Brazilian Death Metal four piece Crypta are back with their second full length album ‘Shades Of Sorrow’, a 52 minute journey through the depths of the human psyche which zeroes in on the struggles in life we may face and the many different shades of pain which are endured. Fernanda, Luana and Taniá are joined by guitarist Jéssica Di Falchi, the replacement for Sonia Anubis, and with this new line up, the band are ready to once again unleash some serious death metal. So strap in and get ready to experience the many shades of sorrow.
Instrumental piano track “The Aftermath” opens the track and already, you must be expecting my customary statement about how these intro tracks should just be incorporated into the subsequent one, but this is not the case here. The ominous piano lingers as it gradually builds up, helping to set the scene and create some tension which Fernanda almost immediately shatters as ‘Dark Clouds’ which follows is opened by a formidable 8 second long scream. Exploding to life with a flurry of drums and pacy riffs, the track has a fierce edge to it. The brief flash of acoustic guitar quickly gives way to the full-bodied death metal attack and it is every bit as overwhelming as dark clouds in the sky are – venomous snarls from the vocals, buzzing guitars, rumbling bass and relentless blasts of drums create a huge wall of sound and it is executed extremely well. Even when it eases off the pace briefly, it retains the intimidating edge and the lead guitar trade-off section works great before the final run brings a close to a tremendous opening number.
‘Poisonous Apathy’ brings a more groove-driven death metal attack. With a howling pinch harmonic opening the track, a buzzing riff drives the track forwards and the drumming from Luana is superb. Crashing fills, bursts of blast and rolling barrages give a solid foundation for the rumbling riff and bass to drive forwards, bringing elements of the 90’s Scandinavian death metal stylings. A soaring melodic chorus brings some space to the sound, helping the track sound huge when it opens up and the big ripping shred solo with some slick sweeping arpeggios adds that extra touch to a solid offering. ‘The Outsider’ amps up the tension with its ominous dual guitar intro before it surges forwards. With a furious low end heavy attack, the track leans into the blackened-death metal spectrum at times, adding that extra atmospheric touch and intensity. Dissonant edged spots in the chorus give way to a well-paced run of chords and the breakdown section around the 3:20 point has some seriously evil vocals. The 1-2 solo run adds a flourish of style and the heavy transition section which follows before the final run brings it all together nicely.
‘Stronghold’ brings in some of the subtle thrash sounds in the opening groove, revisiting Fernanda and Luana’s roots in Nervosa. The thrash edge soon gives way to the relentless attack of death metal. The verses have some big sweeping fills which punctuate the buzzsaw and blast beat combination. The chorus sounds massive with its intense vocal roars and soaring melodic leads and the heavy transition to an atmospheric and hauntingly beautiful lead section is landed perfectly. The final run of the track is extremely powerful too – the extended chorus gets even bigger with more powerful roars and the lead still soars majestically before it runs into a melodic shred section with oozes emotion over its dissonant rhythmic undercurrent. A truly astounding track all round! ‘The Other Side Of Anger’ comes in after the fade-out of the previous track and the exotic acoustic opening quickly leads to the death-groove attack. The thundering low end and tight vocals from Fernanda are complimented well by Luana’s relentless display on the drums and the Taniá/Jéssica combo works well, with some well executed chord/melody work in the choruses, blistering harmonized buzzing fills and a ripping guitar solo trade-off.
‘The Limbo’ is the second instrumental transition track. Once again, it is a piano piece but this time round it is more disjointed and carries a sense of foreboding with it. As the track makes you feel uneasy, the very Death-esquire ‘Trial Of Traitors’ comes in hot. Sweeping arpeggio leads soon become a scathing verse which is delivered at breakneck speed and plenty of anger and force. With plenty of dissonant spots to help keep you off balance, subtle pacing changes which retain momentum well and the sharp guitar playing which lays down some piercing solo’s, it is a fantastic nod to the older styles of death metal. The ominous hummed melody which opens ‘Lullaby For The Forsaken’ instantly creates a sense of unease and this is compounded throughout the track. The rhythm section is tight as hell, especially with the big bass presence whilst the guitars do a lot of the atmospheric work with sinister sounding fills, lingering chords and a tightly coiled chug to help emphasize the big bass presence. Again, it is a fantastic slice of groove driven death metal.
‘Agents Of Chaos’ brings back the faster and furious death metal attack. After the exotic melodic opening, it returns to the familiar approach; buzzing, blasting and scathing. Intense and intricate, it dances between high tempo and grinding grooves whilst retaining all its momentum. Harsh vocal screams compliment the ominous vibes of the guitar melodies in the choruses and the rawness of the vocals is a great contrast to the well placed leads. The shred work is fantastic and the big riff underneath has a phenomenal hook to it which will have plenty of heads banging and windmilling along. ‘Lift The Blindfold’ opens up with a dark sounding clean intro which quickly picks up the pace and brings in shades of 90’s Carcass, particularly the Necroticism styling. With its pinpoint riffing and wild vocals, the track blazes forwards and the melodic flashes of pedal tone riffs in the chorus help add to the intensity of the sound. ‘Lord Of Ruins’ is the penultimate track and is up there with Stronghold as a personal highlight for this release. The atmospheric clean intro quickly gives way to a pseudo-Black Metal onslaught before the Carcass styled onslaught kicks in. Buzzing riffs quickly give way to a blistering groove with a phenomenally heavy low end and the whole track has a wild edge to it which is tightly controlled by the precise rhythm work of the drums. Even when the track eases off the gas round the halfway point before a massive shred solo spot kicks in, it still holds a fierce edge and the final run of the track is huge. A slow and methodically pounding groove shifts into the final chorus. With a huge lead melody quickly giving way to the blackened riffing which ushers in a subtle key change under a massive scream from Fernanda helps up the intensity for the big finish and it lands perfectly.
The only downside of the album is the final piano piece which closes the record; ‘The Closure’. A warm melodic track which seemingly wraps up the concept of journeying through hardship to come out stronger has a symbolic impact but it doesn’t quite fit in the way it comes in after such an intense song. Other than this, I cannot complain in the slightest about this album. It is a fantastic slice of 90’s inspired death metal which pulls no punches. Crypta have released a monster of an album here and it is definitely one you all need to check out!
(9.5/10 Fraggle)
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