Crypta takes up arms again for its second album.
Created in 2019 by Fernanda Lira (bass/vocals) and Luana Dametto (drums) following their departure from Nervosa, the Brazilian band hires guitarists Tainá Bergamaschi and Sonia Anubis (Cobra Spell, ex-Burning Witches), signs to Napalm Records and offers a debut album. Jéssica di Falchi (Iron Ladies, ex-Burn Incorporated) took Sonia‘s place, and the band announced the release of Shades of Sorrow in 2023.
The band called on Pablo Greg (Silent Cry, Edu Falaschi…) for some keyboard parts.
The album opens with The Aftermath, a melancholic piano introduction leading into Dark Clouds’ pure rage and massive Old School accents, complemented by savage howls. The jerky riffs perfectly accommodate the stinging leads and unbridled blast, as do the unhealthy dissonant breaks before Poisonous Apathy once again ignites the heady melodies, sometimes offering haunting tones that contrast with the regular fury. The Outsider follows with an ominous but relatively calm introduction, which soon explodes to let the band play at full speed under the vocalist’s screams to deliver a driving sound, which is followed by Stronghold, a composition which skilfully blends sharp leads and a heavy rhythmic basis. More soaring tones on the choruses go hand in hand with the visceral screams, and then it’s back to pure violence on The Other Side of Anger, never missing a chance to place some well-crafted guitar parts on a slower rhythmic basis to showcase them before speeding up again. The Limbo offers us a dreamlike moment to catch our breath, but Trial of Traitors quickly takes the reins to carry us away in its frantic charge punctuated by a few tapping parts or bloody leads. The raw oppressive approach once again perfectly fits with heavy riffs, giving way to the dark ominous Lullaby for the Forsaken, which begins with whispers before crushing us again under its flood of catchy melodies, boosted by streams of blast. Agents of Chao remains anchored in effective patterns of shifting rhythms, with an agonizing slowness responding to jerky riffs, as on Lift the Blindfold, the perfect track to let crowds go wild as they follow the growing fury. Lord of Ruin reveals a very melodious aspect of the Brazilian band’s virulent Death Metal, without forgetting the catchy patterns and occult tones, before leaving sweetness to work on The Closure, its fast but majestic outro.
Only two years after an excellent debut album, Crypta are back with Shades of Sorrow, which features a handful of catchy riffs and a relatively more melodic approach than the first opus, without ever forgetting the brutality.
90/100