Search - Cryptopsy :: Unspoken King

Cryptopsy is still Cryptopsy

General Zombie | the West | 03/03/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Cryptopsy's "The Unspoken King" was greeted by almost unprecedented prerelease venom. Crytopsy has always caused a lot of whining (Where's Lord Worm? This isn't "None So Vile" etc.), but none of that compares to the hatred unleashed towards "The Unspoken King" and its deathcore styling. Many suppose this makes it a substantial change of direction and a blatantly commercial move, a laughable accusation because 1- deathcore doesn't sell that much better than straight death metal and 2- deathcore isn't all that far removed from straight death metal 3- Cryptopsy has long had hardcore elements. (Only the singing is legitimately new, and it is used sparingly.) I find almost all straight ahead metalcore and hardcore to be incredibly dull (tech-metalcore is often great, though), but the superficial elements many hardliners disdain aren't what makes these genres weaker: it's the flavorless, chugging riffs, the simplistic alternation between breakdowns and blasting sections and the trite, formulaic songwriting. Mid-range vox, breakdowns, atmospheric sections--these elements are superficial. I care about the intricate riffing, the harsh tempo changes and the winding, unpredictable song structures that define tech-death (and tech-metal in general), and these elements all remain in "The Unspoken King." Granted, they aren't as strong this time around: It's somewhat less frantic and technical, and the riff- and song- writing aren't as consistent, but it's largely the same Cryptopsy sound, just with a few new twists.



The most immediately evident change is in the production: Crytopsy albums were generally either noisy (Whisper Supremacy), raw (None So Vile) or somewhat thin (Once Was Not), but "The Unspoken King" is very clean and mechanistic (shades of Beneath the Massacre). New singer Matt McGachy is much and inexplicably loathed. He's a typical mid-range extreme metal vocalist, and he generates no strong response in me either way. (I do note, however, that attacking the vox is the main way that mainstreamers deride extreme metal in general. Strange how quick hardline DM fans are to adapt their tactics.) I can understand hating his singing, though I do not, but this shouldn't destroy the whole album, as it is used sporadically.



The opening 3 tracks emphasize the deathcore elements while still remaining entrenched in the Crytopsy ethos. All contain frequent riff and tempo changes plus some more conventionally core-ish breakdowns and Beneath the Massacre style sweeping and tapping. "The Headsman" is the best, most dynamic and fully formed track on the album, but they save the next most impressive spastic metal outburst for much later in "Anoint the Dead," a frenetic beast of a song that is as unpredicatable as any earlier Cryptopsy material. These tracks are deathcore, yes, but the core elements are integrated into the technical DM structure, not used as repetitive songwriting crutches.



The middle portions of the album move further from the basic band style, including more atmospherics and singing. They again avoid core-style cliché songwriting, integrating these elements in a seemingly random, haphazard fashion. The middle tracks aren't as strong from a songwriting standpoint, but they add a surprising variety to the album. "Bemoan the Marty", perhaps the most maligned track, is intriguing, moving from spacey atmospherics and melodic vox to frantic, jerking death metal to a skewed breakdown and back again. These varied elements all come together in the final full song, "Bound Dead," which effectively combines some epic, melodic vox with a full sampler of the various riff styles found in the album.



Unfortunately, the end of the album is a bit inconsistent, and "Resurgence of an Empire" and "Contemplate Regicide" could both be cut. Again, the flaw is not the overt core styling, but the rather dull, listless riffwriting. This, however, is likely a sign of a band losing a major songwriter and becoming somewhat stodgier and complacent with age, rather than a fundamental stylistic change.



Though I like this album, I can't help but worry for Cryptopsy's future. Auburn has since left the band, leaving them with Mounier and Langlois as the only longtime members, and with the massively negative response to this album, who knows where they'll go from here. Still, they're six for six so far, and I'll be sure to approach whatever they come up with next optimistically and with an open mind, though perhaps not many others will. . .

"

What Happened? Lame Beyond Comprehension.....

M. Jensen | I Am Where I Am | 03/31/2009

(2 out of 5 stars)

"From the forefront of the death metal and extreme music scene to this derivitive mess. This was embarassing to listen to, and I am proud of myself for making it almost through Track 6. I want my money back! I wanna know who these clowns are masquarading as Cryptopsy. I actually took the CD outta my player, cuz I seriously thought it was the wrong cd. Yeah, they still shred like maniacs at times, but this la la singing just smashes any momentum. They sold out to a proven formula, and the sad thing is, they aren't even very good at it. I wanna weep....if you wanna know what pride dying sounds like, try to endure this thing."

Cryptopsy 182

broken shift key | 03/11/2010

(1 out of 5 stars)

"a "quirky" deathcore cash-in that sounds like a cross between despised icon and coldplay. yet another case of "experimentalism" being used as an excuse to sell trite music. love is over."