Krypts : "Remnants of Expansion"

Even at it's most cheese filled Finnish metal has a knack for darkness. There is not any cheese to be found on  the new one from this band from Finland. They dig up  all of the elements I need from death metal and puts them together in one nasty package. I like the painful ache of their throb that almost borders on doom. When they speed up into the faster double bass sections it makes more sense as we have been shown the contrast of what this sounds like when it is not coming at us with this speed to we can full appreciate the shift. On the second song this is taken to a further extreme and becomes a little more of a blur, so the opener has a little more impact on me. On a song like the title track these guys prove themselves no stranger to atmosphere, thought it is a song I had to go listen to again to see if it really went anywhere. There are some hints of melody ventured into as it swelled in volume, but seemed more like the intro to a longer work rather than a solely free standing song. Perhaps this is because it did not feel it really had the legs to stand on it's own as an instrumental.

The powerful beginning of "Entrailed to the Breaking Wheel" gives way to their urge to blast at you with a barrage of pounding speed. I am still on for the ride as I know that is what most fans of this genre expect. It is the weaving guitar melodies and the deliberate drumming that follows which keeps me hooked in and immersed in this darkness. The growls are low, but not quite a gurgle. They do go up into a few screams here and there. The bass remains pretty hidden for the bulk of the album.

There is a bleak ringing to the riffs of "Transfixed" that closes the album. This is another song that really rides the line between being death metal and doom. The guitar melodies are well balanced and these guys know when to follow things up with the weight of a chug. These guys are not blackened, but fans of black metal will find them sinister enough to appeal to the more visceral emotions black metal connects to. I will round this one up to a 9, as it hits all the right places for me. Some of the more bombastic moments might play it a little safe, but these guys are great at capturing a very hellish mood.