Review Summary: Close your eyes, this may hurt a lot...
Most death metal bands can be categorized as brutal death metal, melodic death metal, blackened death metal, technical death metal – the list goes on. The list goes on even more if you include all the –cores and –grinds. Cryptopsy are one of only a handful of bands that cannot be classified properly. Looking back at that list, they’re mostly ‘technical death metal.’ But, that phrase doesn’t do the band justice. That phrase implies that the album will suffer from dry production, excellent, yet repetitive drumming and average vocals. But, that doesn’t capture the sheer intensity of Cryptopsy. It’s not just Lord Worm’s indecipherable vocals that make Cryptopsy’s debut
Blasphemy Made Flesh so unique, but every element of the album is so perfectly placed that it makes the frantic chaos have as much order as a cocktail party. If you want some death metal that you can listen to at home whilst doing your algebra, Cryptopsy is not what you’re looking for. Cryptopsy is the kind of band that makes you want to go to your nearest town centre, completely pissed off at the world, whilst wielding a chainsaw. Cryptopsy is not for the faint of heart. If you listen to death metal, listen out for the superb musicianship, the unique vocal styles, the teeth gnashing soloing and the excellent songwriting.
One of the best tracks on the album, and is also a track that deserves its own paragraph is
Open Face Surgery. Everything sounds perfect, from the creepy sample at the start (‘Close your eyes, this may hurt a lot…’) to that legendary scream, courtesy of Lord Worm. Flo Mounier thrashes away at his kit, practically molesting it. The guitars create an impregnable wall of riffs, whilst the bass is, surprisingly, audible throughout the whole track. The highlight of the track though, is when Lord Worm unleashes a 28 second screech nearing the end of the song. Even if this screech was dubbed over a couple of times, it still wouldn’t take the intensity out of it, but being one whole screech makes Lord Worm’s work much more impressive.
Flo Mounier must be one of the best extreme metal drummers ever. His talent isn’t overstated, from his intense snare grinding to his insane bass blasting to the different beats in
Open Face Surgery,
Born Headless and
Mutant Christ. His talent provides the tracks with their sense of energy, even when the guitars drop out. The snare sounds perfect mostly, although sometimes, its volume is so high, it makes the song sound so much more intense. Everything about the drumming is perfectly set to create the mood of the album, bring enough intensity into the mix, and to compliment the other instruments in a brutal Frankenstein of technical paradise.
The guitars sound very muddy throughout the album, resembling Cannibal Corpse’s
The Bleeding. Whether it is the double bass interfering with the down-tuned playing, the vocals and snare coming above it, or the seldom heard bass lines that are brought up from the dark depths that each song creates, but the guitars are only audible as a thundering mass of indistinguishable riffs until one of them comes up for a solo or there is a drastic change in the structure of the song. Though the guitars sound continually monotonous, they don’t suffer. They sound excellent in
Mutant Christ and
Gravaged, with the chugging at the start before breaking into whining squeals later on. There is, however, lack of imagination, especially when it comes to the solos, in tracks like
Abogir,
Open Face Surgery and the riffs in
Swing Of The Cross.
The bass sounds audible at most times, especially when the rest of the band breaks, but, other than that, it adds well to the mix. Many times though, the bass is overshadowed by the drumming and guitars that blast through each song. Throughout
Defenestration, the bass is the most audible. Overall, the bass is good, but could use some remastering to have a bigger part to play in the album.
This album is definitely for you if you are looking to extend your death metal collection. Cryptopsy have always been one of the most unique death metal bands when Lord Worm was with them and
Blasphemy Made Flesh and
None So Vile reveal the bands greatest and very short-lived musical achievements. If you want pure grit combined with brutal and technical death metal showing the pure essence of the words frantic chaos, it is in
Blasphemy Made Flesh.
