 | Tracklist:
1- Crown of Horns
2- Slit your Guts
3- Graves of the Fathers
4- Dead and Dripping
5- Benedictine Convulsion
6- Phobophile
7- Lichmistress
8- Orgiastic Disembowelment
| Ranking: #3 for 1996 | |
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On 132 Lists
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Cryptopsy's second studio album has long been considered their masterpiece. All of the signature sounds are there. The crushingly brutal guitar riffs. The hollow sounding snare drums and the lightning fast double bass drums. But the real signature sound of this era of Cryptop comes with the band's vocalist, Lord Worm. The sounds he can make with his voice on this album are incredible. From the album's first track, "Crown Of Horns" (no, the monster sound at the start is not him) the listener will hear Lord Worm do things from high-pitched screams to deep gutteral growls.
Cryptopsy
Lord Worm : vocals
Jon Levasseur : lead and rhythm guitars
Eric Langlois : bass
Flo Mournier : drums and backing vocals
This album has long been considered by many fans of extreme music to be one of the greatest death metal/grind albums of all time. There aren't really many standout tracks on the album and there are no weak points whatsoever. Some of the more well known tracks such as "Slit Your Guts" and "Phobophile" are some of the albums best tracks but lesser known tracks like "Lichmistress" are almost equally good. The album is not long, but an average length for an album in it's genre. Despite only having 8 songs, Cryptopsy make their artistic statement the short 30 minutes of music that is "None So Vile". In the track, "Phobophile", the band use a piano intro which is soft, and sad sounding. After the piano, the band use some guitar feedback and build it up with a bass riff. After hearing the previous five songs, the lister expects the band to keep building it into a typically heavy Cryptopsy song, however, the band pull out another surprise, messing with the listener's brain and proving that Death Metal, as dumb as the sounds may be to a first time listener, is much more than "just noise".
For a drummer who is interested in hearing good technique and lightning fast parts, Flo Mounier's drumming on this album is some of the best heard in modern music. His snare's sound excellent from the minute they hit the listener in the face at the start of "Crown of Horns" to the end of the album at "Orgiastic Disembowlment". The guitars are excellent with some incredibly heavy riffing, best heard on songs like "Benedectine Convulsions". There is an odd solo here are there and some very crazy sounds like on the track "Crown of Horns". The bass in the album is excellent and is given a good part in the music. It isn't mixed too low to hear. The bass parts in songs like "Graves of the Fathers" sounds like the bass is being smacked against a brick wall. In "Phobophile", the bass is used to great effect to help build up the song. This album is an essential for anyone who enjoys extreme music. This album is almost universally accepted as one of the greatest death/grind albums ever and is said to be the greatest death metal album ever by a considerable amount of fans. Whatever the case, this is a brilliant album and is essential for anyone interested in extreme music or anyone wanting to hear good guitar work, drumming or bass parts.
Pros
- Brilliant instrument work
- Amazing vocals
- Excellent, crushing riffs
- Some diversity; not just noise
Cons
- Being extremely nit picky, some listeners may not like the fact that the vocals aren't able to be understood.
FINAL RATING: 5/5
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| Recent reviews by this author | | | |
I just thought I'd write a review in a different style to Dargon's. His doesn't seem to be on here at the moment anyway. Hope y'all like it.
| | | Album Rating: 5
Nice review. You may want to add the final bracket on your img html code though, just to make it slightly more pleasing aethetically.
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Yes, no track-by-track. TBTs are easier but they don't look as professional. And mine probably isn't on here because it's an old one so it's in the archives.
| | | Album Rating: 4.5
Nicely done review. I seriously want to pick up this album :-/
-Gilmour
| | | Album Rating: 4.5
Oh yeah, Dargon you can still import your review yourself.
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Great review
Digging: And We Danced - The Koppenheffer Sessions
| | | Album Rating: 4.5
Nice review, this is my favourite death metal album. Flo's drumming is insane.
| | | Album Rating: 4.5
Great review for a great album. I seriously wish I could find and buy this. :sad:
| | | Album Rating: 4.5
Great review for a great album. I seriously wish I could find and buy this. :sad:
Amazon.com ?
-Gilmour
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I added it to my favorites so now it's on the main sputnik page. phun tyms
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NIce Review. Kick Ass album. The technicality(sp) on their instruments is insane from this band
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One of my favorite albums. Great review.
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Thanks man. Since this album is Featured, I tidied up my review a bit.
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flo is a god; in fact all the members of cryptopsy are gods. this album is a pinnacle of death metal at its prime (at least on the mainstream/non-underground level)... not that i know anything about underground death metal. nonetheless, great review and great album. buy this.
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Great review, great album. Phobophile is such a good song!
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It's all good man. Just out of interest, with your avatar, do you think the newer artwork is better than the older one? I much prefer the older one.
| | | Album Rating: 5
God, I want this badly. Could anyone send me it on AIM?
| | | Album Rating: 5
Not to sound like a death-hater, but I really dislike Lord Worm's growls. It just sort of sounds like he breathes heavily into a microphone, and there is a lot of "note" in his growls if that makes any sense. His screaming is awesome though. Not the greatest death metal band in my opinion.
| | | Album Rating: 4.5
I've been on a huge Cryptopsy craze lately. Aside from this one, I love Blasphemy Made Flesh, and Whisper Supremecy is really growing on.This Message Edited On 09.23.05
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Whisper Supremacy is awesomeness minus the vocals.
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