher in the full speed attack of Dark Clouds. Is it unnecessary? Probably because they could have started with Dark Clouds which is a statement of intent for what is to follow. It comes in and just stomps a large hole in you. Mixing traditional death growls with the higher register shriek, this one just blasts. Its full off riffs, double bass and some quality triplets (that I love and should be used more). Its just royal, absolutely royal, giving Death Metal a well-deserved boot in the arse.
Rather than go through and give you a track-by-track commentary, It’s better to say that each song is a belter. Poisonous Apathy goes for that melodic approach without forgetting that they are here for the brutality with a solo to boot whilst Stronghold has some whammy abuse and just batters you, mixing tempo and attack to suit. I should mention that there is a certain South American flavour to proceedings too, and that really adds to how the songs are phrased and for me makes them stronger as they utilise that natural sense of rhythm.
The Limbo puts the brakes on, and I suppose that if this was on vinyl or tape it may have acted as a palate cleanser but in this instance, I don’t think its required as Trial Of Traitors comes in and just repeats the same effect they achieved with The Aftermath / Dark Clouds. I don’t mean that in a negative sense, but I just don’t think they needed it as Trial Of Traitors is just absolutely spot on and they present another slab of balanced and brutal Death Metal. Their ability to switch gears and make it all fit together so it doesn’t sound forced just gives it something that elevates their material.
Agents Of Chaos, Lift The Blindfold and Lord Of Ruins complete the album and close us out in the same way we started, with no drop off in quality or in attack and I can’t remember the last album I listened to that was like this all the way through. Each song is individual to itself, it’s just quality.
The Closure is another piano led short instrumental, again I don’t think it adds to the album (for me). I think it’s safe to say that this is one of my albums of the year. Excluding the instrumentals (and that is purely down to my opinion, and those will vary) they do not put a foot wrong. When they want to, they can speed, if they want to slow, they can, and everything is just so well put together. It starts strong and gets stronger which is the hallmark of a future classic and what is refreshing is that they don’t try to ape a familiar sound i.e., Swedish Melodeath, or that 7 string ‘sound’ or have that slow one at track 3.
This is full tilt heavy on approach fully leaded metal that fans of heavy metal should get hold of. The musicianship is first class, the songs achieve everything they set out to do and they hit harder than a lot of Death Metal I’ve heard. Even with the instrumental breaks, it’s a worthy 10/10
The Fierce And The Dead – News From The Invisible World (Spencer Park Music) [Matt Bladen]
If ever there was a British equivalent to The Flaming Lips, it would be the experimental, psychedelic explosion of noise and colour that is The Fierce And The Dead. Originally strictly instrumental, bassist Kev Feazy has discovered his voice so to speak, bringing vocals to the arrangements, his Damon Albarn-like approach is suited to the quirky musical style of TFATD. His throbbing bass carries a track such as Shake The Jar which is sexy and slinky like QOTSA rocker anchored by Feazy’s bass. The opening to Golden Thread and along with What A Time To Be Alive are more metallic, switching into psychedelic wanderings intercut with the distorted six strings of Matt Stevens and Steve Cleaton.
Dun Ringill - 150: Where The Old Gods Play Act 1 (The Sign Records) [Mark Young]
As Nordic as it comes Dun Ringill wear their love for Doom infused folk metal front and centre. Hailing from Gothenburg this is lightyears away from the frenetic death metal that this area of Sweden is renowned for, but they are no less for it, and they still manage to attack with measured control. Folk is not my bag, let’s get that out of the way right now but this is leans more to the doom side of things, with epic arrangements that fill out what is act 1 of a two-act release. The second act is due for release in 2024, meant as an outlet for their fruits of challenging themselves to create a valid classic piece of sonic art.
Awakening kicks off straight into a cracking riff that just emphasises their folk roots whilst drinking at the fountain of Black Sabbath that is flavoured with a hint of the theme from Conan The Barbarian. This is not a bad thing at all, the soundtrack to Conan raised it beyond standard sword and sandal fare. Its heavy, and is possessed of a simple but effective riff which builds to allow the clean vocals to come in. This is drenched in atmosphere and a spot-on solo that is heavy on emotion as opposed to widdly technical approach and just fits so well. The Parrish keeps things ticking over, using the loud / quiet dynamic so well with an almost anthemic arrangement that evokes an army on the march and has a solo to match. They may be tagged as being folk, but they know that the heavy is required to keep you engaged.
What they do is manage to combine the simple, memorable passage and then build a song that really hits home around here. I’ll be straight up with you that by the third song, The Devil Wears A Papal Tiara you will have identified this, but its to their credit that they don’t rely on that same musical sequence all the way through and that they can colour it with deft touches like a solo break here, a instrumental break there. It’s really good stuff. Baptised In Fire has that swing to it, with another memorable riff. Its criminal how easy they seem to make it, because the songs are flying past without being overtly speedy but are not slow or drawn-out which doom can sometimes be.
Nathaniels Hymn has a wah drenched solo, simple but dead effective. The tone is excellent and is another example of their craft in being able to have a lot going on without overcrowding the song itself and then suddenly we are onto the penultimate track and 30 minutes has gone by.
Blood Of The Lord, at 8 minutes plus is their magnum opus here. Tight, controlled riffs with an otherworldly backing gives this one the necessary heft to be propelled forward. I keep going back to Conan, and the sword / sandal genre but what they have here is the perfect soundtrack that could be used in any fantasy genre.
If ever there was a British equivalent to The Flaming Lips, it would be the experimental, psychedelic explosion of noise and colour that is The Fierce And The Dead. Originally strictly instrumental, bassist Kev Feazy has discovered his voice so to speak, bringing vocals to the arrangements, his Damon Albarn-like approach is suited to the quirky musical style of TFATD. His throbbing bass carries a track such as Shake The Jar which is sexy and slinky like QOTSA rocker anchored by Feazy’s bass. The opening to Golden Thread and along with What A Time To Be Alive are more metallic, switching into psychedelic wanderings intercut with the distorted six strings of Matt Stevens and Steve Cleaton.
Indicative of the bands swirling technicolour soundscapes, it keeps you guessing as to what is coming next, never moving into monolithic runtimes keeping things around 5 minutes average but playing with timings, styles and atmosphere for a genuinely eclectic selection of songs. Photogeneic Love puts Steven Wilson’s latter solo output with the weirder inclusions in the Bowie canon, Wonderful creates a noisy amalgamation of The Polyphonic Spree and The Joy Formidable, shimmering surf rock guitars and brass parps (Terry Edwards) against Stuart Marshall’s booming drumming.
The weirdness and love of the psychedelic era as obvious here as it is on any Flaming Lips album, the use of echo effects, reverb synths and programming (which comes from all of the band) all made to get these tracks into the furthest reaches of the rock and prog tags, as the backing choirs on The Start are epic, the sax on the jazz-like Non-Player part Floyd, part Beefheart. For my money the best song here is Nostalgia Now, strings are paired with Matt Jones’ piano as the more progressive style of Elbow is given a Steven Wilson-like makeover.
News From The Invisible World is my first exposure to The Fierce And The Dead, big up to Godsticks’ Darran Charles for his recommendation as I love this record for its musical accomplishments and it’s balls to stay away from the norms. 9/10
Dun Ringill - 150: Where The Old Gods Play Act 1 (The Sign Records) [Mark Young]
As Nordic as it comes Dun Ringill wear their love for Doom infused folk metal front and centre. Hailing from Gothenburg this is lightyears away from the frenetic death metal that this area of Sweden is renowned for, but they are no less for it, and they still manage to attack with measured control. Folk is not my bag, let’s get that out of the way right now but this is leans more to the doom side of things, with epic arrangements that fill out what is act 1 of a two-act release. The second act is due for release in 2024, meant as an outlet for their fruits of challenging themselves to create a valid classic piece of sonic art.
Awakening kicks off straight into a cracking riff that just emphasises their folk roots whilst drinking at the fountain of Black Sabbath that is flavoured with a hint of the theme from Conan The Barbarian. This is not a bad thing at all, the soundtrack to Conan raised it beyond standard sword and sandal fare. Its heavy, and is possessed of a simple but effective riff which builds to allow the clean vocals to come in. This is drenched in atmosphere and a spot-on solo that is heavy on emotion as opposed to widdly technical approach and just fits so well. The Parrish keeps things ticking over, using the loud / quiet dynamic so well with an almost anthemic arrangement that evokes an army on the march and has a solo to match. They may be tagged as being folk, but they know that the heavy is required to keep you engaged.
What they do is manage to combine the simple, memorable passage and then build a song that really hits home around here. I’ll be straight up with you that by the third song, The Devil Wears A Papal Tiara you will have identified this, but its to their credit that they don’t rely on that same musical sequence all the way through and that they can colour it with deft touches like a solo break here, a instrumental break there. It’s really good stuff. Baptised In Fire has that swing to it, with another memorable riff. Its criminal how easy they seem to make it, because the songs are flying past without being overtly speedy but are not slow or drawn-out which doom can sometimes be.
Nathaniels Hymn has a wah drenched solo, simple but dead effective. The tone is excellent and is another example of their craft in being able to have a lot going on without overcrowding the song itself and then suddenly we are onto the penultimate track and 30 minutes has gone by.
Blood Of The Lord, at 8 minutes plus is their magnum opus here. Tight, controlled riffs with an otherworldly backing gives this one the necessary heft to be propelled forward. I keep going back to Conan, and the sword / sandal genre but what they have here is the perfect soundtrack that could be used in any fantasy genre.
Each song tells a story and is delivered with confidence and ability and just moves. The Last Supper, aptly named as the final track begins with a bass riff that drops away to allow an absolute stormer of a finisher to be played. Its all here, that epic chordal movement, the vocals that stray into death growl territory, the drum fills that just fill that sound. And the solo, again just pitched perfect so that it just gets you nodding away. Excellent stuff.
I should also point out that the inspiration for the songs themselves comes from a story based in Scotland in the 1900’s about manipulation of Church and a priest with a secret agenda, which is different again considering the sound possessed here. Each track has a standout moment, and I wouldn’t let the folk tag put you off. Its grand, heavy stuff. 8/10
I should also point out that the inspiration for the songs themselves comes from a story based in Scotland in the 1900’s about manipulation of Church and a priest with a secret agenda, which is different again considering the sound possessed here. Each track has a standout moment, and I wouldn’t let the folk tag put you off. Its grand, heavy stuff. 8/10
Icon Of Sin - Legends (Frontiers Music Srl) [Matt Bladen]
Released in 2021 Icon Of Sin introduced Icon Of Sin's debut album was a great record of Maiden worship. The South American band formed by Marcelo Gelbcke who is also a member of Landfall and Stormwarning. With lyrics by Sergio Mazul, who co-produces with Gelbcke and is obviously a comic fan due to Wheels Of Vengeance and Clouds Over Gotham Pt.2. The duo write songs to showcase the vocals prowess of Brazilian vocalist Raphael Mendes, who’s vocal is dead on to Bruce Dickinson, having the gutsier post-2000’s scream of the air raid siren. Nevertheless it’s impressive and when the songs are written very strongly in the classic metal genre you may be fooled into thinking it could be a Dickinson solo record such as Accident Of Birth/Chemical Wedding on Bare Knuckles especially.
Released in 2021 Icon Of Sin introduced Icon Of Sin's debut album was a great record of Maiden worship. The South American band formed by Marcelo Gelbcke who is also a member of Landfall and Stormwarning. With lyrics by Sergio Mazul, who co-produces with Gelbcke and is obviously a comic fan due to Wheels Of Vengeance and Clouds Over Gotham Pt.2. The duo write songs to showcase the vocals prowess of Brazilian vocalist Raphael Mendes, who’s vocal is dead on to Bruce Dickinson, having the gutsier post-2000’s scream of the air raid siren. Nevertheless it’s impressive and when the songs are written very strongly in the classic metal genre you may be fooled into thinking it could be a Dickinson solo record such as Accident Of Birth/Chemical Wedding on Bare Knuckles especially.
Mazul and Gelbcke have brought a wider influence on Legends, from the speedy Cimmerian, to the Dio-esque Night Force, Scarlet Gospels goes into Judas Priest chugs while Heart Of The Wolf is pure Maiden, the twin guitars of Gelbcke and Sol Perez on full display as Caio Vidal plays the lead bass on the quieter bits, Markos Franzmann’s drums unrelenting. Of course Mendes’ vocals are brilliant, the varied tracks made to test his vocals, Terror Games to me sounding like Bonnet-era Rainbow. With and obligatory long track ending the album, it’s more entertaining classic metal worship from Icon Of Sin. 7/10