Death is June - Cryptopsy : "An Insaitable Violence"

 

Seems odd that I have not reviewed Cryptopsy here before. Though they have only two albums out before this one that were released since this blog has been in circulation. The opening track is solid, everything you could want from this style of death metal. Granted, I know only one original member is in the band, and it's the drummer, but I think that track proved they were still holding up their end of the bargain here. He has been at this since the 90s, and is one of the most solid components when it comes to Canada's legacy of death metal.

The band seems to focus more on the attack of their taunt riffing that relies more on brutality by the second song, with a few more melodious moments breaking things up, thanks to the bass player. By the 3rd song we are not in a blur of chugging, and the vocals go from a guttural growl to a higher scream, but the lyrics are buried with in the growl and not articulated enough to get an idea of what the songs are about, making it more about a sound than the song. There is more purpose to the still brutal attack of "Fools Last Aclaim". In many ways, these guys feel like Deicide, but with less of the '80s thrash influence and not as dark. The lyrical picture Glen Benton paints is also more defined than the blur they hit you with here. 

The more deliberate syncopation for "The Art of Emptiness' works on one hand, but the vocal approach is rather one-dimensional, as the growls follow the same formula, and this guy is no Corpsegrinder when it comes to always grunting in jsut the right place. There are several guitar solos on this album for those of you who are into that sort of thing. It is also at this point in the album where I am ready for them to switch things up, beyond just grooving on the occasional chug. Instead, we get even more rapid-fire hyper aggression shoved in our face. 

"Embrace the Nihility" finds a little more heading banging groove. The brutality dialed in as high a level as possible while still making this a coherent song, and catching some effective riffs here and there. The last song is in a similar tug of war with itself, as the vocals are barked with little nuance. I will give this album an 8, They are very proficient at what they do but it is dynamically one-dimensional, which is a common problem bands in this genre can fall into when they place brutality at the forefront, and songwriting is in the passenger seat. 

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