Cryptopsy
The Unspoken King ()
Wydane przez Century Media RecordsRok wydania Kraj CanadaNapisał Wouter5
To say that this much important follow-up to 2005's "Once Was Not" album was a feverishly anticipated affair would be an understatement. All is not well, however. Note that the classic band logo is suspiciously absent. The album opens with ‘Worship your Demons' that kicks off with a blast and a shriek by newly recruited vocalist Matt McGachy. ‘the Headsmen' reminds perhaps a bit of the old Cryptopsy but the vocals ruin much of its impact. The guitar solo is a highpoint but it's all too brief to be of any meaning. ‘Silence the Tyrants' repeats the same structure as the preceding track but with more attention to groove. This strangely reminds of latter day Fear Factory's more cinematic tracks, in structure and its staccato riff barrage. There's a bouncy synth intro to ‘Bemoan the Martyr'. The track opens with a spoken word section a la Linkin Park's ‘Points of Authority' and the several clean sung sections remind of Linkin Park's Chester Bennington. The multiple breakdowns make this sound like Job For a Cowboy. ‘Leach' has a chorus that brings Alice In Chains to mind. The extended solo isn't able to redeem this track. Clean vocals and atmospherics are also present on ‘the Plagued'. McGachy's harsher vocals remind slightly of The Haunted but they are not nearly as powerful and sound more hardcore oriented. Keyboardist Maggie Durand has very little to do on the actual album, throwing in the occasional few notes brief electronics or atmospheric passages on a few tracks. Why she is credited as full member instead of a mere session musician is anyone's guess. The only thing that has remained intact from the old Cryptopsy is Flo Mounier's whirlwind drumming, yet "The Unspoken King" sees him going into a stripped down, ever simplified, groovy direction. His blasts are still present but feel disjointed and misplaced in the context of the band's current direction. Bassist Eric Langlois still has the magic and while his slapping funky bass lines feature prominently on this record those alone aren't able to save it. The high class artwork and packaging together with the top notch production job by Sébastien Marsan is nothing short of impressive. Cryptopsy no longer are mentioned in the same breath as Brain Drill, Decrepit Birth, Gorod, Odious Mortem and Spawn Of Possession now instead they seem to cater the audiences of In This Moment, Job For a Cowboy, Killswitch Engage, Shadows Fall and Winds Of Plague.
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