[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0x-l-Gzxdg[/youtube]
Metal Insider contributor Anthony Maisano is listening to a different metal album that was released on that day every day this year. Today, Cryptopsy’s sophomore album None So Vile reaches legal age, turning 18 years old.
This is Cryptopsy’s second album. This album has some of the most intensity I’ve ever heard. The band is just absolutely off the charts on this album. The speed and ferocity is just absolutely incredible. I really like the vocalist’s high screams when he decides to belt them out. I love the snare drum cracks, and the snapping bass drum sounds when the band picks up speed. The lead guitar work is also really well done, in my opinion, and makes up for the sometimes-repetitive riffs. The piano intro on “Phobophile,” followed by the slow bass work is really the only time the album loses intensity at all, and it really adds a needed breath of air, before diving down with some more great off the wall material.
Now, I know Lord Worm is a very respected singer, but is he even really singing words? Pretty much every vocal line on this album sounds like the same one syllable repeated over and over again, sometimes changing the pitch. They might as feel not even bothered writing lyrics. Overall, the songs don’t sound all that structured to me, and seem pretty arbitrary at most points, substituting form for ferocity. As expected for production on a band’s second album in ’96, it isn’t stellar. However, the rawness adds a little something extra, and makes the intensity come off as even more real and aggressive.
Favorite Tracks: “Phobophile,” “Crown of Horns,” “Lichmistress.”
If you want an album with some absolutely amazing speed and intensity, I couldn’t point you to many better albums. It has a rawness to it that adds to the albums charm. However, the vocals are just arbitrary and a lot of times, unneeded, in my opinion. If you want an album that is chaotic, and one that you can just go crazy to, this one will be right up your alley, but if you want something more structured and crafted, you might grow bored of this album after a listen or two.
