ALBUM REVIEW: Cosmic Sarcophagus – Mandroïd Of Krypton
Swiss progressive thrash quartet MANDROÏD OF KRYPTON smash together science fiction tropes with non-stop sonic exploration and an ear for chunky riffs. While clearly taking plenty of influence from prog metal titans such as MASTODON and GOJIRA, MANDROÏD OF KRYPTON throw some uniquely left field sounds into their third album Cosmic Sarcophagus, enhancing their progressive riffs with a double-bladed black metal and hardcore punk edge.
Without wasting a single second of runtime, Cosmic Sarcophagus opens with a ceaseless barrage of pulverising percussion and ominous chanting. If you had any worries that a band who chose to name themselves MANDROÏD OF KRYPTON may not be weird enough, then opening track Deep Resistance is sure to set your mind at ease, layering classic thrash riffs and dissonant black metal tremolo picking with vocals that careen wildly between choppy punk style shouts and melodramatic soaring cleans in a chaotic mish-mash of styles held together by a thin veneer of pulp sci-fi camp. Such a wild mix of genres should separate like oil and water but instead come together into a satisfying emulsion just weird enough to justify the quartet’s expansive exploration.
For an act this dedicated to sonic experimentation, Cosmic Sarcophagus does a fantastic job remaining accessible to newcomers while still itching the prog centre of dedicated fan’s brains. Tracks such as Mountains Of Fear and The Waltz Of Death wouldn’t sound too out of place in your uncle’s METALLICA collection, both chugging through under three minutes of hefty, distorted guitars while, despite some unorthodox choices, even the most puritanical black metal fan should have no problem headbanging to Asteroid Brigade. While a lot of bands would take MANDROÏD OF KRYPTON’s mix of genres to its logical conclusion with dreary and self-indulgent prog epics, Cosmic Sarcophagus instead launches a well-formed sonic idea at the listener, stretches it until it snaps and moves on.
While their punk ethos and rapid-fire tracks work spectacularly in some parts of the album there are also a handful of moments that would have benefited from a little more room for the band to stretch their prog legs. Bizarrely for an album that leans so heavily into sci-fi weirdness and progressive metal exploration, most of the nine songs on Cosmic Sarcophagus don’t break the three and a half minute mark. While the track Drag Drag Sisyphus does plenty with its tight runtime, the gargantuan, grooving riffs could’ve been driven home even harder with a few more repetitions, with a dramatic flair Veterans Of The Cosmic War could easily have taken its PHANTOM OF THE OPERA meets GOATWHORE blackened thrash energy to another level with a little more time. Despite these minor nitpicks, Cosmic Sarcophagus has plenty of shining moments which glow brightly through their pulverising cacophony of thrashy prog riffs.
On their third full-length, Cosmic Sarcophagus, Swiss four-piece MANDROÏD OF KRYPTON take a seemingly incompatible mix of prog, thrash, punk and black metal and craft a genuinely unique experience complete with a slick pulp sci-fi aesthetic. Leaning heavily into their weirdness rather than shying away from it, it takes the listener on a cosmic journey unlike anything they could experience on Earth.
Rating: 7/10
Cosmic Sarcophagus is out now via MTAF Records.
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