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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Aborted : "Vault of Horrors"

 Belgium's death metal maniacs are back. Their new album has some or some band guesting on each song. The opening track which is a Hyperspeed fest, that fans of this brand of death metal should enjoy, features, Shadow of Intent's Ben and Chris. So extra growls and shredding. The sweep-picked fret fury is more melodic than expected. I normally do not like technical over-produced death metal and prefer mind darker and more organic, but the first song is so good at what it does that it wins me over. this occurrence is not uncommon in most forms of extreme metal, where it is so heavy it bowls your ever with intensity and does not give you time to stop and analyze if they can write a decent song. 

Then the plight of this kind of thing is further exploited as after being punched by the initial blast of sound, you are numbed out to the assault that follows on the second song, and everything begins to sound the same. Fleshgod Apocalypse's vocalist lending his growl to the song does not change matters. What does help is when the band grooves more on "Brotherhood of Sleep" Johnny from Angelmaker, lends his growls to this one, which is effective, as they vary a bit from just gutturals. The vocalist from Despised Icon, snarls a bit on "Death Cult" which benefits from more thoughtful songwriting. Former Abigail Williams drummer Ken Bedene who has been sitting behind the kit for these guys since 2012, continues to bring the good and is the hardest-working member of this band.    

Cryptopsy's growler joins them for "Hellbound" which is a relentless speed fest that blasts by in a rabid blur. I know nuance is not what this kind of death metal is known for, but a dash might do them some good. If you are into guitar solos this one is worth paying attention to. Ingested's Jason Evans gets brutal for the more grindcore-like explosion that is "Insect Politics". Hal from Engulf appears in "The Golgothan". If you like what goes down here it might be worth checking out Engulf's new album as well. Lyrically things are supposed to be based on horror movies., and while there are speculations as to what song aligns with what movies, I have not heard the official word from the band so I am not going to speculate. 

Oliver from Archspire guests on "The Shape of Hate". The song is so rapid-fire it does not leave any t time to grab on to any riff. The vocal performance works but also feels rushed. Another banger if guitar solos are your main focus. By this point in the album, the fast playing has exhausted  The growler from Signs of the Swarm, is doing what he does. I liked the album Signs of the Swarm released last year, so I am not opposed to this sort of thing. The last song finds Ricky Hoover of Ov Sulphur, bringing yet another growl to the party. It has been an interesting experiment trying to distinguish these varied growls and hear who is showing up to the mic with something new, though it tends to be rather uniform. I will give this one a 7.5, as it all kinds sounds the same, some songs are more effective but the shift in dynamics is pretty marginal,. Chances are if you are into this sort of thing you just want it to be in your face, but I am not going to suggest rounding it up, as even if this sound is your jam, I am not sure what fresh ideas are being involved from a songwriting experience. At this point when I see someone wearing an Aborted shirt I am going to assume they just like generic modern death metal. 

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VLTIMAS : "Epic"

 

A super group of sorts that finds David Vincent fronting a band with the guitarist from Mayhem and the drummer from Crptopsy. Vincent's voice sounds pretty great, he has made some stylistic shifts so it is not just his trademark growl. Sometimes he now bellows with vibrato. It comes across more like singing than growling. When they pick up the speed on "Misere" that works as well without the more deliberate groove. There is an even more rapid-fire attack after this song, that has more of a Morbid Angel feel. His lyrics are articulated well. 

"Mephisto Manifesto" is an example of what it sounds like when this project is playing to their strengths. There is a slight hint of "Where the Slime Live" which makes sense as they should take influence from Vincent's work in Morbid Angel. It is more mid-paced so the song is allowed to groove in a way that the vocals flow with ease over. "Scorcher" is faster, but works in an almost Judas Priest-like manner. It also shows the strengths of the producers as they dialed everything in just right, despite the guitar behind less forward in the mix. 

"Invictus" works more often than it does not. "Nature's Fangs" offers a more death metal-like hammering. It is also allowed to ring out with melodic dissonance, as Vincent offers some of his death metal growls proving he can still do them he is just choosing this different vocal expression. The last song is the first one that strikes me as having a black metal vibe. I will give this album an 8.5, it finds a balance between their styles and makes it work. 

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