ALBUM REVIEW: Shades Of Sorrow – Crypta
2021 saw the hotly anticipated release of the debut album from CRYPTA; two former members of NERVOSA coming together to birth a new death metal act that has quickly garnered some well-deserved attention in the scene. The follow-up to their debut comes in the form of Shades Of Sorrow. This a perfect example of building upon a solid blueprint. Shades is darker, more melodic and has a stronger emphasis on guitar work and songwriting.
The album opens somewhat calmly with the instrumental The Aftermath, but that’s soon quashed with the arrival of the punishing Dark Clouds. You’re hit with the full force of the band from the off. An introductory scream from the ever-fiery Fernanda Lira ferociously leads the charge. The drums are punchy and bounce off the bass (which is incredibly prominent throughout) in a vicious tag team of rhythm and rage.
If you’re looking for evidence of the band’s added melody on this record, look no further than Poisonous Apathy. While being first and foremost a death metal band, this track oozes ARCH ENEMY vibes, especially in the chorus. It’s a hulking melodic death melody that’ll go down well in a live setting. The solo that comes ripping in is a face melter before the track eventually drifts away, not without leaving an impression first.
Stronghold is a track that showcases the abilities of guitarists Jéssica di Falchi and Tainá Bergamaschi who can both shred and lay down infectious riffs. Their tones also add an extra layer of menace and darkness to these tracks. Clocking in at just over six minutes, it’s the longest song on the album but not a moment is wasted.
There’s a much-needed interlude after the ferocious The Other Side Of Anger, which gives the listener a little under a minute to catch their breath before we’re shifting back into gear once again. Trial Of Traitors features that signature Seasons In The Abyss era SLAYER tone. It fits the band’s motif incredibly well. It’s a sinister track and one of the highlights of the album. The latter half of the record almost doubles down on the grooves, with the penultimate track Lord Of Ruins being a melody masterclass. It still hits with so much aggression though, especially with its blast beats and killer solo battle towards its final moments.
The production of the album is flawless. Somehow CRYPTA have created a body of work that’s both classic and modern sounding at the same time. It has that rawness to it, like an old-school death metal record, but there’s that modern crunch to it that gives it so much extra weight and power.
Lira once again proves that her vocals are some of the best in the game right now. You can feel every ounce of aggression behind her words. She also somehow manages to sound majorly creepy in the unsettling Lullabies For The Forsaken. Her commanding “Hush now!” is imposing and makes your skin crawl in the best possible way. Luana Dametto is once again a machine behind the kit, effortlessly switching grooves at the drop of a hat. It’s hard to pick out just one stand-out moment, but her performance in Agent Of Chaos shines a light on her talents.
It’s quite remarkable just how much of a step up this is from their debut, even though their debut was critically acclaimed and rightly so. CRYPTA have managed to marry up old-school death metal brutality with modern melodic death metal and they have made it sound so organic. This band are about to explode. Watch this space.
Rating: 9/10
Shades Of Sorrow is set for release on August 4th via Napalm Records.
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