Entry 1610 - Cryptopsy

Style: technical death metal

Thoughts: It's hard to think of a band that has a more spotted and controversial history than Cryptopsy did to this point. Going from one of the most respected death metal bands on the planet to sounding like a technical hardcore band with And Then You'll Beg then back to a shadow of their selves with Once Was not, the band was inconsistent at best. Then came The Unspoken King.

While I did not mind the album the quality that had been in the band was severely lacking. The clean vocals were also not great, not horrible but not great. The real kicker though was the band's (specifically Flo's) response. Mocking fans that didn't like it, saying that this was the true Cryptopsy... reminded me quite a bit of Hypocrisy with Catch 22... not a good look.

Well it seems like the band learned from it, because everything changed after Unspoken King. Jon rejoined the band, Flo's drumming became tighter, even Matt learned how to properly do brutal vocals. Everything changed... for the better. 

Cryptopsy's self titled album is a love letter to long term fans. It's a back to the roots album in a way that few bands have ever pulled off. The real game changer here is getting Jon Levasseur back on guitar. The dude knows how to write incredibly complex riffs and he knows how to make them sound damn good at the same time.

What sets Cryptopsy apart further though is the incredible chaos that comes with these technical riffs. I never know where these songs are going. A jazz break here, a breakdown there, a xylophone elevator music interlude... you never ever know where the band is going to end up.

The other major factor that has changed from the Unspoken King is Matt's vocals. Instead of a hardcore shout the dude has adopted a proper growl that is all over the place in terms of delivery. The slurred nastiness of Lord Worm is to be heard sometimes. Other times he goes more traditional false chord screams, but he's always brutal and the clean vocals have been eliminated from the music entirely.

Cryptopsy's self titled feels like the band is trying to rebrand back to what made them a death metal staple in the first place. After listening to this album for over a decade I can confidently say that the band has succeeded. Not only is this an acceptable apology for the Unspoken King, it's also one of the finest albums in their discography... perhaps even their second best album.

It's wild to me that the band turned their sound around this much. There have been a lot of "return to the roots" albums out there, but this one feels like one of the most genuine ones. Sure it's missing a lot of the classic lineup, but damn it still kicks my ass every time I listen to it.