Artist: Cryptopsy
Country: Canada
Label: Nuclear Blast
Formats: LP / CD
Year: 2023
I first heard Cryptopsy in the early 2000s, when it was arguably the peak of brutal Death Metal with a high degree of technicality, at least in terms of number of quality releases. At that time labels like Relapse and Unique Leader seemed to push the genre further with each new release. And Cryptopsy to me were the epitome of vituosity and brutality combined, with albums like ‘None So Vile’ and ‘Whisper Supremacy’ on continuous rotation. That ‘And Then You’ll Beg’ felt like a step behind those records, or that the return of original vocalist Lord Worm didn’t really produce a comeback worthy of the earlier material, I could live with. But the release of ‘The Unspoken King’ was too much. It’s unfair to blame the then new vocalist Matt McGachy for their weakest record, as the material in every possible way could not come close to the already somewhat underwhelming ‘Once Was Not’, let alone the first three albums. For me this period also marked a rapidly declining interest in the brutal Death Metal genre, a dying love that over the 15 or so years that followed was never resurrected.
Cryptopsy never went away, even though drummer Flo Mournier is the only remaining original band member by now and their output has markedly slowed down. Unbeknownst to me, their 2012 self-titled album proved a rather strong outing, and the recommendation of the following two ‘Book of Suffering’ EPs fell on my deaf ears. Yet through his everlasting persistence, FelixS managed to convince me to give the band and their latest release, ‘As Gomorrah Burns’, another try.
With the coming of the newest record, Cryptopsy doesn’t reinvent itself. As had been common on most of their albums since ‘And Then You’ll Beg’, the production is rather focussed on the impressive drum work of Flo Mournier, with the overall sound having a somewhat clinical and sterile appearance. It’s something I’ve gotten used to with the band, and fits their frantic riffing and blasting. Taking this along, the musical content on this most recent Cryptopsy record is in every way a culmination of the sound that has been developing since their demos and stellar debut ‘Blasphemy Made Flesh’: Fast, brutal, technical and highflying guitars, thumping virtuose bass, inhumane blasting drums and spitting vocals. Deathcore influences have been slowly creeping into the Death Metal for decades now, and this more grooving and chugging sound certainly can be found back on ‘As Gomorrah Burns’. Songs like ‘Ill Ender’ and ‘Flay the Swine’ have a solid number of breakdowns, and maybe the opening of ‘Obeisant’ is a little bit too far in the Deathcore direction for my liking. But while these infusions bothered me in the past, that is not at all the case on the most recent record. Still extremely technical and furious, the funky riffs and chord progressions from some of the albums are somewhat reduced, making the album more straightforward in its frenetic ferocity and that somehow makes it all come across more cohesive. You could even call songs such as the pummelling ‘The Lascivious Undivine’ or ‘Praise the Filth’ somewhat grandiose at times, while tracks like ‘Godless Deceiver’ and ‘The Righteous Lost’ certainly have moments where they feel fairly close to for instance ‘Whisper Supremacy’. Whatever name tag or reference you want to give it though, to me one one thing is clear: With ‘As Gomorrah Burns’ Cryptopsy have outdone themselves.
Let’s not fool anyone: ‘As Gomorrah Burns’ is not the new ‘None So Vile’ or ‘Whisper Supremacy’. But you know what? It’s been a long time ago that I’ve enjoyed listening to a new Cryptopsy or brutal Death Metal album as much as I did listening to this one. That has to count for something.
