Ελληνικά
Last Updated on 09:17 PM by Giorgos Tsekas
Genre: Death / Doom
Country: Finland
Label: Dark Descent Records
Year: 2016
Even though Krypts’ latest effort was in fact in my Dirty Dozen list for 2016, for some reason I omitted to write an article about this release, probably because I kept listening to it for many consecutive days, thus becoming an unconscious part of my reality that didn’t need to be expressed; but no more. Three years after the band’s debut “Unending Degradation”, Helsinki’s Death / Doom beast roared again, louder than any time before. “Remnants of Expansion” is Krypts’ second full length effort, released on October 28th via Dark Descent Records.
Loyal to their established sound and swampy character, Krypts create an intense, thick atmosphere, where nightmares become reality. “Remnants of Expansion” could be described as an Old School Death Metal record, though not in a retro way. The incorporation of modern elements and the horrifying Doom parts, render this album as one of the most sophisticated in its simplicity records in Death / Doom Metal for 2016. It feels like a journey into nothingness, with a primordial yet earnest feeling emitted from its core. More specifically, Otso Ukkonen performs excellently on drums, with fascinating patterns that give the appropriate momentum to the rest of the instruments’ compositions. Otso is present at all times, with his character and talent flowing abundant. His performance and contribution to the whole is boosted by the mixing process; I love the way everything was mixed, but I especially enjoy the mixing of drums, which aren’t lost / distant in the background, nor are they on the first line, sonically dominating everything else. Anti Kotiranta on vocals sounds like a magnificent beast. His vocals are fully dynamic, with great depth. He almost sounds inhuman, with his terrifying performance and his colorful manipulation of growls, screams and roars. Jukka Aho and Ville Snicker on guitars are also worth mentioning. They managed to deliver some of the best Death / Doom metal compositions of the past year. Haunting melodies, along with slow and painful riffs are what they’re in for; and obviously they won the bet.
I think that “Remnants of Expansion” was designed to be enjoyed individually, for a personal spiral down n the abyss. Krypts put you in a state of quiescence, a tranquil trance you cannot easily handle. I believe the band itself used the most appropriate words to describe its own effort, stating ”The album was crafted to be a gateway – an aural view to the endless desolation, total disintegration”. Couldn’t have said it better.
Interesting fact: “Remnants of Expansion” was recorded and mixed between winter and summer solstice 2016, given as “2559” in the booklet, which is the Thai solar calendar year for 2016.
5.5/6
Listen here:
