Reviews: Cryptosis, Dawn Of Ouroboros, Avulsed, Hypermass (Matt Bladen)

Cryptosis - Celestial Death (Century Media)

Dutch tech death now from Cryptosis who come back with their second album Celestial Death. The PR states this is highly evolved death metal and it’s hard to argue as it’s state-of-the-art in terms of the technology they use throughout to give it massive sound. 

Crystal clarity and multi-layered orchestrations and synths swell as they push their instruments to limits of playability. Lighting fast riffs and inhuman drumming are part and parcel of this Dutch band’s modus operandi. 

They established their dystopian metal scene with their 2021 debut but Celestial Death feels a more coherent record, nothing is there because it has to be, it’s there because it needs to be. The eerie mellotron parp on Ascending gives a futuristic note to what is a hardcore song. 

Cryptosis’ album is conceptual and this trio seem to have really invited the listener into their futuristic apocalypse with Celestial Death, part of the albums accessibility comes from the restraint they put themselves under while writing the album. 

The pitch changes, shifts in style all had to be there for a reason, streamlining the song writing so they never hang on one riff for too long, as such most songs here are under 5 minutes in length and the 40-odd minutes is done in flash of virtuoso face melting. 

The true skill though is when you re-listen and you can pick out the black, death, thrash, hardcore etc elements that make up this second album. I came into this record having not heard the debut but Celestial Death is an absolute melodeath rager. 8/10

Dawn Of Ouroboros - Bioluminescence (Prosthetic Records)

Blackened prog jazz? Yeah we'll go with that. It's the complex, extreme metal sound of Dawn Of Ouroboros and on this third album they are inspired by nature, well particularly the idea of Bioluminescence, used as a metaphor for no matter how dark things get there is brightness and beauty.

Much of these observations come from guitarist Tony Thomas who molecular biologist and pours this intelligent highly researched background into the music to make an album full of undulating time signatures, virtuoso soloing, black metal blasts driven by the ferocious blasts of drummer Ron Bertrand on tracks such as Static Repetition. 

There's also plenty of jazz as I said, some fluid middle sections that are brought by fluid guitars from Thomas and the bass finesse of Ian Baker. He also plays the piano on the moments that require a bit more classical instrumentation, such as Mournful Ambience.

With a track such as Fragile Tranquillity is a the summation of the Dawn Of Ouroboros playbook, it's ominous and brutal but also progressive and beautiful, the synths from Tony Thomas glistening in the middle section here. 

The incredible vocals of Chelsea Murphy adapting between breathy emotion, dreamy crooning and visceral black metal screams are sure to take your breath away, she's one of the finest singers I've heard for a while, the transitions and sheer power is scary at times.

Awash with colour in response to a darkening planet Bioluminescence with tick the prog box for any extreme metal fan. 8/10

Avulsed – Phoenix Cryptobiosis (Xtreem Music)

“This shit is massively excellent”, when you’ve got one man death metal scene Rogga Johansson’s seal of approval do you need mine? 

Well you’re going to get it and I’m in agreement for the most part with Rog. Spanish death metal act Avulsed, haven’t dimmed their assault in the near 12 years since their last record. It’s the sort of ‘pure’ death metal that vocalist Dave Rotten has been grunting over since the 90’s, stripped back of any sort of production tricks, with the exception of the intro.

This is all about making brutal, raw death metal played by humans and not machines as is so prominent on the tech/modern scene. For this record Rotten has a new line up behind him, but the songs defiantly remain the same gore soaked blast of OSDM they’ve always been. Its rage personified, divebombs into solos, blastbeats into yet more blastbeats and neck hurting grooves that open back up into frenzied speed. 

If you like your death metal from the old school persuasion then you’ll welcome the return of Avulsed. 7/10

Hypermass - Apperition Day (Seek & Strike)

Time for Norwegian prog metal as Hypermass groove their way back with a new EP entitled Apperition Day. Following their 2022 debut, this EP delves a bit deeper into the sound Hypermass want to convey. 

They're all about the heavy, but not never come at at in the direct route, the PR cites influences such as Between The Buried and Me, Periphery and SikTh, and I can definitely hear the latter in their grooving style of death metal with some anthemic chorus hooks for catharsis through music.

This EP bursts to life with Supernova Collective, it's a sterling way to open with complex melodic lead guitars, harsh growls and thick percussive grooves. It's a bit of a face-melter from the first moments, the intensity of their music has been heightened on this EP, but they still use melody and jazz rhythms to cement their prog credentials on Neovortex and the propulsive Headcase. 

Apperition Day cinches Hypermass' sound and makes them heavier, brasher but also more progressive than on their album. It's a bold EP that refines what Hypermass' do. 8/10