Krypticy – The Non-Return
Release Date: 22nd July 2024
Label: Violence In The Veins / Memento Mori
Spotify
Genre: Death Metal, Old School Death Metal.
FFO: Autopsy, Benediction, Death, Atheist, Pestilence, Vomitory, Suffocation.
Review By: Mark Young
I don’t think there can be any doubt where Krypticy are coming from with their latest full-length release, The Non Return. It is 8 songs of rapid-fire, gore filled brutality that blast on by without leaving an impression on you. There are no atmospheric introductions, or instrumentals, it is just bang, starting at an impressive speed and staying there until they finish. The Spanish 4-piece, gleefully going for an old-school vibe whilst bringing it up to date so that you can at least hear what they have to say.
Reading that first paragraph back, it looks like I’m not totally sold on them, and to a point that is correct. With death metal having been around for a while, I think you need a certain something that lifts you up and makes you stand-out from the crowd. The music here, whilst skilful and ticking all the boxes in terms of an aggressive nature, didn’t stay with me for long after the album finished. Regular readers (hello, you two) will know that I use my commute to start my review and while I didn’t skip any songs, it felt like they flew by.
Infected Pharaoh starts off brightly with plenty of crunch and tightly packed riffs. There are blast beats (naturally), and vocalist Alex Guerrero handles these duties with a suitably low growl. That old-school flavour is there right away as they plough forward, trem picking and pinched harmonics all on point. It’s all good, and they continue this approach right through. What I was looking for more variance in the material, but it is assumed that given the song contents it puts you into a corner that is difficult to fight your way out of. Texas Chainsaw Massacre has the necessary ingredients, but it feels as though the arrangement is too similar to the starting songs. It does have its moments though; there are some good riff builds in here, and it sounds great, the guitars having that satisfying chunk to them. They also throw in some nifty melody lines, especially in The Void, stuffed between the heavier moments which shows they have an eye for it, but it gets lost within the head down full pelt attack. Another example is the start of The Water Street Butcher, with some cracking bass work courtesy of David Fernández that heralds the start of another blast-infused battering.
If you come into this expecting something groundbreaking, then you will be disappointed. If you come into it looking for a quick fix of the latest brutal metal, then this is for you. A lot is going for it, but it just didn’t hit with me. There is nothing wrong with it, it just lacked something that would have made it essential for me.
1. Infected Pharaoh
2. Hypatia
3. Texas Chainsaw Massacre
4. The Void
5. The Water Street Butcher
6. Ugh!
7. Krypticy
8. Virgins Recently Fucked Sacrifice
(3 / 5)
