Cryptdweller – Inevitable Obliteration

May 2019 – Unsigned

Inevitable Obliteration is modern death metal done right. Paying respects to its predecessors by virtue of its pure vigor, it's got influences from some of the biggest acts their country has to offer, namely Suffocation and more recent Devourment. North Carolina looks barren in the death metal department for a newcomer, so here's to Cryptdweller carving their state's name into the extreme metal monolith.

With a timbre sometimes similar to Aekerfeldt on Resurrection Through Carnage and the clearest enunciation I've heard in a long time, it's no surprise the vocals were the first element that held my attention. Belching blasphemy with a sharp, harsh tone without resorting to the cheap tricks of guttural ranges and squeals is a sign of what's to come – no-nonsense death metal that plays by the rules, and plays well. Pounds of Flesh has the heaviest intro written this year, using what seems to be Cryptdweller's favourite tool, the octave chord. It's one of the secrets behind some of the best modern riffs, turning your average power chord dragging section into the heavy footsteps of marching legions, stomping their way to a violent death. The exemplary mixing job gives all the necessary oomph to the guitars and reinforces the already chunky grooves by giving both clarity and bite. While the vocal mix does seems a little high, I feel it's due to just how uncharacteristically comprehensible the hateful snarls are.

Some songs display certain influences more than others – Inevitable Obliteration sounds like an unreleased track off Conceived in Sewage by Devourment, with that “beatdown-tinged death metal” aesthetic, most audible around the minute mark as a quasi-slam appears. Vile Nexus has more elements attributed to Suffocation, with the weird and ever-popular chromatic single note patterns. The only complaint to be made is a backhanded compliment – with half of the tracks at under three minutes, it feels some ideas couldn't reach their full potential, the cut-off lead at the end of Pounds of Flesh is a great example, promising a slowdown into the tortured soundscapes of atonal and strange solos but petering out before anything came of it. Outside of the undue brevity here and there, Inevitable Obliteration is the work of excellent musicians, both creatively and technically, with a deep understanding of what makes death metal, death metal.

Comments

Grime - Live

Grime Live – Oct. 2017 The air is heavy, the lights are dim, and the conversations skittle away, hiding in the corners as Grime takes to the stage. Eyes up and hair down, I knew we were in for something good. Grime, the italian sludge act, released their first album in 2013 on the well-known Mordgrimm records. They might be the best-named band I can think of – the unclean buzz of the strings and damp mix of instruments give off a filthy, pock-marked sound, the kind you'd hear from scraping a sewer floor. I didn't know of them until their 2015 record, Circle of Molesters, but they're the kind of band who can do no wrong. The first note hit, and the bass shook me in unholy ways. After staggering a few steps back, I looked up at the stage and saw some of the best lighting since Messuggah. A white backdrop, searchlight-style movement carving the silhouettes of Grime into my retina. Marco, lead guitar, was spectacular in his theatrics. Doubling over in rage and p...

Five the Hierophant – Over Phlegeton

Five the Hierophant – Over Phlegeton Dark Essence Records – 2017 There's a rare breed of album which instantly becomes a cult classic, and I can confidently say Over Phlegeton is one of them. Experimental, weird, bizarre, none of these words come close to describing just how extraordinary and interesting this record is. If I had to draw parallels with another band, I'd say it's a heavier, more mature version of Mamaleek, with many similar elements such as the ethnic percussions or non-traditional scales, but with a much darker visage and more detailed composition. There have been incredible avant-garde metal albums using unconventional instruments, but none have been so tactfully used as the saxophone is on Over Phlegeton. Played as a full instrument and not a token nod to some jazzy experimentation, Five the Hierophant explore the extremeties of what the sax can do – from screaming leads floating above the guitars to wailing voices in the wind, passing by hear...

Analepsy – Atrocities from Beyond

When I say slam, people usually think of the Russian scene, often citing ultra-heavyweights Abominable Putridity. Well, it turns out Portugal is also amazing at mid-tempo grooving. Their first release, Dehumanization by Supremacy, was an exceptional debut from any point of view. The production was spot-on, the songs had great flow, and the slams were goddamn heavy. The vocals were arguably the least impressive, mainly because there was so little variety – which is something given that we’re talking about brutal death metal here. On Atrocities from Beyond, the man behind the mic is replaced by the lead guitarist, Diogo Santana, and this man’s range is far superior – there are some nice mid-ranged growls mixed and that really give the gutturals punch by contrast. They’ve hired backup on a couple of songs, including the legendary Larry Wang from Coprocephalic, who’s always a welcome addition to any album. It’s great to hear how the songwriting grew between the two records. The first ...

Undergrind Metal

Search This Blog