ALBUM REVIEW: The Cosmic Key II – Crafting the Conspiracy

One of the best things about the core genres is their incredible ability to produce countless new iterations of themselves through their near limitless supply of new bands that flood the scenes every year. Whilst over saturation is most certainly an issue, the consistent stream of fresh faces means that it isn’t hard to find a band worth getting rather excited for. CRAFTING THE CONSPIRACY formed back in 2014 and have since embarked on what is definitely one of the most ambitious creative journeys within a genre so frequently over filled with bands trying to be the next WHITECHAPEL or SUICIDE SILENCE. 

With their initial debut Human Error putting them on the map, it was the following EP The Cosmic Key I that asserted CRAFTING THE CONSPIRACY as a interesting prospect, as this release marked the first chapter in a trilogy of conceptual albums based off stories surrounding tales of violence, horror, trial and tribulation, and everything in between. The immediately grabbing benefit of this narrative style of music is that the vocal performance instantly feels more theatrical and entertaining as a result, and this is something carried over to The Cosmic Key II. There is a real sense of classic, early 00s metalcore to the vocal delivery and between that and the diverse performance, it easily makes the vocals one of the standout features of the CRAFTING THE CONSPIRACY arsenal. 

Alongside this pretty great vocal performance is a developing sound that feels equal parts THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER melodeath worship alongside the mighty heft of modern deathcore bands such as SIGNS OF THE SWARM and the like. The opening moments of the Prologue that eventually bleed into Autonomy of Ascension kick the record off with a bang and all the way through Serenisis it seems clear that this is going to sit comfortably with fans of the genre. Until Equilibrium breaks that cycle with a healthy slab of melodic metalcore to intersect the record. Whilst the addition of clean vocals to the mix are welcome, the lacklustre writing on the song along with some lyrics that feel like a bit more work could’ve been spent on them, this is the first moment of the record where CRAFTING THE CONSPIRACY seem to be treading water. 

Luckily, the tail end of the record is bolstered by the epic trio of Cosmic Key I, II, and III, a collection of songs that definitely feel like CRAFTING THE CONSPIRACY at their best, with blistering blast beats and thrashy, melodeath riffs filling the void with maelstrom like energy. The final moments certainly make the first half of this record feel slightly forgettable thanks to awesome moments within Cosmic Key II and the contemplative Cosmis Key III rounding the record off with a mighty bang. With material this good closing your release, it certainly begs the question as to what if the whole album was of this quality, because it certainly feels like this band are on the rise towards something genuinely memorable. 

The Cosmic Key II definitely feels like a band progressing from ideas and building on strengths. Whilst this isn’t the fully formed monster just yet, there is enough here to make CRAFTING THE CONSPIRACY a band worth keeping tabs on, not only for their unique approach to melodic deathcore but also for their creativity that sees them pushing their releases towards the conceptual as opposed to regular releases. Whilst not necessarily a clean cut narrative, a band dedicated towards releasing a trilogy of interconnected records is something we don’t see a lot of and as such feels refreshing as a result. This is a great new band for any deathcore fan looking for something new yet familiar, and the future feels bright for CRAFTING THE CONSPIRACY.

Rating: 7/10

The Cosmic Key II is set for release on August 28th via Innerstrength Records. 

Like CRAFTING THE CONSPIRACY on Facebook.