Cryptopsy - Cryptopsy (2012)

After a 'somewhat disappointing 2008 album, Cryptopsy is back with a self-entitled record. And yes, this one is more like the old sound.

The legendary Cryptopsy has left the deathcore scene and added a modern-sounding record to its list. All core-highs from the last album are gone and are replaced by mostly lows and some highs which is a welcome change.

Even though it is more in the direction of the old Cryptopsy, I think old fans will still have trouble getting used to this one at first. This because the songwriting is argueably in a different format than it used to be. Yes, it has the insane blasting of Flo etc., but it’s still not really the old Cryptopsy, which, unfortunately, it will never be to be honest.

Nonetheless, this definitely redeems Cryptopsy in a lot of ways. In the end, this record is a solid recovery from 'The Unspoken King'

Summary

A modern sounding ‘old’ Cryptopsy album.

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BandCamp

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The Faceless - Autotheism (2012)

The Faceless are back with a new album! First of all, this album is not called 'Opetheism', but I'll get back on that later.
For fans of their last album, 'Planetary Duality', this new album might be somewhat of a shock. It's not as 'brutal' or heavy as the previous album, actually a lot less. Needless to say, 'Autotheism' is not what you’d expect, but it's in a good way. This is one of those albums that flows so well that several songs kinda merge into 'one' song, especially during the more harmonious parts. It makes it feel like the album is supposed to be listened to in its entirety, which should be done to grasp the experience fully.

Like I said before, 'Opetheism' is already a widely used term to describe this album which has some truth to it I guess, but I feel like this is The Faceless delivering a different musical side of themselves. And they pull it off too.

Musically, this release is overall a bit more timid-feeling. It features a whole lot of clean vocals and lots of harmonious elements. But fret not, it still has that heavy side that we all know. Moreover,  they succeeded to mix these two aspects together very nicely. It's far from generic too, it even has saxophone solos if you can believe that. Which don't feel forced or cheesy at all somehow.

You could say that they've changed genres from Technical Death to Progressive Death on this release, or even 'Technical Progressive Death'. On the other hand it sounds a  bit like continuation of 'Planetary Duality'  but evidently not being a repeat of it.

Like any new album, it needs time to sink in, especially for such a progressive one as 'Autotheism'. There's already an amount of hate/protest for this release, or disappointment rather. Which to me seems kinda unplaced, seeing as this is a very interesting piece of music. As for if you will like this album or not, it's not a simple 'yes' or 'no'.

And above that, personally, I am not an experienced progressive enthusiast, but this album has really caught my ear. It's catchy and everything, I actually enjoy listening to it. Somehow I still feel like a numerical rating of this album won't be as accurate or justified as it should be, but I will try to anyways. On the other hand I can say with confidence that this album is a very interesting and intriguing piece of musicality and a show of great musicianship.

Summary
A new interesting side of The Faceless. This release makes for an intriguing listen and is definitely an impressive addition to the Progressive Death spectrum.

Rating
7.5
 
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MerchConnectionInc

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Record Label, 'Summerian Records'
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Claws - Absorbed in the Nethervoid (2009)

Some partly groovy-ish old school death metal. This finnish one-man band, created by Lasse Pyykkö, delivers a decent sounding record as its debut.

Being an old school death metal album, this album goes back to the roots of earlier times which sounds nicely familiar to the ears while not being /that/ overly generic or dull at the same time with the use of appealing riffs, sometimes. There's not that much to say about this record. Yes, some tracks do stand out a bit, but musically, it's not something that will blow you away.

The guitarwork is overall nicely executed, but it lacks intensity and memorability in both riffs and solos. Vocals, also performed by Lasse, prominently consist of low growls with some variation in small places which suits the genre but isn't that interesting.

All in all this record could be put into the imaginary bin of 'all the others'.

Summary

Nothing special. A plain average listen, there isn't anything that can't be found on other death metal records. More or less suited for music you'd play in the background.

Rating

5.0

Standout Track

Cacophonous Carrion

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Deathspell Omega - Drought (2011)

Energy, energy, energy! Like a freighttrain it just keeps on track, unrellenting. Flowing energy into music is something that is very hard to do, and needless to say, many bands never quite succeed in this. But goddamn, this record sure as hell does.
This 6-track 21-minute EP starts you out with a sort of timid instrumental intro and then the fun starts, grabbing you by the ears and not letting go. Labeled as Avant-Garde Black Metal, these guys have an own distorted, raunchy, chaotic but solid sound. With raspy vocals, menacing riffs and fitting drums it keeps your attention to see what's more to come. But don't think it's /all/ chaos. This record is nicely balanced, some parts are more ambient which gives the listener a nice alternation in energy and shows you that music of this genre doesn't always have to be menacing mayhem.
Something that stood out to me is on the song 'Abrasive Swirling Murk' at 0:51 where an almost primal shout is heard. Short as it may be, it's a nice accent and gives the musical arrangement that sweet edge. Nearing the end of the record, the instrumental last song reminds me of Gojira in a way, it has that storytelling feel to it but a tad more menacing sounding. All in all, the only thing I think that could've been done better was mixing the guitarwork in a bit louder and more clear, other than that this is a great EP.

Summary

A good energetic listen with a nice balance of mayhem and ambience. A different side of black metal but definitely a must-listen, even for the 'regular' 'extreme' metal fan.

Rating

7.5 - 8

Purchase

Hit Import (FRA)

Reflection Records

Season of Mist
Bilbo Records

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Record Label, 'Norma Evangelium Diaboli'

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Resurgency - Dark Revival (2010)

If there was ever an example of how to instantly show true musicianship through an EP, this would definitely be it. Presented by an evil demented grin, this self-released 4-track EP captures a true core of death metal and rips through the skin with just the right amount of evil energy. It has that trusted death metal songwriting and sound but at the same time it musically offers a new experience. With the help of the devilish vocals, the songs fuse into a solid listen. These Greeks show that they have a good grasp on what death metal is about and it shines through on this record.
If this record was physically purchasable it would be a must-have and even though all these songs are on their first full-length, 'False Enlightenment', I honestly feel like the sound is better and the music speaks out more on this EP.

Summary

One hell of an EP. An impressive tribute to death metal.

Rating

8.5 - 9

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Label, 'HellThrasher' 

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Visceral Disgorge - Ingesting Putridity (2011)

Some slammy brutal death! Looking at the cover art, you see what you get; a disgusting putrid collection of death. The production sounds great, something that can't be said about a lot of similar genred records out there. Instrumentally it its defined and clear whilst the gutty vocals on this record unify the slam-influenced songs. But I have to be honest about it, this record is not /that/ interesting. It's kind of generic and didn't suprise me musically apart from two songs. Yes, it has everything you'd expect from a band like this, but it just doesn't bring /that/ much new experiences to the ears. We've all kind of heard this type of thing before.

Currently their one and only release, the sound is great and these guys definitely pulled off what they were aiming for, but it just lacks that sense of "Wow, this is great".

Summary

A nice listen, but not anything new. I'm afraid that to most people it would sound a tad too generic.

Rating

6

Standout Songs
Necrocoprophagia
Skullfucking Neonatal Necrosis

Purchase
IndieMerch
Deepsend Records

Links
Record Label, 'Amputated Vein'
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Tension Collapsed (2010)

Oddly enough you might've heard of these guys, or atleast of their background. Before this record was released, this duo made parody versions of Cannibal Corpse songs. Their most popular one being 'Hammer Smashed Face in E Major'. Using this witty talent they eventually made their own instrumental music piece, which is what you see here.

Seeing as their background make them a comical ensemble, you'd think that this can't be anything good. But don't be fooled, nothing can be more incorrect! This isn't a parody of any sort, these guys knew what they were doing. Shaped by story-telling riffs, some nice melodic ambience and well placed blasting, this self-entitled record actually makes for a good listen. The first song welcomes the ears with an eerie sound and anthems an overall taste of what's to come. Ranging from melodic songs to more harsh death-orientated ones, it has a bit of everything. Nothing too technical. At times it even sounds like it would have been a professional band release since the production and songwriting are nicely executed. You could say that its one of those small releases that went unnoticed, but should be given credit for it's impressive effort and performance.

You can check out all the songs along with their parodies on their YouTube channel.

Summary

This record has some of everything, melodic ambience, tight riffage, speed and blasting, forming an impressive self-released record. Put this in your playlist and you will find it an nice addition to your musical environment.

Rating
7.0 - 7.5

Purchase
Amazon
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Deezer

Infestdead - JesuSatan (1999)

We all know Deicide and their hate for everything holy, but this is a tad different.

'Groovy Anti-Christian Death' is what comes to mind first when I think of this album. This because some of the songs have this unusual but somehow fitting groove to them, a suprising realization for a theme album like this. Prominently in the songs 'The Burning of the Son' and 'JesuSatan'. But don't let these words fool you into thinking it is some sort of gimmick, it's far from that.
Anti-Christian in its whole, the totality of this album holds up with its bloodthirsty blasphemous hate escorted by the characteristic anti-religious lyrics and raunchy sound. The riffs are nicely simple yet effective and the vocals are near perfect for this kind of theme which makes you able to feel the hate and the energy. In addition, the solos are well executed and blended into the songs. All in all I'd say this is a succesfully executed anti-christian record.

Summary

Definitely a stand-out album in its genre. Sometimes, however, it can feel a tad generic. Nevertheless the sound is great and should definitely feast the unholy ears of many.

Rating

7

Standout songs:

Evil²

Re-surrection

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Amazon

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Insidious Decrepancy - Extirpating Omniscient Certitude (2009)

Wow, were to begin? When I first heard this album I fell in love with it right on the spot. The super tight riffage and brilliant songwriting just rammed through my skull on first listen. In addition, the vocals are excellent with prominent deep growls and nice variations of highs. The songs are anything but boring or generic and will keep your ears close to the speakers at any given moment. Production-wise it's instrumentally defined which allows for a very pleasing mix of melody while still keeping a ferocious sound. Though you can still hear that the production quality needs some polishing. Needless to say this album is a gem in my collection.

What's special about this 'band' is that it's a one-piece fronted by Shawn Whitaker. This means the drums are programmed, however they flow in nicely on every song. Shawn himself plays almost inhumanly tight when playing live with the accompanying demonic, though hilarious, facial expressions.

Sadly though it was announced in June of 2012 that Insidious Decrepancy is no more. On the other hand Shawn is going to be a part of a new band called'Without Form' and will be performing Insidious Decrepancy songs under 'Shawn Whitaker'.

Summary

This album is a masterpiece on the death metal scene and of Shawn Whitaker personally. It stands on it's own two earth-crushing feet. This gem is absolutely worth a listen and most definitely worth a purchase; an essential must-have for fans of tight death metal!

Rating
9

Purchase:
http://www.brutalbands.com/

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