Krypts – Unending Degradation
And the Second Coming of Finnish Death Metal continues unabated. Welcome all to the woe-filled world of Krypt’s Unending Degradation. Like Demigod and Demilich before them, Krypts’ music terrifies as potently as it torches its peers, from the low, gurgling vocals to the purposeful and solid drumming. At the album’s onset, space and time collapse inward upon the listener, as the production’s distinct faraway quality envelopes earholes within a haunted solemnity. Always around the next curve of this DM abyss, a warning of eventual evisceration echoes on, but instead torments with promise alone rather than invocation. Arrangements long and foreboding clamp closed the nightmare-mask encasing you as sonic voyager, but with Krypts, you are not helpless. The goose-step command of riffs like those found in ‘Open the Crypt’ arm one with a blade hewn of bone and hilt of hardened flesh, preparing the acolyte for conflict with those that await below. ‘Cry, Havoc!’
Though firmly rooted in Finnish sound, Unending Degradation exemplifies a welcome antidote for some of the absolute – and exquisite – hopelessness proffered by Krypts fellow countrymen (ie, labelmates/personal faves Desolate Shrine). Strewn amongst the sorrowful, bloodied, bracken-filled Megiddo of the troubling landscape Krypts creates, a discordant energy of both surrender and victory restores/empowers. And always-audible, distorted bass and heavily-reverbed guitars remain as likely to bring the Doom as they are the Death – with held-out whole notes steering spines of sycophants prostrate before them in abeyance – just before skulls are smashed in with riff-spewing thuribles like the one comprising ‘The Black Smoke’. Mournful guitar lines wail in and around arrangements that shift between scornfully speedy or slowly serrating, leaving one unsettled yet triumphant, a feeling akin to blaring Bolt Thrower on a boombox while attending a funeral (spin the stunning ‘Beneath the Archaic’ to experience this). All the while, an understated aptitude of Krypts’ members towards their instruments churns underneath the song structures, as if each agreed that should the Horned One reveal his favorites tones, the trio in return would forsake performance of notes outside his Unholy Scales of Hate. Regardless, Ol’ Beelze’s been betrayed. These Finlandians do what they want, old and new, and do it well. -Jim
Dark Descent Records
Worm Gear 
I’ve listened to a few songs on this album over the last few months. I think it is very cool, but doesn’t have the original touch of Maveth or Desolate Shrine to really hold my attention. Alas, it is a bit boring. But still cool. Not buying this one.
Just ordered it, I liked the track I heard on Bandcamp and their earlier single kicked my ass. Damn, I feel a major FinDeath addiction coming on…
The fins have created something special, but are also the ones that will destroy it with an overload of shit coming our way. bandwagon is frothing already i think…
Ah well, bandwagons are unavoidable when something good comes along. The critical listener will choose wisely and avoid the bandwagonesque (great word, it’s actually an album title!). Sometimes though great bands rise to the attention thanks to the bandwagon that would have stayed obscure otherwise… Like Stench Of Decay, whose demo compilation I’ve ordered yesterday!
And I’m not so much afraid of a findeath overload, they still have a lot of space to grow compared to for example swedeath, florideath or norblack.
There is no question more good stuff will come out of Finland. More room to grow? Hmm…depends on what you accept as really good, average and finally mediocre. I surely think there is room for a few more excellent releases in the DM genre in FInland, but like you said, one has to weed out the average with the truly excellent. I think there will be a lot of bands that initially sound great, but as time goes on, it turns out to be nothing really all that special. I think this release is just that. With the DM fever at 107 degrees right now, a lot of average stuff is going to pass as really good. That is all i am saying.
If you’re worrying about a “bandwagon” and using that as an excuse to avoid certain regional metal scenes, you have an internet problem.
MC, say what? I don’t “worry” about bandwagons, nor do I avoid anything. If someone tells me a DeathMetal band is good, I’ll check it out. Simple as that. I am actually quite open minded to listening to as many things as possible. I just happen to be quite picky and have a very fine ‘shit’ filter. . What on earth made you think I worry about such a thing?
i presume you are a member of the band, Krypts?
Click his name, there’s a link… Ha! One of my very favorite labels, and real connoisseurs of deathmetal goodies I might say… And hey, check out that featured release! 😉 \m/
The whole regional thing is hype bullshit anyways. There is no ‘magic sauce’ in Finland that makes it an exceptional place for Death Metal. That is utter bullshit. Just hype. Yeah, its a good label. I don’t jerk off on it though.